Maxine Syjuco book launch at Fully Booked
Performance-poet Maxine Syjuco, renowned primarily for her work with the art band Utakan, will unveil her first publication of intimate verses on Nov. 20, at 6 p.m., at Fully Booked on Bonifacio High Street.
Titled A Secret Life, Syjuco’s first book has been described by one leading critic as “a vivacious poetry of the first order,” and has been praised by other critics for “the freshness of its vision and its language.” Performing arts critic Rosalinda L. Orosa calls the 23-year-old poet: “a sophisticated innuendo in herself,” while literary critic and poet Vim Nadera calls her “the Madonna of Philippine literature.”
Painter/art-and-culture critic Danny C. Sillada writes, “Gothic, witty, irreverent, and laden with dark humor, Maxine Syjuco has woven a new kind of poetry reflective of her generation. Her eccentric use of words and imageries creates a poignantly strange linguistic expression, which is unique to her voice: Freudian, surreal and existential.”
Multi-awarded writer and STAR columnist Alfred A. Yuson describes her work as: “Electric… Mesmerizing. Maxine Syjuco pushes the envelope with her conceptual approach to expressing ideas and notions, combines fresh, dynamic text with theatrical flair and bold delivery to reward us all with unique, cutting-edge art and transcendental awareness.”
The book launch will showcase the special participation of Cesare and the Electric Underground Collective, with their experimental spoken-word, music and dance performances.
