SPEND THE RAINY (AND LAZY) DAYS WITH THE WRITERS GUILD AND PROJECT BACKSPACE!

June-August 2007
Issue 4 Volume 2

+ From the Chief Editor. Saying goodbye is never easy.

+ WG Updates

{The Writers Guild Poetry Festival 2007 breaks traditions - and rules.}
{Writers Guild Storytellers provide support to SPi Foundation.}

{TULARAWAN exhibit: A dream come true.}

{READVOLUTION is back with a vengeance.}

{The Writers Dream Academy begins its classes. Enrolment still ongoing!}

+ Personal Essays
{Mahros Abaño of Healthcare faces the prospect of her future being read, but something made her doubt that it was all for real.}
{Rohit Wad of Support meditates on being a superhero - and relishes the idea.}
{Biboy Calleja of Journals brings with him a thousand good memories of his Lola.}

+ Stanzas of Stillness. A fresh voice from Publishing emerges - haunting, moving.

+ Reel Review. The Guild sends its warmest congratulations to Jim Libiran.

We are accepting new members and contributors! To find out how to join or contribute, send us a note at 0927.447.8781 or at spiwritersguild@yahoo.com.ph! All SPi employees from the Philippines and our global offices are welcome!

FROM THE CHIEF EDITOR

Peanut plant. Photo by D. Gozum


Dear friends and readers,

As I write this, three important members of the Writers Guild will have resigned from the Guild, and two of them from SPi. Our Poetry Editor, Dai Miranda, whose very short term saw the introduction of poetry as our way of opening events and programs, will be going back to her creative roots. She says she misses writing and who are we to curtail creativity? There is evil talk that the post is jinxed, but we digress.

A regular contributor, Mahros Abaño of Healthcare, will have returned to her first love - teaching. She now teaches English to elementary and High school students in her hometown of Laguna.

A leading light in our Storytellers group, Lisa Austria has quit the group to focus on one thing she really wishes to develop - writing. We wish her all the best and offer her our support (and guidance, if need be).

Also, and this came rather belatedly, we also say farewell to Ms. Elaine Kunkle, whose generosity has made possible the establishment of READVOLUTION, our very successful reading project here in SPi.

It is always sad to see friends go. It is always sad to say goodbye. But for every farewell, a welcome comes along with it because we never really stop moving. We just do new things. It is our hope that our friends find themselves in a happier state. We hold in our minds and hearts the fondest memories of our time together.

For us who are left, we are challenged to keep things exciting for the rest of the membership, as well as to continue attracting new blood. We are now entering our second year in office and we have learned a lot from our first year. Here's looking forward to a more exciting year ahead of us!

Cheers!

Dylan
dylangozum@yahoo.com

POWERBOOKS ACTIVITIES AT THE MANILA INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR 2007

Powerbooks would like to invite you to visit our booth at the 28th Manila International Book Fair! It is the biggest annual book exhibition in the country featuring more than three hundred local and foreign exhibitors. Get to enjoy big discounts on your favorite books and take home special treats from us!

Together with Read or Die and Bookgroove Reading Centre, we have also prepared a series of informative talks and educational workshops.

Schedule of Powerbooks Events (Admission is FREE)

A. READ OR DIE ORGANIZATION
Talk: Philippine Speculative Fiction
Guest Speaker: Dean Alfar
Schedule: August 29 - Wednesday
2:30 – 3:30pm
Function Room B


Talk: Children, Teens and Reading in the Time of IT
Guest Speaker: Zarah Grace Gagatiga
Schedule: August 30- Thursday
3:30 – 4:30pm
Function Room A

BOOKGROVE READING CENTRE
Part 1: Bookgrove Reading Centre: A Lifetime of Learning Through Books
Guest Speaker: Teacher Carmen Sanchez, reading coach

Part 2: Bookgrove's Play Attention Workshop
Guest Speaker: Juariza Aparis, Co-founder

Schedule: August 31 - Friday
3:30 – 4:30pm
Function Room A

Activity: Bookgrove's Storytelling and Activity Hour
Storyteller: Ma. Cristina M. Atayde
Schedule: September 1- Saturday
3:30 – 4:30pm
Activity Area

See you there!

Regards,

Powerbooks Team
Customer Service Hotline: 757-6428-29
Website: www.powerbooks.com.ph
Multiply site: www.powerbooks.multiply.com

WRITERS DREAM ACADEMY OPENS

The Writers Dream Academy of the Writers Guild is now accepting enrollees to its class offerings this 2007.

