Featured at Fully Booked's Author Spotlight

New Book: The New Bicycle

Author Visit: Russell Molina at The Beacon Academy

📣 Author Visit: Russell Molina at The Beacon Academy

We are honored to welcome Russell Molina , multi-awarded author and graphic novelist, to The Beacon Academy!

Join us for his talk, "Creative IRL: Turning Real Events into Epic Stories" where he will share his writing process with a conscious awareness of young audiences, and reflect on the author's role in navigating social-cultural issues and global realities. He will also speak on the responsibilities authors hold in shaping consciousness, dialogue, and compassion through literature.

🗓 Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
🕐 Time: 1:50–2:50 PM
📍 Venue: Auditorium

We greatly admire Russell Molina's body of work and his enduring impact on Philippine literature for young readers. This is a rare opportunity for our school community to learn from one of the country's most compelling storytellers, whose works like 12:01 , Sixty Six, EDSA and Josefina continue to preserve memory, provoke thought, and inspire change. 

author_visit Russell Molina_ver2 by ZarahG

Prints and Poetry: In the Water and Drying Out

 

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Kuwentong Bangtan: BTS: A Little Golden Book Biography on September 2, 2025 (1 of 3)

In early May of 2025, news of a new children’s book about BTS began circulating online. Penguin Random House, through its imprint Golden Books, announced the release of BTS: A Little Golden Book Biography on September 2, 2025.

Once again, my childhood, my love for stories, and my professional life—as a librarian, author, and literacy advocate—have converged with my life as ARMY. How can I love another K-pop group when BTS gathers everything I value and hold dear, offering it as a gift that crosses generations, cultures, and geographical borders?

The book is part of the Little Golden Book Biography series, and that makes all the difference. It is not just a biography, it is BTS’ story being placed into the hands of a new generation of readers, many of them children who may be meeting BTS for the very first time. That’s legacy work.

For ARMY, this feels like emotional validation. Their journey is now canonized alongside historic and cultural icons in an American children’s classic series. It bridges audiences—parents, educators, librarians, and kids—bringing BTS’ story into early literacy spaces. It cements them not just as entertainers, but as figures worthy of documented history.

This is just the beginning of my reflections on BTS’ place in the Little Golden Book Biography series. 

Author Interview: Patricia Gomez, 2025 Salanga Prize Winner

On July 18, 2025, during National Children's Book Day, the Philippine Board on Books for Young People awarded the Salanga, Alcala and de Jesus Prizes to Patricia Gomez, Tin Javier and Rommel Joson respectively. I invited them for a blog interview and they all said yes! 

My dear readers, I am pleased to present to you, Ms. Patricia Gomez, winner of the 2025 Salanga Prize for the young adult novel, Three Thimbles.

1. Congratulations! What was your first reaction when you found out Three Thimbles had won the Salanga Grand Prize?

               Thank you, Ms. Zarah! I couldn’t believe it at first when I received an email from PBBY that my story, Three Thimbles, had won the Grand Prize.  I had to read the message several times just to be sure.  It was a mixture of surprise, joy, gratitude and disbelief when I first found out.

2. Can you share the inspiration behind Three Thimbles? Was there a specific event, person, or image that sparked the idea?

              My inspiration for the story was none other than Marcela Agoncillo             herself.  To me she was a heroine who took on a very important role in our country’s history, sewing the first Philippine flag, one that would outlive her and be synchronous to our nation’s birth itself, its struggles and triumphs, its identity and story.  

       When I was looking her up on the Internet, I saw a picture of her old thimble and immediately knew that hers and her seven-year old daughter, Lorenza’s and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad’s stories, stories of the three women who sewed the first flag of the Philippine republic, are what I would really like to write as one story, intertwined and entitled Three Thimbles, for this historical fiction category of PBBY.

3. Your story blends narrative history and symbolism in a way that feels both intimate and universal. How did you approach shaping it for young readers?

               Although I wanted to, I was not able to use the first-person point of view for each of the three main characters’ stories that would have made it more accessible and fun for young readers.  What I did instead was to narrate the story of each character alternately, akin to sewing together pieces of cloth, until the whole tapestry is revealed.  It is my hope that young readers would not only be able to relate to Lorenza as she was the youngest of the characters but also find solace in Delfina and develop empathy from Marcela as their stories are as distinct as the three thimbles that represents them.

4. What was it like to see Tin Javier’s illustrations bring your words to life? Did her visual interpretation reveal new dimensions of the story to you?

