TV-5 Interviews the Poets of LIRA

Jan. 11, 2010: Ininterbyu kami ng TV-5 para sa palabas na "Talentadong Pinoy" (yep, yung kay Ryan Agoncillo)...pero hindi para tumambling o kumain ng apoy. Supplementary footage lang kami para kay Makatatawanan, isa sa mga astigin ng palabas.

Hiningan sina sir Rio (National Artist Virgilio S. Almario), sir Teo Antonio, sir Michael Coroza, at ako (in my capacity as LIRA prez) ng opinyon tungkol kay Makatatawanan and other related stuff.

Nagbigay din ng maigsing Balagtasan ang sparring partners na sina sir Teo & sir Mike. Bilang pangwakas, nagbigay din ang ilang kabataang makata ng LIRA ng poetry reading (si Gian ang nagbasa at kami ang audience.)

Ang TV5 crew pala ang pumunta sa UP Diliman para sa interview. Siyempre, ginanap namin ang tsikahan sa tahanan ng LIRA sa CAL New Building.

If memory serves me right, our interview was aired the following week. Sayang at di ko nairekord. Sabi ni ma'am Belle ng AFP Library e napanood niya kami, att mukhang hindi naman ako nagkalat. Hehe.

My Works in "Salit Sining: Wordsmiths Turned Visual Artists" Exhibit

There's always a first time for everything: mag-eeksibit ako ng mga retrato simula Marso 20 hanggang Abril 8 sa TAuMBAYAN Restaurant sa may Kamuning. Yey.

Kasama ko ang siyam (at puwede pang madagdagan) na kapwa makata sa LIRA, kabilang si Ynna.

Ang PR ng eksibit:

* * * * *

Salit Sining: Wordsmiths Turned Visual Artists

Opening on 20 March 2010, 6:00 PM, TaUmbayan Restaurant
40 T. Gener cor. K-1 Streets (near Kamuning Road), Quezon City
Exhibit lasts until 8 April 2010

Featuring the works of:

Gian Abrahan
Mariane A.R.T. Abuan
Rommel Chester Boquiren
Jeremiah Faustino
Mikael Gallego
Phillip Kimpo Jr.
Vivian N. Limpin
Maria Pamela Maranca
Carla Payongayong
Beverly W. Siy

Poets paint scenes, capture snapshots, and weave worlds with words—most of the time, that is. When they rest their pens for actual brushes and cameras, some of them can cross over from the art of letters to the visual arts.

In Salit Sining, several of these poets demonstrate their talent (or at least, their passion) for their “other arts.” They are all members of the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), the premier organization of poets in Filipino celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. These young men and women have proven their mettle in taming the salita in one way or another; in Salit Sining, they humbly present their capabilities as painters and photographers.

To adapt what we wrote in a previous exhibit of two poet-painters, the works at Salit Sining might be art for some and fart for others. Outsider art, untrained craft, mere daubs and splashes and wayward camera clicks, or whatever you call it—drop by anyway. Visual art will be the main course and poetry readings the appetizers.


THE ARTISTS

Some of the LIRA poets featured in Salit Sining are:

Gian Abrahan was born on 25 August 1989 in Sampaloc, Manila. He is currently taking up BA Film at the University of the Philippines Film Institute. He is an alumnus of Dulaang Sibol and is a member of Cinema Arts Society.



Mariane A.R.T. Abuan ("Ynna" to friends and family) is the Public Relations Officer of LIRA. She has been painting since 2003 but kept her works a secret except to those close to her until 2009, when her paintings were included in two exhibits. Admittedly, she has never thought of exhibiting a photograph until today...because she ran out of new paintings to display.



Rommel Chester "Mel" Boquiren takes pride in his ‘geek’-ness, as he constantly practices his psycho-motor skills be it with the keyboard and mouse or the joystick and buttons. Besides the eventful life as a geek and a literature teacher in PAREF-Northfield, he also finds time to create things his hands could muster, may it be writing, painting, or even crocheting. Currently, he is trying to improve his HoN skills online, where he is known as “mapagkalinga”.



Jeremiah Faustino graduated from FEU-FERN College in 2006 with a degree in Computer Science. He is the illustrator and cover designer of the book "The Freedom Fighters of Northern Luzon: An Untold Story" by the Department of National Defense. His comics collaboration with his brother won the People’s Choice Grand Prize in the 3rd Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards.



As a young artist, Mikael Gallego was first inspired by nude painting. Currently working as a freelance graphic-artist-web-designer-layout-artist. He practices voodoo with his shinigami in Netsite.