A Series of Fortunate Events Writers Workshop Series (Year 2) subjects offered:

A. LEVEL UP!!!

1.) Popular Literature (Ghost Story & Mini-Mystery)
Speaker: Beverly Siy
Date: August 8, 2007
Subject code: GS / MM

2.) Humorous Creative Non-Fiction
Speaker: Alfredo Diaz
Date: September 1, 2007 9AM – 4PM
Subject code: HA

3.) Scriptwriting for Drama on Television
Speaker: Ricardo P. Fernando III
Date: October 6, 2007 2 – 7PM
Subject code: TV

4.) The Personal Essay
Speaker: Jessica Zafra
Date: To be announced (November or December)
Subject code: PE

B.) STARTER KITS (for beginning writers and the plain curious)

1.) Panimula sa Pagsulat ng Sanaysay (Introduction to Essay Writing)
Speaker: Rita T. dela Cruz
Date: August 25, 2007 9AM – 4PM
Subject code: SA

2.) Panimula sa Pagsulat ng Maikling Kuwento (Introduction to the Art of the Short Story)
Speaker: Haidee C. Pineda
Date: September 22, 2007 9AM – 4PM
Subject code: MK

3.) Panimula sa Pagsulat ng Maikling Kuwentong Pambata (Introduction to the Art of Writing Stories for Children)
Speaker: Wennielyn F. Fajilan
Date: October 20, 2007 9AM – 4PM
Subject code: KP

Note:

a.) All sessions will be held at the HR Training Center, SPi Main Building.

b.)Outsiders (non-SPi employees) will be charged Php 125 fee/class. The series is free to all SPi employees.

c.) Attendance to at least any one subject in the list above is required before acceptance to The Personal Essay subject.

Register early! Text (your name)_(class code, email address)_(your Business Unit - if applicable) and send to 0927.447.8781. You can key in multiple subject codes if you are enrolling in more than one class. See you! Enroll now!

READVOLUTION IS BACK!

After staying in CIS for over two (2) months and in Healthcare before that, the two (2) Readvolution bookcases have finally been moved to the HR foyer area and are now within easy reach of all SPi employees 24/7!

If you wish to borrow books, just ask for the keys from the HR Help Desk, get your book(s) and register the title(s) and other details, i.e. date borrowed, etc., and return the keys. For graveyard and weekend shifters, keys will be left with the guards on duty. Maximum of two (2) books / week only. Php 5.00/book Late Return Penalty applies.

Note: Borrowing begins on Monday, August 20, 2007.

If you wish to receive a copy of the catalogue, please email a request to spiwritersguild@yahoo.com.ph or better yet, please visit our online library courtesy of The Library Thing. Thanks and happy reading!

____________________
Readvolution logo designed by Ana Maria Lopez Lopez

Meanwhile, on related news. This is something you don't want to miss!


Click on photo to enlarge.

TULARAWAN EXHIBIT OPENING & CLUB WEEK 2007 CLOSING

The Club Week 2007 closed last August 11 with - ironically enough - the opening of the TULARAWAN exhibit, a seminal joint effort of the Writers Guild and OBRA-Camera Club. Several clubs were there as well with well-received performances from one of the newest of the lot - the Performing Arts. Perps Poblador of Toastmasters Club emceed.

The choir opened the program with three songs, including their now famous version of Petula Clark's 1964 hit Downtown, earning them the monicker 'The Downtown Singers'. The Choir Division of the Performing Arts is headed by the bubbly EJ Solera (Journals). Performing Arts is headed by Christine Umali (Journals). Division head for Theater is Angela Padilla (Corporate Communications).

The Writers Guild's special guest, TUGISTA, were also on hand to liven up the evening. Prior to their performance, a video clip from Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho featuring their win at the recent 2007 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival was shown as their introduction.

The Guild expresses its deepest gratitude to Grace Reytiran (CIS) for providing us this clip. Thank you to JP Canivel for facilitating the visit of TUGISTA to SPi.

Shielbert Manuel, the group's de facto leader, takes to the mic.

TUGISTA wowed the crowd with their brand of "rapoetry". The group is currently training under National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario to further hone their craft in writing their songs. They have also released two albums, FYI.

Adding more life to the party are the indefatigable dancers of Performing Arts (Dance Division) headed by Liezel Migriño (Support). They performed 2 dance numbers.

Odie Gementera of Camera Club & Dylan Gozum of the Writers Guild raise the ceremonial ribbon. TULARAWAN is finally open! Thanks to Ms. Molly Crisostomo (Healthcare) for lending us the bow.

TULARAWAN was a concept of the Guild designed specifically with Camera Club in mind. Loosely patterned after ekphrasis, a style of poetry that is written based on photographs available (Greek word 'ek' means out, 'phrasis' means speak; ergo, putting pictures into words or poetic treatment of visual arts - Thanks to JP & Alev for this, Ed.), the exhibit eventually evolved into simply matching available poetry with available photos. Other poetry pieces, however, were written on the spot to accompany photos that just came in. The name of the exhibit is the result of putting together the words TULA (poetry) and LARAWAN (pictures or photos).

