An Ako Kaagi sa 14th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop

Sayo ak sa fellows san 14^th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop didto sa University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) sa Catarman sa Norte san Samar sito ika 8-10 sa Hulyo, 2017.  Gidudumara an Lamiraw Writers’ Workshop san Katig Writers’ Network Inc., sayo nga grupo sin mga paragsurat sa Rehiyon 8.

Inop ko gad la ini sadto: nga umapi sini nga workshop komo sayo nga fellow. Para sa ak,  makuri gud ini maabot. Natuod ak nga an mga writing workshops para la sa mga nagseseryoso sa kanra pagsurat. Kundi, paggawas san panawagan hiunong sa 14th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop, inabat ak sin iba nga klase nga pamaso san ak lawas. Pag-abat ko, nanmaga ak. Ako ini gibasa nga senyales  nga mayaon ak karuyag sarihan nga butang nga waray ko pa kahihimo – an pagpabasa ngan pagpa-critique san ak sinurat sa panel sin mga ungod nga paragsurat. Ngan nahitatabo la ini sa workshop kun diin adto an mga paragsurat ngan an ungod nga aksyon.

Pagpangandam

Ak gihunahuna sin maupay kun makakaya ko ba pagsurat ngan pagbukod sa deadline. Nagsurat ak sin essay ngan sin siday. Gipaangbit ko an ak mga panhunahuna sa Waray, sa Ninorte-Samarnon. 

Black Swan: A Non-Kiss-Ass Review

pink

petite

pretty

girly-girl

frigid

wearing Mommy as a straight-jacket

           needs a demon

masturbate

alcohol

drugs

hot lesbo sex

hallucinations

dance of madness

fame

death

         black swan?

         black turkey.

(This post originally appeared in Cinemaroll on April 26, 2011. Cinemaroll was one of the websites owned by Triond, an online writing site that was active in online publishing around 2007 to 2013.)

My 14th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop Experience

I was one of the fellows of the 14^th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop held at the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) in Catarman, Northern Samar on July 8-10, 2017. The Lamiraw Writers’ Worshop is an annual event that is being run by the Katig Writers’ Network Inc., a group of writers in Region 8.

It was just a dream for me: to be part of this workshop as a fellow. I considered it as  something  unattainable. I was – and am – convinced that writing workshops are only for those who take writing seriously. However, when the announcement about the 14th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop came out, I felt a different kind of warmth within me. I thought I was blushing at the time. I read this as a sign that I wanted to try something that I had not done before – to have my written piece read and critiqued by a panel of published writers. And this only happens in a workshop where  the writers are and "where the real action is."

Preparing for the Screening

I assessed myself if I could write something and make it to the deadline. I wrote an essay and a poem. I expressed my thoughts in Waray, particularly the Ninorte-Samarnon variant.

Visayas State University: The Day After Yolanda

VSU Eco-park: a showcase of native tree species.

Typhoon Yolanda was a very frightening experience even at Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay City, Leyte. That's about 109 kilometers from Tacloban City. My family endured Yolanda's wrath for 4 hours -- from 5 A.M. to 9 A.M. on November 8, 2013 -- and we thought we experienced the worst of the super-typhoon.

While the world saw what Visayas went through on that particular day, we had no idea about the extent of the devastation caused by Yolanda in other parts of the region.  Telecommunications were down and VSU was without electricity.  There was no way for us to get news about and from the outside world. It was a very depressing situation. I was worried for my parents and for my relatives in Samar, a nearby island. No matter how desperate I was to hear from them, I had no other choice but to wait for things to go back to their normal state. For how long, I had no idea.

The Other Meaning of Kubkob

Today, 28 October 2013, I will exercise my right to suffrage. Like many Filipinos, I still believe that any electoral process can do wonders for this country.  I have always claimed that right -- to choose the leaders who I think are capable, qualified, and committed to serve their constituents -- since I turned 18. However, this is not the only reason why I always look forward to the Election Day. There is one aspect of elections that has piqued my interest since the day I was able to vote: the Waray vocabulary associated with elections. Number one on my list is the word kubkob.