KIlalanin Nating ang Aklat Alamid (2 of 2)

Isang infographic para sa mga pamilyang naka-lockdown

Narito ang ikalawang bahagi ng interbyu kina MJ "Xi Zuq" Tumamas at China de Vera, founders ng Aklat Alamid.

3. Magsalaysay naman kayo ng 2-3 kuwento ng tagumpay ng Aklat Alamid.

Ang unang uri ng tagumpay ay ang pagkalathala ng una naming dalawang libro, ang Ti Dakkel nga Armang at Papa Teyo. Marami kaming natutuhan sa mahabang proseso ng paglikha ng mga ito. Nagbunga ang mga ito ng focus namin sa community-based na publishing, na sa madaling sabi ay umiikot ang proseso namin ng pag-develop ng libro sa pangunahing pamayanang gagamit nito. Mahalaga sa amin, kung gayon, na ang mga manlilikha ng kuwento ay mula sa mismong pamayanan, na nakikipagtulungan sa iba pang indibidwal at pangkat (tulad ng mga tagasalin, editor, guro, mananaliksik, mga opisyal ng ahensiya, at mga bata mula sa kanila). Matagal-tagal ang ganitong proseso pero nakita naming nagkakaroon ng sense of ownership nga mga libro ang mga nasabing pamayanan.

Kaugnay ng nauna, ang ikalawang uri ng tagumpay ay ang ugnayan namin sa mga scholar, manunulat, ahensiya, lider ng mga pamayanan, guro, artist, publisher, at iba pang indibidwal at grupo mula sa mga rehiyon. Sa aming palagay, ang ganitong mga ugnayan ay kontra agos sa existing o umiiral na pangkalahatang sistema sa book production dahil pinapahalagahan ng Aklat Alamid ang kolaborasyon sa stakeholders sa paglikha ng aklat, primarya ang mga nasa komunidad dahil para sa kanila ang mga binubuong aklat. 

4. Saan na patutungo ang ang Aklat Alamid?

Sa totoo lang, dahil nagsisimula pa lamang kami, marami kaming natututuhan sa proseso ng paglikha at pakikisalamuha sa mga tao at pangkat sa iba’t ibang gawaing naging bahagi kami. Gagamitin namin ang mga ito upang magpatuloy sa produksiyon ng mga aklat pambata para sa mga bata sa mga rehiyon. Kaya maraming-maraming salamat sa mga tumulong at tumutulong pa sa amin sa iba’t ibang aspekto ng mga proyekto namin.

Ngayong taon, tinatrabaho namin ang mga ilalabas na libro sa susunod na taon. Ilan sa mga ito ay nakasulat sa mga wikang Binisaya, Hiligaynon, Kankanaey, at Ilokano. Magpapatuloy din kami sa pagsasagawa ng mga workshop, talakayan, training, kontes, storytelling session, at iba pang aktibidad sa pakikipagtulungan sa iba pang mga grupo.

5. Paano kami makakabili ng inyong mga aklat?

Bukod sa mga physical na bookstore, tulad ng Mt Cloud sa Baguio at Alfredo F. Tadiar Library sa San Fernando, La Union, makabibili ng mga libro namin online sa page ng Aklat Alamid at website at page ng Pumplepie Books & Happiness.

More Musings on My Journey in Mother Tongue Based Instruction

I often integrate Mother Tongue Based Instruction in my storytelling workshops and reading skills teaching for teachers and librarians, especially if the venue is in the province or in the regions. I got this insight while being a part of Sa Aklat Sisikat's team of facilitators and trainers (circa 2006 - 2016). Of the trainings I had, four remarkable experiences stood out:

1. the 2012 IASL Regional Conference in Bacolod because that was where school librarians saw the importance of oracy and oral tradition in language development and that, by conducting read aloud sessions and storytelling, librarians and libraries contribute to language acquisition and development; 

2. the Storytelling Workshop in Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao because, participants created their own story flash cards in Ilocano, Ibanag and Itawis; 

3. the Naga Workshop by EDUCO and ADARNA HOUSE where teachers and librarians created mini-books and they wrote their stories in Bicol Rinconada;  

4. the Storytelling Workshop I had in Mindoro last May 2018 because, I met Teacher Ann Lee Masongsong who learned the mother tongue of the Mangyans so that she could teach them.

 5. the recent Story Creation I had in CDO as organised by the NLP because, it was the first time I used the Language Experience Approach in teaching mother tongue, as subject and skill. I first heard of LEA in UPD, in Dr. Hermosa's class, saw it used by Sa Aklat Sisikat Master Trainers and I was inspired to use it with Zoe who was, at that time, a struggling reader. 

