The Word: Up and down the hill (and back again)
MANILA, Philippines — On Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Ching Tan Hall of the Ateneo de Manila University, a special literary event billed as “Making Literary Markets” will feature writers Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz, Katrina Stuart Santiago, Faye Cura, and Beverly Wico Sy, among others, along with publishing entities including Exploding Galaxies, Everything’s Fine, Tibok Bookstore.ph, Gantala Press, Balangay, and Kinaiya Collective. From 2 to 3:30 p.m., Adam David of BLTX follows up with “Creating Zines: A Workshop.”
The next day, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Escaler Hall, “Writing Now: The Promise of Influence” features poet-writers Allan Pastrana, Kaisa Aquino, and Martin Villanueva. And from 3 to 5 p.m., Mark Anthony Cayanan, Hidde Van der Wall, and Aaron Philip M. Dela Cruz take part in “Doing Queer Artforms.”
The first Ateneo Literary and Cultural Festival (ALCF) will use up much of Friday, October 11, from 1 to 8 p.m., for “Performing, Communing, Building” — culminating with poetry readings by members of the Ateneo community, LCSP faculty and guests, along with open mic, musical performances, and a bazaar at the MVP Roofdeck.
The festival, one of a myriad of similar literary events happening all over town and the regions, is being launched by the newly created Literary and Cultural Studies Program (LCSP) in coordination with the Rizal Library, the Ateneo de Manila University Press, Kritika Kultura, and PLUME. It envisions itself as a “leading center for the cultivation and promotion of Philippine Literature in English.”
It’s been a lifetime of memories when it comes to relating Ateneo with actual production of creative writing. For this grizzled institution hopper, the recollections start in the early ‘60s with the names Jacques Schnabel and Richard Paradies, a couple of Ateneo upperclassmen whose poems seemed like gems in those early pages of Heights.
As a cross-enrollee from UP Diliman, I then had the privilege of studying under Rolando Tinio and Emmanuel Torres. Followed the luxury of camaraderie in and out of campus with Emmanuel Lacaba, Freddie Salanga, Tikoy Aguiluz and Linggoy Alcuaz. It was at cafes and the Free Press canteen where mentorship and friendship grew with Leo Benesa and Pete Lacaba, respectively. And everywhere else with Pandy Aviado.
Despite getting back to UP Diliman and the Philippine Collegian, there were the “Bagay” poets to learn about — while radiating circles expanded from the late ’60s to the ’80s to embrace the Silliman Workshop, Pinaglabanan Galleries, ERMITA, PLAC, the Edsa Poetry Revolution and then some. And then it was back again to the heralded hill in Loyola Heights, where Doreen Gamboa Fernandez got me teaching from the late ’70s up. It’s been a roster of illustrious poets, writers, chroniclers, historians since, beginning with the rara avis Ambeth Ocampo.
Colleagues, students, fellow poetry readers at various bars included (and here we’ll certainly miss some names) Ramon Sunico, Timie Lim, DM Reyes, Danton Remoto, Howie Severino, Mike Coroza, Mikael de Lara Co, Marie La Viña, Peachie Paderna, Yol Jamendang, Gian Lao, Naya Valdellon, Jing Panganiban, Mookie Katigbak, Allan Pastrana, Justin Camacho, Sheree Chua …
And now we have yet another leap of continuing evolution, with Charlie Samuya Veric taking a principal role, I think, in bringing everything up to speed.
“The Ateneo Literary and Cultural Festival (ALCF) gathers the university community, book publishers, local writers, literary enthusiasts, thought leaders, and cultural entrepreneurs to promote literacy and explore untapped opportunities for innovation and enterprise in the creative industries in the country and beyond. This festival highlights emerging and established writers while fostering intellectual discourse, cultural exchange, creative enterprise and literary excellence. It offers insights into the Philippine publishing industry, provides advice to aspiring authors, and promotes discussions on literature’s role in bridging cultural divides, especially LGBTQIA+ issues. In doing so, the ALCF provides a safe laboratory for bold intellectual experimentation, innovative thinking, and new synergy between scholarly communities and the creative industries.”
In particular, certain initiatives are out of the ordinary, such as “Empowering Aspiring Writers through Zine-Making”:
“Zines, which are small self-published works that are often countercultural, offer a creative platform for self-expression through prose, poetry, illustrations and collage. This workshop will teach the essentials of zine production — from concept and content creation, to design and assembly. By emphasizing unconventional self-expression and creativity, the workshop enables writers to voice their unique stories.”
Another is “Promoting Inclusivity through Queer Artforms.”
“The ALCF will provide a safe space to queer writers to speak about their experiences and creative processes, highlighting the significance of representation and challenging dominant norms in literature, art, and ethnography. These discussions emphasize Literary and Cultural Studies Program (LCSP)’s commitment to inclusivity and fostering dialogues on identity, marginalization, and artistic creation.”
In about eight decades, then, or roughly four generations, The Word has gone up and down the hill, and back again. From the time when prose and poetry were regarded as simple expressions of thematic, ideational and emotional content — with craft retained as the primary process — creative writing slowly but steadily took the cue from other aspirations. In another decade, how should the Ateneo foresee the changes that will take over? No telling. Just dream-building.
* * *
For more information, contact litcs.soh@ateneo.edu or follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AteneoLCSP.