Phillip Kimpo Jr. is the President of LIRA and co-author of the book "The Freedom Fighters of Northern Luzon: An Untold Story" by the Department of National Defense. He bought his second-hand DSLR in late 2008 to document literary events; his laziness prevents him from delving into his Nikon D80's intricacies. Visit him at www.phillip.kimpo.ph.



Vivian N. Limpin (nicknamed Beng) is an artist that goes by many labels: writer, poet, photographer, painter, filmmaker...and we’re not actually sure that it ends there. Her films, photos, and paintings have been shown locally and internationally, as well as having snagged their share of awards. Currently, she is the Secretary of LIRA and is a member of the Board of Directors of Tudla Productions, a progressive student video documentary organization.



Carla Payongayong does not own a DSLR Camera yet, she only borrows from her brother or settles on her good old digital point-and-shoot. Her love for photography started during her grandfather's funeral when her father lent her a Canon EF camera. She is currently working as a Promo Producer in ABS-CBN where she gets to do the things she loves most: writing, photography, and video production.



Beverly W. Siy teaches Filipino at the College of Commerce of UST and is the immediate former president of LIRA. She likes to take photos (when there's an available camera) to document her thoughts and observations of a certain place at a certain time. Her son EJ takes better photos than she does.


Maria Pamela Maranca is the former treasurer of LIRA.


HOW TO GET THERE

From Kamuning turn right or left at T. Gener; first corner on your left (K-1st Street) is TaUmbayan. For more info, you can reach us through our exhibit curators, namely Vivian Limpin (09158107898) and Ynna Abuan (09179017090).

* * * * *

Mahahalagang links:

• Facebook page ng exhibit
• Press release, PDF version
• Press release, MS Word version
  

Punta kayo ha. Masarap ang pagkain sa Taumbayan...at siyempre, tomahan night na naman sa launching namin. May magpeperform at magbabasa din ng tula.

Takits!

Lovers of Art & Vegetables Art Exhibit

Nov. 11, 2009: Ynna's works are shown for the 2nd time, this time at the "Lovers of Art and Vegetables / LAV: An Exhibit of Works by Vegetarian Artists" at Conspiracy Bar and Restaurant, Visayas Avenue, Quezon City.

The exhibit was held around 7 months after Ynna's first exhibit ("Sarming"). LAV's roster of artists was:

Mariane A.R. T. Abuan, Cynthia Alexander, Stacey Cook, Ayn dela Cruz, Maureen Gaddi dela Cruz, Vivian N. Limpin, Chris Linag, Maria Kathrina Lorenos, Claire Madarang, Reinald E. Madarang, Heidi Bailon Sarno, Lee Sepe

Did you spot the celebrity? Hehe. Tuwang-tuwa si Ynna sa eksibit na 'to dahil nakasama niya ang idol niyang si Cynthia Alexander. The exhibit ran until December 5, 2009.

Siyempre full-force na naman ang friends & family ni Ynna. Some who weren't present in "Sarming" made it to LAV.

May ilang mahuhusay na retrato dito na kinuha ni pareng Charles gamit ang D80 ko. Humiram din ako ng ilang pics mula sa Facebook ng ngayon ay nakalimutan ko nang tao. Sori at salamat po!

LIRA Poetry Reading at the Rockwell Center

Nov. 7, 2009: The poets of LIRA were invited to read their works for an event of the Asian Eye Institute, National Book Development Board, and the Ayala Foundation, among others, at the Power Plant Mall at the Rockwell Center.

(O di ba, biglang sumosyal ang LIRA.)

Sina LJ at MJ ang kumatawan sa LIRA; di na ako nagbasa at bagkus ay sinamahan ang ibang ka-LIRA sa audience. It's a decision that I quickly learned to regret -- merong free bookstore & eye checkup GCs ang mga nagbasa. (Syet lang.) At least may free dinner at pastry, hehe.

Di na rin kami nagtagal dun dahil medyo may problema si Ynna sa work, kinailangan niyang umuwi kaagad.

Maraming salamat kina g. Glenn Malimban ng NBDB at bb. Dianna Bugnon ng AEI para sa pagkakataon (and the goodies!) :)

LIRA, NCCA to Teach Poetry for Free in the Provinces

Ang press release namin para sa matagal nang inaabangang STS 2010:

LIRA, NCCA to Teach Poetry for Free in the Provinces

The Filipino poetry group Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will launch the “Sining ng Tugma at Sukat (STS; Art of Rhyme and Meter) 2010” with the first leg in San Fabian, Pangasinan on March 6, 2010.

