#nbdb

The Philippine Book Festival is the largest traveling book festival in the Philippines! Happening on June 2-4, 2023 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila and on August 18-20, 2023 in SMX Davao. See you there!

My heart is big enough to hold all the Filipino books, authors, and content creators I love.

Being invited to the Philippine Book Festival’s Media Launch as one of the book ambassadors was an incredible honour—saying I was lucky would be an understatement. Huge thanks to @itsme_sundayy for choosing me and to @nbdbphilippines for bringing this much-needed celebration of local literature to life.

Pinoy Page Turners has always been about putting Filipino books, authors, artists, and creators in the spotlight—connecting readers with the stories that deserve to be heard. Being part of this was truly special. At the launch, I met inspiring authors, bonded with fellow book ambassadors, added more books to my collection, and enjoyed great food. But the celebration isn’t over yet—there’s still so much more to experience!

This is probably one of the happiest I've been as of recent. Buhay na buhay ang literaturang Pilipino sa PBF 2024. Kung mayaman lang ako pinakyaw ko na mga paninda nila. Grabe! Ang sarap sarap mabuhay sa panahon na may laya tayong magbasa, matuto, at ipagdiwang ang sining ng pagsusulat, pagguhit at paglikha. Sana mas marami pang kababayan natin ang maabot ng mga pistang tulad nito.

Today, not only did I get to go on a friendly date with a good college friend of mine, but I also got to buy books and artworks from local writers and artists, attend seminars, watch shows, see fellow book club members, eat good food, document life as it happens, and just have some downtime from work to really live life. I needed this, and I'm glad I attended. This is what life should be about.

Goodbye Philippines, Helllo CCP!

Magpies took part in {Author}ities: The 9th Philippine International Literary Festival as two of the collective’s members joined poets and scholars Conchitina Cruz and Rae Rival-Cosico in a panel for a talk entitled, "Taking a Stand: Challenges and Opportunities in Publishing" held last April 19, 2018 at Bulwagang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining, Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Shaunnah Ysabel Cledera and Mac Arboleda shared the endeavors of Magpies as a striving collective based in University of the Philippines Los Baños, a science-oriented university. Examples of these endeavors are joining and holding events that promote zine culture within and outside Los Baños. Among others, Zine Orgy is a bi-annual event that Magpies organizes along with campus-based organizations and individuals. In sharing said efforts of the collective, the speakers asserted the problems they face such as financial difficulties as a small independent press, lack of public spaces that are affordable and convenient for holding events for zine community within the UPLB campus, and lack of support from the university administration for the literature and arts enthusiasts.

Poet and Philippine High School for the Arts Creative Writing teacher Rae Rival-Cosico spoke about feminist press Gantala Press’s initiatives in creating more spaces for publishing for women, including their work with peasant women organization for genuine agrarian reform and women’s rights Amihan (more about Gantala Press’s work here). Meanwhile, Conchitina Cruz, the author of Dark Hours and UP Diliman Creative Writing and Comparative Literature professor, told the story of how the Youth and Beauty Brigade’s Better Living for Xeroxoraphy developed from a 1000-word manifesto written to being BLTX, the go-to zine event featuring talks, music, merch spread over two-days and simultaneously happening in five different cities in the country.

Despite the challenges, the panel saw how these were opportunities to be more critical of the relationship of independent publishing to mainstream publishing and the various institutions that regulate publishing. More than this, the speakers also recognized the need to extend the efforts of independent presses beyond the production of art and reading materials--cultivating a relationship with the larger community that we independent writers, artists, and publishers are part of, and we need to take part in the discourse on politics especially during these times under the Duterte administration.

{Author}ities: The 9th Philippine International Literary Festival is organized by the National Book Development Board.