Just got Lucky

Lucky Blue Smith asks me "What's up?" And all of a sudden I knew no words. Photo by Eloisa Lopez

THE MOMENT Pam, my editor, told me I'd be doing a one-on-one interview with Lucky Blue Smith, the first reaction I had in my head was: HOLY SHIT! How am I supposed to focus with those indescribable blue eyes of his?

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I'm a happy camper



SCOUT Summer Camp—It was the hottest party in the gig circuit last July 23, with a string of music sets that kept the young crowd from going anywhere else. Leading the roster of bands were Jensen and the Flips, The Ransom Collective, Ang Bandang Shirley and Curtismith.

 You can read more about Scout Summer Camp in my article for Inquirer Super.

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Fête de la Musique 2016



I DON'T think there ever was a person who went to the annual Fête de la Musique who decided to just linger in one music stage from its first act to the last. 
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Anthologized


I turned 22 and received one of the best gifts I could think of—my work being part of an anthology that I've been looking forward to every year of my college life.
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10 beautiful lines from Philippine literature

There's nothing more beautiful than reading fictionalized history—in poetry or prose—than in the language and culture that you are most familiar with.

Local literature introduces personas you can strongly identify yourself in, as they are immersed in the same realities you face everyday, giving a sense of shared frustrations, proximity and history. Its narratives contain in them the very nature of Filipino brilliance and hopes.

These are just some pieces of Philippine literature that in its vivid sagacity compels you to ponder on its beautifully stringed questions, and, sometimes, alters your reality as its words are able to compose things into a new light of existence.

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Stories of She & Him: A micropoetry project


It started with one tweet—a  transcription of a conversation that quoted Perloff on defining abstractions. And then, soon after, I caught on a wave of obsession about two personas, an unnamed boy and girl who  both loved to speak their mind.
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The Storyteller


Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc—

I've memorized her name, along with her title of being Editor in Chief, in Journ school. I kept it in mind again, two months after graduation, just in case the Inquirer's Human Resource Department decided to give me a pop quiz about their staff box.

But after working in the company for months, I couldn't claim to know her.

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Inquirer authors keep up with the books



Readers have seen their names on bylines, some for more than two decades, in their attempt to chronicle the story of the Filipino. And until today, these storytellers continue to create pieces that both encapsulate and withstand time.
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The many beautiful ways to tell a story



There are a lot of ways to tell stories—as many as narratives of history and tales of the imagination allow. “Performatura,” a literary and performance art festival that is part of the celebration of National Reading Month, explored different techniques and tools of bringing stories to life.

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How to Control Your Inner Book Hoarder

The scene of the crime wasn’t lined with police barricade tape. The place was swarming with people rummaging through piles of books on tables and shelves, and the suspects were already in the long queue to the cashier.

Whether they were lured by signed copies of best-selling books or tempted by the discounted prices, hundreds of people were guilty as charged for book hoarding recently at the 36th Manila International Book Fair (MIBF).

The crime’s punishments: 1) a longer to-be-read list; 2) anxiety from wanting to start reading newly bought books and realizing there are other books to finish; 3) being forced to eat cheap meals for weeks; 4) being forced to turn down your friends’ invites for at least a month; 5) being pressured to work longer hours in the office or do more errands for your parents.

But for book lovers, not buying new books is considered a bigger crime—especially when book fairs, sales, launches and signings happen all throughout the year.

If you have no control over your love for books, Inquirer Super is here to help you pace your book spending for the next big book sale.
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6 #PLF2015 Moments to Remember



It’s not every day that you get to be in the same room as your favorite authors and artists to hear them passionately talk about their latest works. But last weekend, at National Book Store’s Philippine Literary Festival (PLF), the possibilities were limitless.
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Preparing for #PLF2015


The Philippine Literary Festival is happening two months earlier this year, but no bibliophile is complaining.
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July Gloss

It would take great covers to make an unreligious magazine reader to search at least six different book stores in a span of two full weeks just to have the July issues of Preview and Esquire. The month is already ending, I know, but these are still sure to be available on your magazine stands until the middle of August.
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Handmade Crafts and Coffee on a Cloudy Day



Two art fair affairs were set today.

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Finite Wandering Soul: Loose Tongue


"We unfold each other's bodies like maps,
with their coordinates and meridians.
Here at last, we say, we can be imperial."
Conquistadors of the 21st Century
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