The STS is a series of free seminar-workshops on poetry in Filipino, to be held in nine towns across nine provinces of Luzon from March to December 2010. Teachers of Filipino from public high schools are the intended beneficiaries, with LIRA and the NCCA’s local partners determining the composition of each town’s delegates.

The STS is on its second year, with the first edition being held in 2008. In that year, LIRA and the NCCA taught poetry to around 430 delegates in ten towns across Luzon, namely General Trias, Cavite; Dagupan City, Pangasinan; City of Manila; Mauban, Quezon; Subic, Zambales; Taguig City; Quezon City; Pasig City; Angono, Rizal; and Sta. Cruz, Zambales.

This year’s first beneficiary is San Fabian, Pangasinan, with the local government unit and the San Fabian National High School serving as hosts. Prof. Michael M. Coroza of LIRA and Ateneo de Manila University will be the lecturer.

The other, tentative, beneficiaries of STS 2010 are Baguio City, Benguet; Sagada, Mountain Province; Vigan City, Ilocos Sur; Lucban, Quezon; Bataan province; the Bicol region; San Antonio, Zambales; and Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. Once confirmed, STS local partners will contact the public high school teachers in Filipino from these areas.

The STS 2010 is one of the fifteen projects for LIRA’s year-long 25th anniversary celebrations. Founded in 1985 by the National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario (alias Rio Alma), LIRA is the premier institute of poets in Filipino. In pursuance of its mission of enriching and promoting Filipino poetry, the organization holds a yearly five-month-long poetry clinic held for the most part in UP Diliman. The STS 2010 is an effort to bring part of this clinic outside of Metro Manila.

The project directors are Phillip Kimpo Jr., president of LIRA, and Beverly W. Siy, immediate former president and creator of the STS. The overall project coordinators are Mariane A.R.T. Abuan and Deborah Rosalind D. Nieto. To contact the STS team, email them at pamunuan@liraonline.org.

* * * End of press release * * *

Excited na ako.

Noong 2008, isa ako sa mga aktibo sa pagdala ng STS sa mga lalawigan bilang overall project coordinator nito. Pinalad ang LIRA ngayong taon na maaprubahan ang NCCA grant request, kaya heto, round 2 na, at mas malaki na ang challenge sa akin bilang project director.

Magaganda ang alaala ko ng STS 2008, kung saan personal akong nakapunta at tumulong sa STS Dagupan, STS Mauban, STS Subic, at STS Sta. Cruz (di ko pa naaupload ang pics!). Nakakastress pero rewarding ang magturo...at masaya ang mga excursion before & after the event hehe (siempre sariling gastos namin yun, o kaya'y may local sponsor). Kaya naman kinarir ko ang proposal ng LIRA sa NCCA last year.

Gaya ng nakalagay sa PR, sisimulan namin ang STS sa San Fabian, Pangasinan. (Huli akong nakapunta dito noong nag-beach workshop slash videoke kaming Dapitdilim writers, bago ang STS Dagupan noong 2008.) Ang programme ng event:

Sabado madaling araw kami babiyahe pa-norte; Linggo ng gabi naman ang aming balik. Bago ko makalimutan, di magiging kumpleto ang post na 'to kung di ko pasasalamatan ang naunang Pangulo ng LIRA sa akin, si Beverly Siy, na siyang nagsimula ng lahat ng stress na 'to noong nilikha at ipinatupad niya ang konsepto ng STS, hahahaha. Salamat miss Bebang!


*Gawa pala ni Mikael Gallego ang STS poster sa pinakaitaas.

My Ati-Atihan Travel Essay in Balikbayan Magazine

Lumabas sa February-March 2010 issue ng Balikbayan travel & lifestyle magazine ang abridged version ng aking "Hala Bira!: Athrob and Atingle in Kalibo's Ati-Atihan." As an essayist, it's funny that this is only my first attempt at travel writing. Wala talagang kuwenta ang mga pinagsusulat ko.

From the editor's notes:

"In this issue, we could only think of hometowns and the yearning to come home. This issue is a homecoming.

Poet and photographer [Me: well, not really] Phillip Kimpo Jr. retraces his roots in Aklan and provides us dazzling vignettes and images of a most revered festival--the Ati-Atihan. Locating his space in both local history and festive revelry, he lends us a fresh glimpse of this one big fiesta of varied colors and mythic proportions. Phillip is currently president of the LIRA, the premiere organization of poets writing in Filipino founded in 1985."

