Art, Books and Wonder Women

When I received Kora Dandan Albano's email inviting me as guest to the ribbon cutting of Peek-A-Book: Inside the Creative Process of 16 Illustrators at the Ayala Museum, I was humbled. It came at a time when I am losing sight of my contribution, little as it is, to the book industry. I needed the reminder that there are worlds beyond Beacon Academy. One of them is a place where I find my people and where I can simply be.

With Bernadette Solina Wolf, illustrator of Sparrow Makes a Home

It was an honor to cut the ribbon alongside wonder women, Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, Nina Yuson, Mary Ann Ordinario, Asa Montejo, Yna Reyes and Meg Roxas. Liza Flores, one of the proponents of the Peek-A-Book exhibit downplayed the gender issue in Philippine Art and Book Illustration and focused more on art above all else. But, National Book Development Board Chairperson, Neni Sta. Roman Cruz had to emphasize the role women play in the development of the arts in general and in the growth of the book industry in particular. It is important to raise art as the overarching concept or the philosophy that led us all together in that gathering. It is also necessary to constantly recognize the special place that women occupy in the process of creation.

That same evening was the book launch of Bone Talk. Anvil put together a nice little space at the National Bookstore Glorietta for Candy Gourlay, author of Bone Talk, for a talk and book signing. Right after the ribbon cutting, viewing of exhibit and chats with friends in Ayala Museum, Zoe and I (yes, the aspiring artists was with me) headed off to Candy's launch.

We missed her talk but, I had my book signed!

What a wonderful way to celebrate International Women's Month! I have to add that the Philippine Board on Books for Young People has just released the official announcement on the winner of the 2019 PBBY-Salanga Prize.. It is another victory of the Filipino woman and the women who support her.

The 2019 PBBY-Salanga Prize Winner

Announcing the winner of the 2019 PBBY-Salanga Prize:

Gabriela Lee wins the 2019 PBBY-Salanga Prize

This year’s grand prize winner of the PBBY-Salanga Prize is writer Gabriela Lee for her creative nonfiction piece, A Delicate Strength: The Story and Art of Araceli Limcaco Dans. The piece is about how the young Araceli or Cely learns to capture the beauty of everything she sees through her drawings and how her art helped her family and the country, during wartime.

Araceli Limcaco Dans is one of the most influential Filipino visual artists, known for her her portraiture, still life, and her depiction ofcalado embroidery in her paintings. 

This is Lee’s first PBBY-Salanga Grand Prize. Her poetry and fiction have been published in the Philippines, Singapore, the United States, and Australia. She currently teaches creative writing at the University of the Philippines. She is one of Dans’ twenty-nine grandchildren.

Lee will be awarded at the 36^th National Children’s Book Day celebration on July 16, 2019.

For inquiries about the contest, contact the PBBY Secretariat at telephone number 352-6765 loc 204 or e-mailsecretariat@pbby.org.ph.  

Sourced from the PBBY Facebook Page

Call for Entries: the 2019 PBBY-Salanga Prize

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is now accepting entries for the 2019 PBBY-Salanga Prize. The winner shall be given a cash prize of P25,000.00, a gold medal, and an opportunity to be published. Prizes will be awarded in an appropriate ceremony to be held during the celebration of National Children’s Book Day on July 16, 2019. This year’s theme is narrative nonfiction.

The contest rules are as follows:

1. Open to all Filipino citizens except those who are related to any PBBY member up to the third degree of consanguinity.

2. Content should be intended for children aged 8–12. The content must be capable of sustaining an illustrated book.

3. Topic must be about narrative nonfiction (e.g. historical nonfiction, biographies).

4. Citing of sources and research materials used is a must. Citations should include the name of the author, the title of the resource, the publisher and the year of publications. URLs for online sources should be cited as well.

5. Entries may be in Filipino or English.

6. Entries must be in hard copy, double-spaced, on short bond paper. Each entry must be 2,000-5,000 words long.

7. A contestant may send in up to three (3) entries.

8. Contestants who envision their works to come with special features (e.g. photos, maps, timelines, infographics) should include a write-up on these special features. The write-up should be 1,000 words or less.

9. Each entry must be signed by a pen name only. Five (5) copies of each entry should be placed in an envelope, on the face of which only the pen name of the contestant should appear.

9. Together with each entry, contestants must submit a second envelope, on the face of which the pen name shall appear. This must contain the contestant’s full name, address, contact numbers, a short literary background, and a notarized certification from the author, vouching for the originality of the entry and for the freedom of the organizers from any liability arising from the infringement of copyright in case of publication, and affirming that the entry or any variant thereof has (a) never been published nor (b) won any other contest i.e. that it has never won 1st, 2nd, 3rd, honorable mention in any other contest or otherwise been awarded a medal, a citation, or included in a publicized list of meritorious entries to a literary contest.

10. All entries must be sent through snail mail to the PBBY Secretariat, c/o Adarna House, Inc., Scout Torillo cor. Scout Fernandez Sts., Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City.

11. All entries must be received by the PBBY Secretariat no later than 5:00 p.m., December 8, 2018.

12. Winners will be announced no later than February 2, 2019. Non-winning entries will be disposed of by the PBBY Secretariat.