               It was so surreal to see Ms. Javier’s illustrations because she really brought color, light and life to my story.  I was so thrilled.  To have a talented artist and illustrator like her read and then translate my story into visual form is a great honor.

       Yes, her visual interpretation revealed a new dimension to me in the illustration of the funeral scene.  Whereas I had imagined them solemnly gathered around a coffin already lowered on the ground, Ms. Javier’s high angle portrayal of the event that showed a raised coffin and everyone’s grief-stricken faces huddled tight around it was definitely more intimate and impactful.

5. What message or feeling do you hope children—and the adults reading alongside them—will carry after experiencing Three Thimbles?

              The message I would like to impart in my story is to always have hope.  Just as our nation’s forefathers did not give up on our country despite insurmountable odds, we should also not give up on the things that matter most, because in the end, we will have that sovereignty, we will be able to sew that flag, we will have that peace we long for, we will find the answers we are seeking, we will triumph over adversity but if not, we may be given a gift that will outlive us and our children and help countless others, if we do not give up. 

Watch for Tin Javier's interview in the next posting. Read more about the Salanga Prize by visiting the PBBY website.

PASLI Seminar: From Bayan to Bookshelf: Nurturing Filipiniana Collection for Children

 

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Author Spotlight: Zarah Gagatiga

Fully Booked featured me in their Author Spotlight for Filipino Folktales for Children. And yes, they used my photo, standing in front of the old Big Hit building in Gangnam, Seoul.

It feels surreal to see two worlds I love, storytelling and BTS, come together in one frame. The book, “Filipino Folktales for Children: Stories of Wisdom and Wonder”(Tuttle Publishing, 2025) is a labor of love for Filipino stories, and the photo is from my Bangtan pilgrimage with Zoe Therese, a journey that reminded me how art, music, and stories connect us across borders.

To be here, telling stories from our roots while bearing the stories that saw me through different seasons is a gift. Maraming salamat, Fully Booked, for shining this spotlight, and to BTS for inspiring me to keep creating with heart.

Read the full article here: https://tinyurl.com/2px4sv5t

2026 PBBY-Salanga Picture Book Prize: Call for Entries

 

Travel Log Day 3: Myeongdong Cathedral

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The Lighthouse Diary Entry #77: Libraries as Partners in Becoming

Our week long library orientation closes in a few days. Facilitating the learning and acquisition of literacy skills through the library is always a big challenge. By high school, students have reached a point of view and a perception of the library as a place to soak in the aircon, which it is. And with the erratic changes in weather, this reason for going to the library can be taken advantage of. So, we persist.

This academic year, we focus on understanding what knowledge is and use the necessary skills to deconstruct, construct, unpack and pare its complexities. We begin by exploring choices and the decisions that shape how we seek, validate, and share information. This year’s orientation invites students to reimagine the library not just as a cooling space, but as a thinking space—one where inquiry, reflection, and responsibility converge.

Whether it’s through browsing databases, questioning sources, citing with integrity, or embracing stories that challenge their worldview, we want our students to see the library as a partner in their becoming. In a world brimming with noise, the library remains a place where discernment matters, and every question is a step toward deeper understanding.

Cyanotype Prints and Pottery: Working With the Elements

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𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓: 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑱𝒐𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒚, 𝑪𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚

New Book: Planting a Tree of Hope

Bangtan Remixed: A Critical BTS Reader

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Art for Everyone: BABA(E) Artist Collective

 

When Lea Salonga Said “I am a BTS Fangirl”: On Loving BTS, Fandom Identity, and the Weight of Belonging

I felt something in me stir. Joy, at first. Pride. The validation that comes when someone of her stature recognizes what many of us have long known: BTS is not “just another boy band.” They transcend genre, language, and category. They are movement, message, and meaning. But then I noticed something missing.

She didn’t say, “I am ARMY.”

And for those of us who live and breathe this identity, that difference matters. I did not feel offended. It wasn’t even disappointment. It was more like, alertness. A flicker of awareness that words hold weight, especially when spoken by public figures. Especially in fandom culture, where naming yourself is not just self-expression, but also a declaration of participation.

And Ms. Lea, gracefully and respectfully, chose not to declare. A very wise decision and gesture.

“BTS Fangirl” is Personal. “ARMY” is Communal. There is a quiet but powerful distinction between saying, “I’m a fan of BTS.” And “I am ARMY.”

