49th up national writers workshop logo

presenting the logo of the 49th university of the philippines national writers workshop. it is designed by vlad gonzales. below the logo is vlad's explanation of his design.






Ang disenyo ng logo’y isang paglilimi-demonstrasyon tungkol sa estado ng pagsusulat, kasabay ng maraming impluwensyang multimedia, sa panahon ng mga birtuwal na espasyo at pamamagitan ng mga bagong anyo ng pamamahayag.

Sa panimulang bersyon, mas makulay ang disenyo—isang maaliwalas na videogame-type world kung saan masayang lumilipad ang micro-blogging birds, pinadadaanan ng computer clouds ang mga birtuwal na pakpak. Sa isang kahong nagpapaalala ng isang sikat na 8-bit game, nakasilip ang mukha ni Balagtas, hango mula sa imaheng laging ginagamit para sa mga postcard at poster na nabibili sa mga bookstore, mabenta tuwing Agosto, tuwing may proyekto o assignment na kaugnay ng Linggo ng Wika.

Sa proseso ng pagpapakinis, itinabi ang tingkad ng unang disenyo para sa mas madilim na pagkapula. Binuo ang isang birtuwal na siyudad, batbat ng mga birtuwal na dumi. Nasa background ang mga birtuwal na edipisyo—ito na kaya ang pamalit sa mga itsrukturang ginagalawan natin sa pisikal na mundo? Hanggang sa anong anyo ng pisikalidad dapat tumugon ang sining ng pagsusulat? Sa mundong mas nagiging lantad ang mekanismo ng artipisyalidad, sa panahong nagkakaroon ng maraming mekanismo para sa pagpapabilis at pagpapalawak ng memorya, anong anyo ng pagkatha ang dapat mamayani?

Sa gitna ng maraming tanong, sa gitna ng maraming mga senyal ng pag-unlad, lumilitaw ang cliché na imahen ni Balagtas. Cliché, pero sa maraming pagkakataon ay hindi kayang isatitik ng naghahayag kung bakit naging cliché. Reproduksyon na rin ang mga dominanteng nosyon ng pagkabagot, pagiging luma, pagiging gasgas. Sumisirit ang pulang laser beams mula sa mata ng “lumang” imahen, hindi nakaiwas ang nagulantang na “bago.” May pakiramdam na katulad ng panonood sa pelikulang “Darna and the Giants,” o kaya’y sa “Godzilla” o “Ultraman.” Isang posibleng babala: narito ang mga manunulat ng kasalukuyang henerasyon, narito para durugin ang mga tatak na nanghihiwalay imbes na mambigkis, narito para itahi ang mailap na pag-alala, narito para bigyan ng saysay ang pagkatha sa panahon ng pamamagitan ng bagong media at teknolohiya.

from my sent box

last week i was down with a really nasty case of the flu. so i had enough time to finally delete messages in my mobile phone. because i'm currently in the middle of final preparations for the 49th u.p. national writers workshop, i'm setting down here a selection from my sent box of workshop-related messages from last year.


text message from me to philip kimpo (member of the secretariat): hi, philip. natanggap mo email ko? also, what's the address of our workshop blog hub? sent 09:42:41pm 03-03-2009

text message from me to sir rio almario (48th up national writers workshop director) and sir butch dalisay (likhaan: up institute of creative writing director): received jing panganiban's brief this morning. baguio writers group wants to host inuman for fellows on april 13. sent 06:44:55pm 16-03-2009

text message from me to alvin yapan, ayer arguelles, carljoe javier, carlomar daoana, dean alfar, norman wilwayco, vlad gonzales, gelo suarez, ichi batacan, mikael co: hi, guys. butch guerrero of up icw here. please don't be late tomorrow. the chartered bus for baguio will leave at 6:00 a.m. the secretariat will be at quezon hall, up diliman by 5:00 a.m. we will serve light breakfast on the bus. please don't forget your kits. see you! :) sent 05:35:25pm 11-04-2009

text message from me to jing panganiban, ichi batacan, and vic nierva: videoke na! kumakanta na si neil at pasunod na si vlad. andito kami sa latino sa nevada square. come! sent 06:04:06pm 17-04-2009

48th up national writers workshop blog

the 48th up national writers workshop is currently ongoing at the aim - igorot lodge in camp john hay, baguio city. if you want to know what's going on, read blogs by fellows, panelists, and staff, and see the latest pictures, check this out.

Fellows to 48th UP National Writers Workshop Announced

The University of the Philippines Institute of Creative Writing (UP ICW) announces the fellows to the 48^th UP National Writers Workshop to be held from April 12 to 18 in Camp John Hay, Baguio City. The fellows and associates of the UP ICW selected twelve writers in mid-career to participate in the annual workshop. This year’s workshop director is National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario.

