#prwf2018

Registration goodies for #PRWF2018 / Photo taken by Ella Mae Garcia, 2018

This is a three-day event of which I only went to one day (because adulting duties had to come first). Thankfully, Sunday was an open day for me and I could not contain my excitement upon stepping into Raffles to join the last day of the festival. The weather was very stubborn on this particular day, but I braved the storms and the flapping of my incessant umbrella to get there.

The first panel I went to was called Always Harry: The Relevance of Harry Potter in celebration of Harry Potter’s 20th Anniversary. This panel showed the relevance of our most beloved Harry Potter in today’s modern era. 

Panelist  Inez Ponce De Leon talked about researching in relevance to our love for reading and gaining new knowledge in relation to some thought-provoking questions we might have about the Harry Potter series that no one asks until now. Next, Ms. Cherie Del Rio talked about the differences between Philippine muggle law and wizarding law, focusing on Harry’s trial in the Order of the Phoenix on his account for using underaged magic. And last, but definitely not the least, we had Anne Frances Sangil talk about consumerism and fetishism when it comes to Harry Potter fans, the level of one’s fangirling/fanboying and how it affects today’s society.

These three women were absolutely brilliant! I was hooked from start to finish, and I’ve learned a little something new about our Philippine law especially with Ms. Inez’s talk. It was all very educational, and I never would have guessed that adding Harry to the mix makes it all the more incredible. I also learned that La Salle held electives for JK Rowling and her books and I’m just shook because why have I not heard that before? Overall, it was an incredible talk--but let’s not forget the other fun parts of this panel.

Stickers won for easy trivia in the Always Harry panel / Photo taken by Ella Mae Garcia, 2018

In between each talk, the MC hosted some trivia games and you could not believe my excitement when I heard that because I immediately thought, “This is my moment.” I’ve read the books more times than I can count and binge-watched the movies more than I can count my reading the books. So I can say that I was pretty knowledgeable.

The first easy questions were, naturally, easy. I answered the second question about the Honeydukes sweets that causes one’s to breathe smoke like a dragon and cried out “Harry!” while standing up to answer Pepper Imps to that. I managed to receive some pretty amazing stickers for my first win. The medium questions were ones I missed because they were a little more in-depth than the first ones. But I redeemed myself in the final round of hard questions as the last person to answer the final question of the day: What is Slughorn’s favorite Honeyduke’s sweet?

I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t even let the guy finish his question. I missed the last 5 questions, and was desperate to win one of those prizes (they gave out Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the new edition, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hardcovers and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban illustrated versions). But as soon as I heard Slughorn + favorite sweet, I immediately rose up to snag my chance. And as soon as the words Crystallized pineapples left my lips--I knew I had it in the bag.

And my prize? The Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban illustrated version, of course!

Myself + Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated / Photo taken by Ella Mae Garcia, 2018

My luck turned at the very last second, and I have never been more happy in my life when I hugged this large book to my form. It was every Potterhead’s dream--at least a Potterhead that cannot, for the life of her, afford such beautifully intricate books. I cannot thank National Bookstore and Scholastic Asia enough for this wonderful opportunity. 

Buuuut, the fun doesn’t stop there! Because the last panel I went to was perhaps my most anticipated one yet. You may have already learned about Bookworms Unite PH from one of my bookish features last month! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out my Bookworms Unite PH Year 4 Recap.

And lo and behold, a month later, I find out that my favorite bookish, non-profit organization was going to have a panel for this year’s festival. The panel is called  Bookworms Unite!: Establishing an Inclusive YA Community in the Philippines for the Readers, by the Readers run by JM Cabral (@JMCabraal), Hazel Ureta (@staybookish), Shelumiel Delos Santos (@mielsnickety), Inah Peralta (@inahreads), and Bianca Montierro (@UltmtFangirl).

These guys are probably my favorite group of people in the entire world. They created such a fun, loving and inclusive space for YA lovers like myself, and I cannot thank them enough for all the amazing effort they have done for Filipino readers of this particular genre. That’s why the panel is called for the Readers, by the Readers. It’s basically their organization slogan because they truly aim to make a safe space for all Filipino YA lovers. 

From left to right: Stalking Jack the Ripper (given by JM for #BookishWish), These Rebel Waves (received from Bookworms Unite PH Panel), The Science of Breakable Things and Threads of Blue (received from National Bookstore giveaway), Lost Crow Conspiracy  (received from Bookworms Unite PH Panel), The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and A Court of Thorns and Roses (given by Bianca for #BookishWish) / Photo taken by Ella Mae Garcia, 2018

Their discussion was mainly about how the group was formed, the little meet ups that turned into actual events, and their plans on going forth with the future of Bookworms Unite PH. They are such an incredible group of people, and I still can’t believe I’ve only ever heard about these guys this year. I am glad I did anyway! I went with one my #LadyBirds, Mighta (@MightZerie) and also saw the lovely Avy (@LittleRed_Dress) in this panel, amazing girls that I’ve met from the Bookworms Unite PH Year 4 event last month.

Overall, it was one heck of an incredible experience! I have to thank Bookworms Unite PH for being super incredible and making every moment a memorable one. Here’s a photo of the aftermath of the event. As you can see, everyone got some pretty cool ARC’s thanks to National Bookstore and Penguin Random House. I told you these guys are awesome!

Panel and guests at the Bookworms Unite!:Establishing an Inclusive YA Community in the Philippines for the Readers, by the Readers / Photo from Bookworms Unite PH

This has been one of my favorite events (second only to Bookworms Unite PH Year 4, of course, hehe!) of the year. And all this that happened on my birth month, which it all the more enjoyable and fun. It truly was an incredible day and unforgettable one that I’ll be talking about for many months to come!