The 52nd edition of the Silliman University National Writers Workshop is slated to start on May 6 May at the Rose Lamb Sobrepeña Writers Village in Camp Look-out, Valencia, Negros Oriental.
Thirteen writers from all over the Philippines have been accepted as workshop fellows. They are Nolin Adrian de Pedro (University of the Philippines-Diliman), Corina Marie B. Arenas (University of the Philippines-Diliman), Brylle Bautista Tabora (University of Santo Tomas), Lyde Gerard Villanueva (Silliman University) and Trish Shishikura (Miriam College) for poetry; Rhea Politado (University of the Philippines-Diliman); Sophia Marie Lee (University of the Philippines-Diliman), Tracey de la Cruz (Ateneo de Manila University) and Patricia Verzo (Ateneo de Manila University) for fiction; Arnie Q. Mejia (Pacasum College), Ana Felisa Lorenzo (University of the Philippines-Diliman) Jennifer de la Rosa Balboa (De La Salle University) for creative nonfiction; Mario Mendez (De La Salle University) for drama.
They will be joined by special Singaporean fellows Christine Leow and Nurul Asyikin from Singapore Management University.
The panel of writers/critics for this year includes director in residence Susan S. Lara; Dumaguete-based writers Bobby Flores Villasis and César Ruìz Aquino; and guest panelists Dean Francis Alfar, DM Reyes, John Jack Wigley, Jose Y. Dalisay Jr., Ricardo de Ungria, Marjorie Evasco, Alfred Yuson, Gémino H. Abad and Grace Monte de Ramos. They will be joined by two foreign panelists whose names will be announced later.
The workshop, which traditionally lasts for three weeks, is the oldest creative writing workshop of its kind in Asia. It was founded in 1962 by SEA Write Awardee Edilberto K. Tiempo and National Artist Edith L. Tiempo, and was recently given the Tanging Parangal in the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining by the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
The workshop is co-sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Embassy of the United States of America in Manila and United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia.
E-mail workshop coordinator Ian Rosales Casocot at [email protected] or call (035) 422-6002 loc. 520.