Medyo may kahabaan ang sanaysay, kaya heto ang excerpt:

"We arrived Friday afternoon in Kalibo. From my family’s ancestral home right smack in the middle of the town, my pack of writer-poets—Ynna Abuan, Debbie Nieto, Carla Payongayong, Rom Peña, and Rey Santillan—took a short walk to the Museo it Akean near the plaza. Gracing us with his presence was our mentor, the National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario (alias Rio Alma) and his affable wife, Emelina.

The brief stroll to the museum allowed my companions time to take in the first rumblings of the coming storm. It happened that the roving “tribes” or bands were away in distant streets, and our ears caught the drifting drumbeats. Souvenir vendors dotted the road. People walked to and from the throbbing heart of the celebration.

Inside the museum, we were reminded that the town was just picking herself up from the devastation of a recent typhoon. Typhoon Frank had ravaged Western Visayas in July 2008, engulfing Kalibo and parts of Aklan in deadly mudslides. The museum lost priceless relics of Akeanon culture; the people lost dozens of their loved ones.

What the Akeanons lost in lives and treasure, they readily made up for in spirit. Our group went up the museum’s balcony and the view opened up before us: the crossroads and plaza full of people, framed by towering trees and crisscrossed power lines. Some people watched from the sidewalks. Many more gyrated and strutted on the street. Banners of green, orange, pink, and purple fluttered in the cool breeze. And here and there, fast approaching: the bands were arriving. To the north was a splotch of red; beneath us emerged a group in yellow. The drums pounded, the trumpets blared, the lyres tinkled, the whistles shrieked.

We watched enthralled. Our nerves tingled, our skin goosebumped. From time to time, a camera clicked, a wow let loose, an astig escaped one’s lips. After letting my friends blow bubbles above the revelers, I took them down to the plaza. They had witnessed the show; now, they were going to be part of it.

Below, the drums pummeled our senses from all directions. We could feel our bodies reverberate with each thud, and every second was pregnant with those thuds coming from a seemingly endless stream of bands. Our heads started to bob up and down to the beat. Our body swayed from left to right and back, matched by the shuffling of feet.

One by one, we got hold of cans of beer sold in the open. After a few gulps, my friends became more intrepid, venturing ever closer to the middle of the street. Their motions became faster, wilder, rawer, and more…genuine. Soon we were dancing to the music of every band that passed in front of us, unmindful of the equally carefree crowd. When there was a lull in the action, we even roamed the road looking to get closer to where the drums were. (Thank heavens for beer.)

One might expect that revelers under the influence would prove unruly, but this is hardly the case in the Ati-Atihan. The spirit of joy in the air is sincere, without nary a taint of malice.

It also helps that the police are pretty visible. Should a pocket of scuffling youth erupt somewhere, it remains just that—a pocket. Still, in last year’s festivities, there was a Caucasian guy who, heavily intoxicated, proved indiscriminate in spitting mouthfuls of beer on the road. He might have thought he was a fountain of booze. Rest assured, the beast was the exception rather than the rule. People steered clear of him. It’s a wonder the passing bands didn’t percuss his head with their hardy instruments. Credit that to Akeanon hospitality.

No matter, beer isn’t really a necessity—the concoction of the music energetic and the air electric is in itself a heady mix to wash down one’s inhibitions."

Basahin ang online 'flipbook' ng isyu (turn to pages 32/33) o kaya ang text version ng essay.

Kung sakaling nakabili ka ng kopya, huwag na lang pansinin ang dalawang error na wala sa pinasa kong article pero, sa kung anong laro ng mga duwende, ay lumabas sa print. (To cut a long story short, basta may naligaw na apostrophe at may napalitang salita kaya naging kakatwa ang resulta. Humingi naman ng paumanhin ang editorial board. Amended version na ang nasa Internet.) At dapat ding "Photos by Mariane A.R.T. Abuan and the author," nakalimutan akong ilagay kaya naging solo si Ynna hehe.

P.S. Lumabas din sa two previous issues ng Balikbayan ang mga retrato ko; isa dun 'yung mga UP Diliman shots last September. Maraming salamat kay LJ para sa mga pagkakataong ito.

