Fruits of a visit

At Eastwood City’s brightly lit Fuente Circle, the vintage-styled marquee of Amoeba CD Exchange and First Edition Bookshop attracted attention from the crowd on a fast turnover amid the resto and bar tables in the al fresco setting. It announced to all and sundry: Love Gathers All.

The commanding signage had drawn the public eye as early as a fortnight previous to Valentine’s Week. The bookshop would serve as a fresh venue for one of Manila’s serial launches of a poetry anthology of the same title.

Passers-by wouldn’t know that, however, unless they drew closer on the very eve of the Chinese New Year of the Horse, and perused a much smaller vertical streamer by the door below the marquee. Hung up by Anvil Publishing, Inc, it detailed the book’s subtitle – "The Philippines-Singapore Anthology of Love Poetry" – and the grand list of 93 poets from both countries. That was how inadvertently subtle the promo lure was conducted.

But on that night of Feb. 11, the visiting Singaporean poets, Aaron Lee and Kirpal Singh, were certainly beside themselves over the visual treat. It felt good to guzzle San Mig Super Dry out in the open, under a night sky whose stars were out-illumined by a book title that had become the fruit of an initial visit to Manila.

The previous night, a Sunday, the premier launch was hosted by the most affable Singaporean Ambassador Jacky Foo at his expansive garden in North Forbes Park. Several diplomats and other notables were in attendance, including the Swedish Ambassador Ulf Hakansson, United States Embassy Vice Consul Gabrielle Price, and the svelte Rep. Imee Marcos, who was a constantly enchanting, "sensual presence."

There, too, were senior poet-diplomat Sedfrey Ordoñez, former NCCA chairman Jaime Laya, former NCCA executive director Virgilio Almario, Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) executive director Alex Calata, former Silliman University president and PCGG commissioner Quintin Doromal and his poet-wife Pearl Gamboa Doromal, businessman Antonio Cojuangco, his ex-Giraffe Bar and now Dream Bar partner Bubot Quicho, the eye catchers Jeanie Pilapil and Jenny Tan, along with other poetry lovers, who had their book copies signed by the fair sampling of the contributors other than Lee and Singh: Jimmy Abad, Justine Camacho, Carlomar Arcangel Daoana, Ramil Digal Gulle Marne Kilates, Erlinda Panlilio, Angelo Suarez, Alice Sun-Cua and RayVi Sunico.

Writer-guests included UMPIL (Writers Union of the Philippines) vice chairman and prize-winning Filipino poet Bobby Añonuevo, Philippine STAR columnist Wilson Lee Flores, Charlson Ong, Carla Pacis, Sanctum’s weekly poetry slam organizers Triccia David and Asli Aslanian, Giraffe Books publisher Gloria Rodriguez, and Anvil’s Karina Bolasco.

A string quartet performed on a stage at the far end of the lawn, where too the Singaporean Embassy counselor Paul Kho eventually called on the co-editors and contributors to render brief readings. No sooner had the official program ended when videoke regulars Marne and Charlson commandeered the mic, the stage and the violin ensemble for bursts of song. Erlinda, too, essayed Usahay yet again, while our host, Ambassador Foo, gave the lie to his boyish looks with a heartfelt rendition of My Way.

The following day saw the Singaporean contingent, which included Ethos Books publisher Winnie Wong and Straits Times arts writer Ong Sor Fern, starting off on their three-day tour of university campuses for mini-launches and full-blown readings with counterpart local poets.

At the Ateneo Art Gallery, our host, ADMU Humanities department chairman Dr. Leovino Garcia, pointed out that a considerable number of Ateneo alumnae were represented in the collection – 10 of the 93 poets: Rofel Brion, Justine Camacho, Noelle Quintos de Jesus (now Singapore-based), Luis Francia (now New York-based), Jeneen Garcia (now Cebu-based), Neal Imperial, (now Jakarta-based) John Labella, Fran Ng, Danton Remoto and RayVi Sunico. Make that 10.5 if this co-editor were to be included; a full 11, claimed Jimmy Abad, whose eldest daughter Cyan is with the ADMU English Department. (By the by, the children’s writer Cyan will be off to Scotland for five weeks in April as a fellow at the International Writers Retreat at Hawthornden Castle.)

From the loveliest campus in the country (the blue-skied, ever-green eyrie that is Loyola Heights), it was a quick ride to Eastwood City for early evening aperitifs while basking in the glow of that gratifying marquee. Our hosts this time were First Edition Bookshop owners Manny and Dimples Rara, who made sure to come up with an entirely fresh audience.

Indeed, love gathered all and then some, as we were joined in the intimate reading by guests Karen Kunawicz, herself an inveterate poet, and M. Evelina Galang, a Fil-Am author (Her Wild American Self), who’s fulfilling a Fulbright grant in Manila. Listening in were UP writer-professors Mario and Alma Miclat, together with their daughter Banaue, a theater artist.

It was on the post-event long table overlooking the water fountain at Fuente Circle where Jimmy Abad pondered wistfully on the fruits of a visit, as he termed it. We looked back at the Year of the Snake that was, how it started with a Singaporean poets’ delegation coming over at the height of the impeachment imbroglio in January last year, and getting to savor the fruits of someone’s dance of exultation on the Senate floor.

EDSA Dos had erupted, with our visiting friends taking it all in. Some months later, we reciprocated the cultural exchange visit with our participation in the Singapore Writers’ Festival, and the book we were now peddling all over the place was born. (To be continued)