The first is individual, even intimate. The second is a call to belonging. It ties you into a global network of memory, labor, joy, defense, and shared meaning-making. And perhaps Ms. Lea, in all her wisdom, knew that.

To be ARMY is not casual. It is not a trend. It is:

• Streaming with purpose.

• Voting with coordination.

• Staying through hiatuses, military enlistments, and misunderstood eras.

• Creating, curating, and caring not just for BTS, but for each other.

And maybe that’s why Ms. Lea didn’t claim it. Not because she isn’t sincere in her admiration, but because she understands that ARMY isn’t just a word. It’s devotion and a commitment.

I appreciate that she showed restraint. That refusal to casually claim what she hasn’t fully lived is a form of respect. Life is life-ing as it goes. And perhaps all she can do for now is truly appreciate, adore and go gaga over RPWP and the rest of the solo albums of BTS she mentioned in the interview. She is a BTS fan, and I love her for it.

In fandom, ethics exist and love can hold without appropriation. In a fandom ecosystem where parasocial intimacy is often mistaken for personal possession, and stan culture can pressure public figures into performative allegiance, Lea’s choice feels intentional and purposeful.

She loves BTS. That’s clear. She supports their work. That’s beautiful. But she didn’t insert herself into ARMY spaces with the entitlement of someone who has “earned” that title. This is admirable. In doing so, she models how to honor a group’s impact without overstepping the boundary of lived experiences of ARMY, collective or individual.

However, there are comments that missed this point. Someone responded on socmed to Lea’s quote by saying:

“She obviously hasn’t met this and that Kpop group yet.”

And that’s when my ache surfaced. Because the comment didn’t just suggest she was missing out. It subtly implied that her love for BTS was less valid, incomplete, even, simply because the comment hadn’t spread that love wider.

To those commenting with a multistan agenda, my question is this: what if depth matters more than width?

What if staying loyal to one group, through all their seasons is not about being closed off, but about being rooted? Not exclusion but grounding.

For some of us, BTS holds a sacred space in our lives. You may think of this as cultish but, no. What I mean is philosophical aesthetics. More on this in future posts.

BTS didn’t just catch our attention. They caught us in our grief, our becoming, our quiet hours of self-doubt. For fans like me, BTS is not just a band to admire. They are:

• The ones who held us.

• The voices that named what we couldn’t say.

• The bridge that connected us to generations past and present, thus, creating an intergenerational understanding.

• The reason we created, healed, and chose to stay.

To be ARMY is not simply to love BTS. It is to let that love shape your life. The thing is, there are many ways to be a fan.

I wrote and developed this essay not to draw borders or demarcation lines. Not exclusion. Not hate. Not elitism.

It’s about respecting thresholds. Recognizing differences and respecting it with transparency and “relational accountability”. You can be a casual listener, a dedicated fangirl, a multistan, a curious observer and all of those identities are valid.

But if you see someone not claiming ARMY, even when they clearly love BTS, maybe pause before assuming they’re lacking or anything else. Maybe, like Ms. Lea, they’re showing us what fandom ethics can look like: Loving fully, while knowing when not to claim what isn’t yours.

In the end, I don’t need Lea Salonga to say she’s ARMY. Her admiration is enough and it’s hers. And as for me? I’ll say it again and again:

I am ARMY. Not because I stan. But because I stayed. Because BTS met me first and those seven amazing artists never let me go. In the rhythm of that love, I reclaimed who I am at the autumn of my life. That despite this season of fall, Spring Day has stayed. It will never leave me, nor I.

I close this essay by saying that I have fully understood that one person who abandoned me and became a multistan. I can now look at a cohort of fans of BTS and smile at the way they fangirl. Because, that is who they are. As for me, with my ARMY Glow Up projects in full swing this year, and my AGU certificate of commitment offered at the old Big Hit Building, as witnessed by my ARMY Daughter and Tita ARMY friends last June 10, 2025, I have fully healed. In the end, Ms. Lea’s restraint helped me name my own belonging. I am not just a BTS fangirl. I am ARMY by experience, by acts of creation, by choice.

Thank you Ms. Lea Salonga, for your class and grace; your candor and love for music and BTS. Your interview and what you particularly said about fangirling was illuminating.

Thank you, BTS! Thank you, ARMY!

Apobangpo! Purple and true!

#ARMYGlowUp2025 #Festa2025 #ManyWaystoBeaFan #ARMYLife