LIRA Poetry Clinic 2010 Now Open for Applications

Tumutula ka ba o gustong matutong tumula? Sumali sa Klinikang Pampanulaan ng LIRA para sa taong ito! Narito ang opisyal na press release ng LIRA:

LIRA Poetry Clinic 2010, Bukas Na ang Aplikasyon

Bukas nang muli ang Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA) sa mga nais magpatalâ upang lumahok sa Taunang Klinikang Pampanulaan. Ang lingguhang klase tuwing Sabado at Linggo mula 9:00 n.u. hanggang 5:00 n.h ay tatagal mula Hunyo hanggang Agosto, subalit magkakaroon pa rin ng iilang klase hanggang Nobyembre.

Upang makapagpatala, magpadala ng isang Word Document file na naglalaman ng mga sumusunod: isang pahinang bio-data, ID picture, numero ng telepono, at limang tula sa Filipino sa palihan@liraonline.org. Maaari rin mag-iwan ng isang sobreng naglalaman ng mga kailangan sa pigeon hole ng LIRA sa UP Institute of Creative Writing, 2/F Faculty Center, College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman, 1101 Quezon City.

Ang huling araw ng pagpapatalâ ay ang ika-30 ng Abril, 2010.  

Sa ibang balita, pormal na manunumpa sa ika-13 ng Marso ang siyam na bagong ganap at pansamantalang kasapi ng LIRA. Naging bahagi sina Gian Abrahan, Rommel Boquiren, Berlin Gablan, Jeremiah Faustino, Mikael Gallego, Carla Payongayong, Orlando Pineda, Louie Jon Sanchez, at Michael Jude Tumamac ng taunang klinikang pampanulaan na isinasagawa ng LIRA bilang bahagi ng layunin nitong isulong at paunlarin ang panulaang Filipino.

Ngayong 2010, nagdiriwang ng ika-25 taon ang LIRA, isang samahan ng mga makata sa wikang Filipino. Bilang bahagi ng anibersaryo nito, ilulunsad ng organisasyon sa mga susunod na linggo ang ilang pangunahing proyekto: isang pambansang kumperensiya, dalawang pambansang patimpalak sa tula at kritisismo, serye ng mga seminar-workshop sa siyam na lalawigan, at iba pa.

Itinatag ang LIRA ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan Virgilio S. Almario (mas kilala bilang Rio Alma) noong 1985. Sa mga palihan ng LIRA nagmula ang mga premyadong makata tulad nina Roberto at Rebecca Añonuevo, Romulo Baquiran Jr., Michael Coroza, Jerry Gracio, Vim Nadera, at Edgar Samar.

Si Prop. Michael Coroza ang magsisilbing Direktor ng Klinika 2010; si Phillip Kimpo Jr. ang kasalukuyang Pangulo ng LIRA. Para sa dagdag na kaalaman tungkol sa LIRA, magtungo lamang sa www.liraonline.org.

* * *

Call for Submissions: LIRA Poetry Clinic 2010

LIRA is now accepting sign-ups for its yearly poetry clinic. The regular clinic period is from June to August and will be held every Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, although several more sessions will be held until November.

All those interested must submit one Word Document file containing the following: one-page bio data, ID picture, contact numbers, and five (5) poems in Filipino, to palihan@liraonline.org. An envelope containing the requirements may also be dropped off at the LIRA pigeon hole at the UP Institute of Creative Writing, 2/F Faculty Center, UP Diliman, 1101 Quezon City.

All submissions should be in on or before April 30, 2010.
 
In related news, the nine new full and temporary members of LIRA will be formally sworn in on March 13. Gian Abrahan, Rommel Boquiren, Berlin Gablan, Jeremiah Faustino, Mikael Gallego, Carla Payongayong, Orlando Pineda, Louie Jon Sanchez, and Michael Jude Tumamac are products of the yearly poetry clinic being held by LIRA in pursuit of its mission of championing Filipino poetry.

Celebrating its 25th year this 2010, LIRA is an organization of poets in Filipino. As part of its silver anniversary, the group is set to unveil in the upcoming weeks several key projects: a national conference, two national contests on poetry and criticism, and a series of seminar-workshops across nine provinces, among others.

LIRA was founded by National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario (a.k.a. Rio Alma) in 1985. Its workshops have produced award-winning poets such as Roberto and Rebecca Añonuevo, Romulo Baquiran Jr., Michael Coroza, Jerry Gracio, Vim Nadera, and Edgar Samar.

Prof. Michael Coroza will serve as the Director of the 2010 Poetry Clinic; Phillip Kimpo Jr. is the current President of LIRA. For more information on LIRA, please visit www.liraonline.org.