This year’s fellows for English are Angelo Suarez and Carlomar Daoana for Poetry, Felisa Batacan and Dean Francis Alfar for fiction, and Criselda Yabes and Carljoe Javier for creative nonfiction.

Fellows for Filipino are Mikael Co and Ayer Arguelles for tula, Norman Wilwayco and Alvin Yapan for kuwento, and Jing Panganiban and Vladimeir Gonzales for sanaysay.

The workshop panelists are all advisers, fellows, and associates of the ICW. Aside from National Artist Almario, the panelists are National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, ICW director Jose Dalisay, Jr., Gemino Abad, Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, Neil Garcia, Charlson Ong, Conchitina Cruz, Jun Cruz Reyes, Victor Carmelo Nadera, Rolando Tolentino, Mario Miclat, and Romulo Baquiran, Jr.

Unlike most national writing workshops, the UP National Writers Workshop is only for advanced writers. The UP ICW is the only institution that holds a workshop of this kind in the country. The current workshop format was borne out of the need to address the dearth of venues for writers in mid-career to exchange ideas on their craft and their current literary projects.

Prior to the new format, the UP ICW has held the annual UP National Writers Workshop for the country’s most promising beginning writers since the 1960s. Through the years other writing centers of other universities have instituted their own workshops for beginning writers, thus freeing the UP ICW to address other concerns.

To qualify for the workshop, writers must satisfy the following requirements. (1) must be writers in English or Filipino; (2) must have attended at least one creative writing workshop (national/regional, including the UP National Writers’ Workshops), or earned a degree in Creative Writing/Malikhaing Pagsulat, or won at least one national/international literary award; (3) must have published at least three poems or two short stories or two pieces of creative nonfiction (e.g., essays, memoirs, profiles) in reputable collections or anthologies, journals, magazines (including campus publications), or refereed Internet web magazines, or have had a play staged.

The UP ICW is setting up a blog hub to keep the public abreast of the developments in the workshop. The hub will bring together blogs of the panelists, fellows, and staff. It will also contain more information on the workshop participants. The blog hub is accessible at http://upwritersworkshop09.tk.

UP ICW issues guidelines for writers' workshop

LIKHAAN: The UP Institute of Creative Writing (UP ICW) is now accepting applications for the 48th UP ICW National Writers Workshop to be held in Camp John Hay, Baguio City, from April 12 to 18, 2009.

UP ICW Director Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr., also announced that four fellowships are available for open competition and that these are open only to advanced writers. Following the “Kumustahan” workshop concept, the other eight slots will be awarded by the ICW by invitation only to qualified, highly meritorious writers in mid-career. The ICW reserves the right to reapportion the number of reserved and open slots, depending on the responses and the quality of applications received.

The 2009 workshop will be chaired by National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario.

Almario also announced the submission guidelines:

QUALIFICATIONS – To qualify, applicants:
(1) must be writers in English or Filipino;
(2) must have attended at least one creative writing workshop (national/regional, including the UP National Writers’ Workshops), or earned a degree in Creative Writing/Malikhaing Pagsulat, or won at least one national/international literary award;
(3) must have published at least three poems or two short stories or two pieces of creative nonfiction (e.g., essays, memoirs, profiles) in reputable collections or anthologies, journals, magazines (including campus publications), or refereed Internet web magazines, or have had a play staged. Writers who have been fellows at any of the UP National Writers’ Workshops are eligible. Some of these qualifications may be waived in exceptionally meritorious cases, with the unanimous concurrence of the UP ICW Fellows, Advisers and Associates.

REQUIREMENTS – Applicants must submit the following:
(1) five copies plus digital file (12 points, double-spaced, 8 x 11) of one original unpublished manuscript (short story, poem, or creative nonfiction, play) to be discussed during the workshop – this manuscript should not have been submitted to any other workshop;
(2) a two-paragraph description of a work-in-progress in any of the above genres, in English or Filipino (also 12 points, double-spaced, 8 x 11); and
(3) photocopies of the applicant’s published work, including publication details; and
(4) application form (available at the UP ICW office in UP Diliman and on panitikan.com.ph).

During the UP workshop, fellows will be expected to make a presentation of a chapter or draft of the work-in-progress referred to above, and an essay on an aspect of their writing or of the genre in which they work. They must be present for the full duration of the workshop period.

The deadline for submission is November 30, 2008. For inquiries, call 922-1830 and ask for Ms. Eva Cadiz.

Download the application form here.