         
But, in retrospect, it is Teacher Dina Ocampo who allowed me to run a workshop on Storytelling where I was able to use the Tandem Telling Technique during the Summer Institute of Linguistics 2009 teacher training. I learned of this technique back in 2002 when I attended the Storytelling Congress in Singapore.

The Creation and Production of Mother Tongue Books

One of my friends in the publishing industry has taken interest on the Bulilit Books-Project LEARN Series. I have these questions answered as requested. Sharing it here in the blog, because, sharing is caring!

1. Could you tell me more about the NCPPC? What prompted them to revive this series in Filipino and translate them into Cebuano and Hiligaynon? 

The NCPPC is a foundation and has two main thrusts: nutrition and health education. For more than four decades, they have been publishing materials and teaching resources to help parents, teachers, daycare workers and social workers in the nutrition and health education of children. They have bread products too that are packed with micronutrients. They have adopted public schools in Luzon and Visayas. While feeding kids age 3 - 10 years old, they provide training and instruction on good nutrition, health and hygiene to parents, teachers and community workers (daycare and social workers). In conducting the training, they have modules, reading materials and resources designed and published by their teams, staff and commissioned professionals.

Because health and well being is developmental and systemic, they thought of reviving the Bulilit Books, circa 1976-1982, to address the mental, moral/ethical and values development of children. Thus, they planned PROJECT LEARN.

PROJECT LEARN is a project that is aimed at creating books for k-3 learners addressing reading skills and comprehension development and the MTB MLE program of the DepEd. It has three phases: research and development; writing, editing and revising; and post-production.

The adopted or recipient schools of NCPPC were the first to acquire the books as part of the foundation's programs on good nutrition and health education. They are also selling the books in different markets.

2. How are they being distributed? Retail? Government purchases and donations? School adoption?

The adopted or recipient schools of NCPPC were the first to acquire the books as part of the foundation's programs on good nutrition and health education. They are also selling the books in different markets.

3. Now that the books have been produced, what challenges do you face in terms of sales and distribution?

NCPPC does not have a marketing team that sells in the open market like Lampara. Since it is a foundation, they have limited budget for this kind of distribution. The most that they can do is to have DepEd approve the books as supplementary materials so that schools, public and private alike, can buy them. News is, the Bulilit Books-Project LEARN Series is on the second review by the DepEd. Hopefully, it gets approved!

Call for Manuscript Submissions-National Book Development Trust Fund Grant 2018

Lifting these information from the website of the National Book Development Board:

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONSThe National Book Development Board (NBDB) is calling for applications for the National Book Development Trust Fund (NBDTF) Grant for 2018. Authors and organizations are invited to submit at least 25% of their manuscripts or research works for books. The chosen works will receive a maximum grant of P200,000.00 each.

Categories include I.  Supplementary Reading Materials written in the Mother Tongue (Grades 1 to 3); II.  Supplementary Reading Materials for Senior High School Students (Grades 11 and 12);  III.  Supplementary Reading Materials for All Grade Levels

HOW TO APPLYSubmit the following documents:

1. Applicant’s curriculum vitae (in the case of juridical entities, its SEC registration documents, as may be applicable, and the curriculum vita of the authors-applicants).

1. A sworn statement indicating that the submitted work is an original and unpublished work, and that the applicant is the copyright-holder of the work.

1. A project proposal with project objectives; proposed scope of work (i.e., table of contents); timeline; budget and resources; and other relevant information supporting the author’s capacity to undertake the project.

1. NBDB Certificate of Registration.

1. Manuscript Format: in 12-point type, Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins, and sequentially numbered on 8.5’ x 11’ bond paper; in quadruplicate copies. A digital copy shall also be submitted.

1. Manuscript Substance: at least 25% of the manuscript, written in the identified language category for Supplementary Reading Materials written in the Mother Tongue, and in English or Filipino for Supplementary Reading Materials for all other grade levels.

 APPLICATION PERIODDeadline for submission for the Supplementary Reading Material written in the Mother Tongue is on 31 July 2018 and deadline for the Supplementary Reading Materials for all other grade levels is on 30 September 2018.Interested applicants should email their applications to oed@nbdb.gov.ph with the subject: NBDTF 2018 Application (Name of author/s or organization).You may download a copy of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9521, National Book Development Trust Fund Act, here. CONTACT INFORMATIONFor inquiries, please contact:National Book Development BoardUnit 2401 Prestige TowerF. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center,Pasig City 1605, PhilippinesTelefax: +632 570 6198 or +632 687 1804Email: helpdesk@nbdb.gov.ph

Author of the Month: Darrel Manuel Marco

Telling stories! Reading aloud! Doing what he loves!

The blog's Author of the Month is Darrel Marco. He is a librarian, storyteller, reading advocate and an adventure-seeker. He goes around the country to tell stories and spread the love of reading. He also has presented papers about libraries and children's literature in Finland and Japan. A lover of life, long adventures and literacy!