Participating members of the Camera Club are Odie Gementera, Maricris Bislumbre, Jimmy Reyes, and Bert Dosayla. Incredibly enough, all are from Journals. :-) Given the opportunity, the exhibit may travel to the 3/F of the SPi Main Building and to the Laguna office.

The exhibit is composed of photographs from the photo bank of the Writers Guild, participated in part by 4 members of the Camera Club. Poetry was provided for by 11 poets from the Writers Guild Collective and several non-Writers Guild SPi employees.

Billy Suarez of SPi Learning Academy, one of the poetry contributors; Perps Poblador, program host for the night; Jeanette Agati of the Performing Arts - Choir Division, and Dylan Gozum of the Writers Guild.

Perps, Dylan, Alev Maniago of CIS, one of the poetry contributors and a resident storyteller of the Guild, Jeanette, Dhang Rondael of HR Employee Relations, and Pia Manzano, VP of the Writers Guild with TUGISTA. If you recall, the group are part of the actors in the 2007 Cinemalaya Best Film Tribu. The rapper-poets also won the Best Actor plume. The film is competing in the 9th Cinemanila International Film Festival as of this writing. Watch the Youtube trailer here.

Here's a list of participating poets and their submitted pieces:

Vanessa Alpeche (Journals)
A Poem to Myself When I Turn 40
Teardrops
The Violence of Stars

Emil Bombita (Legal)
i-Café

WIZE (CIS)
Paalam
Ako Ito
My Angel

Billy Suarez (Support)
Untitled Work (Topic: Smoking & Coffee, 1 stanza)
Abyss of Nothingness
With Bated Breath (Unidentified author; courtesy of B. S.)

Alma Evita Maniago (CIS)
Sa Isang Araw sa Isang Linggo
Tsinelas
Buhay SPi
Various haikus

Jose Perseus Canivel (CIS)
20 Occurrences & other haikus
Naalala Mo, Marl haiku series

Pia Manzano (Support)
Calm Blue Sky (postcard)

Alex de Juan (formerly of Healthcare)
Pobreng Patay
Mutya

Daisyree Miranda (formerly of Journals)
Several haikus
Awit ng Paghihimbing
Holy Weak

Ivy San Diego (Journals)
Lost in a Mask

Vingel Yago (Healthcare)
G.Y. (Alay sa Healthcare)
Various untitled pieces



____________

Special thanks to the Camera Club (http://www.spicamera.multiply.com/), CBRE, Ms. Susan Sy of Journals, and HR Employee Relations for making this event happen!

STANZAS OF STILLNESS: VANESSA ALPECHE IN FOCUS

Teardrop

I think perhaps I was a teardrop
in some other life;
crystal, fluid, with a rainbow
in each tangential point.

For one second I existed,
heaved one giant breath,
then spilled upon the bowels,
of the brown arid earth.

Through me a splinter of pain
was released into the world;
like light, after the darkness,
dazzling, blinding, then dead.

If you'll ask what I had accomplished
as a tear,
I, ever so humbly,
would only say:

"I once fed the rain."

_________

Vanessa Alpeche is from Publishing, Journals. Teardrop is one of three poetry pieces she submitted for the TULARAWAN exhibit.

CLUB WEEK 2007 OPENS

Seen in the photo are Greg Alejandro & Jeff Lim representing the Performing Arts (Choir Division), HR Director Ms. Lea Villanueva, Writers Guild Vice President Pia Manzano and Mountaineering Society's Raul Boloron officiating at the ribbon cutting to open the club exhibits at the SPi grounds. A tent was put up to house the exhibit boards which traditionally are placed on the 2/F of the ARF.

Pia shares a laugh with Perps Poblador as she informs everyone of the Guild's lineup of activities for the Club Week. Please enjoy the rest of the photos at Camera Club's Multipy site.

WRITERS GUILD STORYTELLERS OPEN CLUB WEEK 2007

Some members of the Writers Guild Storytellers were already at it way before the formal opening of Club Week 2007 actually happened. Upon the invitation of the SPi Foundation and through the efforts of Guild Officer JP Canivel, who also is a regular Foundation volunteer, two other storytellers from the Guild joined in amusing and educating students from the St. Hannibal Multilevel School last July 30, 2007.

We commend and thank Biboy Calleja (Journals) and Alev Maniago (CIS) for heeding the Foundation's call for volunteers. Meanwhile enjoy the photos below, courtesy of SPiF's Jenny Estrada! Mabuhay po kayong lahat!

JP Canivel in action.

Biboy Calleja's baptism of fire. This is his first storytelling session outside of SPi. He is the newest member of the Storytellers group of the Guild.

