The Libulan Queer Collective, a writers bloc of queer poets, essayists, fictionists, and playwrights from the southern Philippines, is set to hold the 2018 Cebu Young Writers’ Studio, a regional creative writing workshop for emerging writers from Central Visayas, from 9 to 10 February 2018 at the University of Cebu-Banilad in Cebu City.
The writing fellows named for this year are as follows: Noemi Araneta Alcantara (fiction: novel in Binisaya), Kenneth Michael M Baba (poetry in Binisaya), Alsteine Joi Diapana (poetry in English), Maria Eloisa H Garcia (fiction: short story in English), Jorisse Gumanay (poetry in English), Maria Theresa C Lanit (poetry in Binisaya), Leah May Lim-Atienza (poetry in English), Ivanie Michmir (poetry in Binisaya),Claire Michaela M Obejas (creative nonfiction in English), Louise Francis P Ouano (poetry in English and Binisaya), Lady Isabelle Y Perez (fiction: short story in English), Sievney Klyze G Quidet (fiction: short story in English), Thomas Leonard Shaw (poetry in English), and John Rolly V Son (fiction: novel in English).
The panelists for this year?s workshop are poet-fictionist Jessrel Gilbuena and poet-essayist Adonis Enricuso, with essayist-editor Alton Melvar Dapanas, essayist Johanna Michelle Lim, and poet Arian Tejano as guest panelists. Fictionist-playwright R Joseph Dazo serves as workshop director. Ian Rosales Casocot of Silliman University – Tiempo Creative Writing Center will give the keynote address.
The workshop management also welcome teachers of English, Filipino, Literature, and Creative Writing from higher education institutions and junior/senior high schools in Central Visayas to observe the sessions. Letters of intent addressed to the workshop director may be sent to libulanqueercollective@gmail.com.
The impetus behind the Cebu Young Writers? Studio is the absence of a creative writing workshop which initiates a culture of mentoring and critiquing in Central Visayas. Further, the Libulan Queer Collective, the writers and cultural workers behind Payag Habagatan: New Writings from the South and Libulan: Binisaya Anthology of Queer Literature, hopes to institutionalize this training platform for beginning writers in the region.
For inquiries from fellows and interested partners and sponsors, the workshop management may be reached through libulanqueercollective@gmail.com.