The three books in the Bulilit Books series are his first books to be published by the Nutrition Council of the Philippines Publishing Corporation (NCPPC). I am proud to have worked with him on this project. I wouldn't be surprised if one day, we get to see more books from Darrel!

1. Describe the experience of writing your first books

I have been told a million times that it is hard to write children's books. 'Children's stories are more challenging because you have to think of the appropriate language!' 'You always have to consider the contexts of your readers, especially if they're children, it's hard to write stories with sensitive topics.' Thru writing Bulilit Books, my first-ever books soon to be published and read by many, it is true. Writing children's books, or any book, or writing in general are never a walk in the park.

When I was invited to become one of the writers for Bulilit Books, I immediately threw in my blue chip and shouted "I'M IN!" without considering the odds. After all, I have big trust in my writing team, who mostly have experience in writing children's stories (both have won writing awards). Joining a writing team proved to have advantages -- two heads are better than one (!!!) -- and that much of brilliant grey matters give birth to a lot of ideas. Now this is where collaboration, teamwork, and compromise come into play. I appreciate the open communication between our team -- from the storyboards, to the illustrator's studies, revisions back-and-forth, back-and-forth, back-and-forth, and I learned to love Google docs, where we got to collaborate and share ideas.

Darrel in his element: sun, sand and sea!

My favorite part in the whole process got to be the Kid Test. I am not new to the world of children's literature as I have been a librarian and storyteller for a time now, but during this part of the writing process, I took a step back and used my writer's point-of-view. It was a big realization for me that the kids are very critical of what they hear and what they read. They are also very particular with details up to the smallest dot and a misplaced pot. Kids can really tell and they tell it to you bluntly, point-blank without batting an eyelash, nary a smile. Alongside these comments from the kids are the feedback and reviews from the many focus group discussions we have conducted with the teachers and other stakeholders. Indeed, it was a walk in the park. THE. JURASSIC. PARK. But all of those deemed to be very helpful in all our revisions and notes for future projects. After all, it is when we make mistakes that we truly learn [thru feedback, mentoring and constructive criticism, of course.]

As a storyteller, I am used to telling stories from books made by different writers. This time I believe as a writer, it is my stories that will tell who I am.

2. Where do you draw inspiration in writing stories?

It is always the innocent look in a kid's eyes whenever they hear me tell stories that continues to inspire me to tell and eventually write my own stories. Stories are magic. It's the ooohs and aaaahs, the laughter and sadness, the excitement in a kid's eyes that tell me -- Yeah! Push! Go Go Go Para sa Bayan! It is also our vision to inspire more Filipinos, children and adults alike, to read and love reading, and eventually, to write their own stories. Each of us has a story to tell, and these stories can conjure magic. Magic that can teach us compassion, empathy, and love (always!)

 Bulilit Books 2017

3. What are you most excited about the Bulilit Books?

How our kid partners from the Kid Test will react when we show them the before and after of the books. Plus the fact that it will be read and told in Hiligaynon and Cebuano! How exciting!

4. Five books that inspired you to become a writer

I'll make this short:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - I was Bod, lost and did not know where to belong until I found a family.

The Percy Jackson series! by Rick Riordan - I would love to write a Filipino version of this

Oh The Places You'll Go! (or everything) by Dr. Seuss - play with words! The Filipino language has a lot!

Love you forever by Robert Munsch - heartwarming and heart-wrenching

Sandosenang Sapatos / Papel de Liha - books where Filipino traits are being highlighted

Book Preview: Bulilit Books 2017

Book Preview: Bulilit Books 2017 from Zarah Gagatiga

Writing and Teamwork in Tagayatay

During the last National Holiday, I joined a creative team of dreamers and advocates to work on a commissioned book project for a Philippine based non-government organization. We spent an overnight stay in a cozy house in Tagaytay to write and create. Ah, bliss!

With Darrel Marco, collaborating on a story while the rain falls softly outside.

 This is a big project that we hope to finish by February 2017. That's all I will share for now. More news to come, definitely. But for this post, let me tell you the wonderful thing that happened during the write-in.

There were three stories to be finished that day. The creative team critiqued the two stories and were immediately re-written for the final draft. The last story, the most challenging to write, was finished early that afternoon. While the writers worked on the third story, the illustrator, who was present during the workshop, worked on the studies of the two stories that passed workshop critiquing. By 4PM, we had a good idea how the two books will look like.

Thanks to technology, our Mother Tongue writer and translator was working alongside us through Fb Messenger and text messaging.

The project still has a long way to go. I am positive that, working on a steady pace we will be able to see the project through post production.

Here is a glimpse of our artist's study of one spread:

Tinsley Garanchon's study. So cute!