Bakas sa mga mukha ng mga kabataang ito ang tuwa at aliw na dulot ng mga kuwento.

"O Alev, kaya mo pa ba?!"

"Eto, basahin mo. Ay, marunong ka na ba magbasa, bata?"

Class picture! Say "kuwento!" 'Di na kasi uso ang "cheese"!

_____________________________

Special thanks to Ma'am Lucy Agila of the SPi Foundation for this opportunity to be of help!

The Writers Guild Storytellers Group was founded in 2006 as a partner of Readvolution, then known as Project R.E.A.D., to promote reading to the children of SPi employees. Storybooks for children are also available at our bookcases for lending to those who wish to read to their kids at home. All storytellers were trained and certified by the Alitaptap Storytellers Philippines which based at the Museo Pambata. The SPi group is headed by Kathyleen Nogrado (Healthcare).

PISTANG PANITIK 2007

After success of last year’s "Pistang Panitik," LIKHAAN: The U.P. Institute of Creative Writing, in partnership with the Book Development Association of the Philippines, Prime Trade Asia, Anvil Publishing, the National Book Development Board and Read Or Die, will mount "Pistang Panitik 2007" at the World Trade Center from August 30, 2007 to September 2, 2007 to coincide with the 28th Manila International Book Fair.

"Pistang Panitik" was conceived by UP ICW Director Vim Nadera as a literary festival where readers and writers alike can meet and greet. This year’s "Pistang Panitik" is much more ambitious as it spans over the 5 days of the Manila International Book Fair.

Araw ni Bienvenido Lumbera
AUGUST 30 (Thursday)
Function Rm A
1:00-3:00 p.m.

KRITIKO: Dr. Roland Tolentino, Dr. Rod Nuncio, at Dr. Rosario Torres Yu
TAGAPAGTANGHAL: Bb. Susan Magno
MULA SA MAMBABASA: Kristin Mandigma & Marianne Suba

Araw ni Francisco Sionil Jose
AUGUST 31 (Friday)
Function Rm A
1:00-3:00 p.m.

KRITIKO: Dr. Neil Garcia, Dr.Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta at Ferdie Lopez
TAGAPAGTANGHAL: Under Siege
MULA SA MAMBABASA: Mia Sereno & Israel Realin

Araw ni Virgilio Almario
SEPTEMBER 1 (Saturday)
Function Rm B
1:00- 3:00 p.m.

KRITIKO: G. Roberto Añonuevo, Prof. Mike Coroza at G. Rogelio Mangahas
TAGAPAGTANGHAL: Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo
MULA SA MAMBABASA: Kristel Autencio, Renita Norada

Araw ni Alejandro Roces
SEPTEMBER 2 (Sunday)
Function Rm A
1:00- 5:00 p.m.

KRITIKO: Dr. Isagani Cruz, Prof. Lito Zulueta, at Prof. Danton Remoto
TAGAPAGTANGHAL: Alitaptap Storytellers Philippines
MULA SA MAMBABASA: Rachel Teng, Karen Inocencio & Paolo Cruz

Araw ni Edith Tiempo

PANAUHIN: G. Alfred Yuson, Dr. Gemino Abad, Prof. Ralph Galan
TAGAPAGTANGHAL: Ony Carcamo
MULA SA MAMBABASA: Pamela Punzalan & Mia Marci

Visit the "Pistang Panitik 2007" website for the schedules and updates, or call the UP ICW at 922-1830.

A SERIES OF FORTUNATE EVENTS KICKS OFF

The 2nd year of the A Series of Fortunate Events (Writers Workshop Series) opened last August 8, 2007 at the HR Activity Center. Guest speaker was Beverly Siy, fondly called Bebang by her friends in the literary community. She did a workshop on writing Ghost Stories and Mini Mysteries, two of the most widely read topics in the Philippines today.

Owing to the bad weather (Chedeng & Dodong were doing a back-to-back session of their own), attendance was very sparse. In fact, some clubs had to cancel their activities on this day. At any rate, the participants had a wonderful time as their works had the chance to be critiqued personally by Bebang. There really is no dampening the spirit, wit, and gaiety of the speaker herself as she made do with the circumstances at hand.

Bebang is the current President of LIRA, the poets group currently based at the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center. The fellows of the group train under National Artists like Virgilio Almario, et al. There used to be at least 3 employees from SPi who trained in LIRA. Alma Evita Maniago of CIS is the Guild's scholar to the group this year.

The next session will be on August 25, 2007. The topic will be Panimula sa Pagsulat ng Sanaysay. The guest faculty will be Rita T. dela Cruz. This program is brought to you by the Writers Guild's Writers Dream Academy headed by the Workshop Manager JP Canivel. Please see posters and fliers for details on how to register!