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9th IYAS Creative Writing Workshop

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Words to live by during the 9th IYAS Creative Writing Workshop:


~Marjorie Evasco

*What is private is not yet poetry therefore, you should not enter it yet.
*When I say cute, it's a terrible thing you say.

~Elsie Coscolluela

*The greatest set-up is craftmanship.
* We go for the smell of blood but not the actual tasting of it.
* Kulang pa sa kakugi...

~ Leoncio Deriada

*Never express the obvious.
*When we write, we should think of new images.
*Anything new is acceptable provided it works.
* Literature must be enjoyed. In order to enjoy, the reader must understand.
* Good poetry approximates the pattern of any spoken language.
* You must know the language to love it well.

~Iremil Teodoro

*Poetry should not freeze on the page, it should be heard.



COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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Fact over Fiction



The Reader's Companion to World Literature
77php

@Booksale (KCC Mall of Gensan)
May 30, 2009



COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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1000 Dreams


(for D)

There are more dreams:

always,
they occur
in the break of dawn
where there is
no doom
but only sadness

a face of a lady
whom the dreamer met
sometime in her past-
flashed over and over again

always,
the dreamer sobs
not because of the dream
but the reality
that it was an illusion

in the open sky,
there's the piercing sun
silent
and still

for the dreamer,
it is always like that
an open sky

always
doom 
always 
sadness
throbbing
in the corner
of her dreams,

always 
recurring.


COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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Unsent Greeting Cards



I should have given these cards to my Mam,Mom,Sissy and Granny during Mother's Day but I lost track of  time . I  decided to post the "personalized greeting cards" here in my blog to somehow let them know that they are special*winkwink* 


for my grandmother

In the farmfield, 
 under the glare of the sun-
you sow seeds of love.


for my sister

you're a scaffolding,
proud and stronger than the rest-
humbly dedicated


for my mom

almost everyday,
nursing us like your own babies-
twenty years, atlast!


for my mother

chalkdust,paper,ink,
a teacher and a mother-
you lead us the way.

Medium:

Watercolor

--------------------

To the readers:

If you happen to know my Mom, Mam, Granny and Sissy please tell them that I made something for them during the Mother's day. It was only because of my stupidity that I forgot to give them their Mother's Day cards. 

P.S

Kindly tell this "thing" to them only during my burial.
Thank You!

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20th Birthday





COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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Bad Day






COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008





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TunĂ” (revised)

Nilingkod , nibilangkad
Gipatung-an ang ulo sa kaguran
Gikablot ang gipikas nga lubi
Ibabaw sa lababo-
Ang unod puti, gahi

Gikulob ang lubi,
Gihinay- hinay ug kagod
sa gikapoy nga mga kamot
gikudkod,
gikudkod,
gikudkod ug samot
hantud mitulo ang singot
sa iyahang dughan
paadto sa iyahang uranay

Busa nag padayon gihapon ug kagod
Hinay
hinay
Paspas
Ug Hinay napud
ug usab

nahurot na ang mga lubi ug kagod
iya na kining gipuga
hantud ninggawas ang mga duga

gikutawkutaw
ang gata

ug hinay hinay nga gihiso
sa iyahang buhok

mitulo ini nga murag singot-
paadto sa iyahang dughan
ngadto sa iyahang gipatung-an
nga ulo sa kaguran.

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If Only These Fingers Could Talk

I dip my fingers 
deep within
the well of loneliness-
the empty spot 
somewhere
in the middle of nowhere

I dip my fingers
deep inside
that empty spot of loneliness
nowhere-
in the middle 
of somewhere

I dip 
my fingers
deep somewhere
in the well of nowhere,
in that empty 
spot of loneliness

my fingers,
I dip well
in loneliness 
and in that empty
spot
of nowhere

my fingers
well dipped
and somewhere
in that nowhere 
I empty
the loneliness of well

well,
my fingers are dipped
and in that somewhere
the loneliness of nowhere
is empty,
within

within these well dipped
loneliness,
I empty
my fingers
somewhere, 
nowhere

inside, 
my fingers' loneliness
spots 
the empty
somewhere-
in the middle.

COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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Damsel's Bookshelf





because I have to read AAAALL of theeeeeeeeeeeessssse:


Please click the image to enlarge. Thanks!


1. Women Who Run with the Wolves
2. Sarilaysay
3. Surface Tension
4. Children of the Albatross
5. The Last Tycoon
6.Butch
7. Shakespeare
8.The Hours
9. On Photography
10. The Best American Essays
11.The Moon is Always Female
12. The Long Quiet Highway
13. 1996 O'Henry Awards
14.Witch's Dance
15. Hills like White Elephants
16.A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies
17.100 Years of Solitude
18.The God of Small Things
19.The Complete Short Fiction of Virginia Woolf
20. Leaf Storm
21. Willard and His Bowling Trphies
22.Six Tales of the Jazz Age
23.HAndmaid's Tale
24.A Portrait of an Artist as a young man
25.Pride & Prejudice
26.The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
27.The Original Coming out Stories
28.Purpose Driven life



COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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Sunday Blues








COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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We Men Do This


Like a child
you begged me 
to kiss 
you a sin
to explore 
another portion 
of our skin

i was swayed
with some thoughts 
of repulsion
as you drew 
a curve
on your lips-

i had a second thought,
"i'll dart a kiss."

I blamed 
all the humps
and all the curves
present around us
that afternoon,

even 
the fluttering curtain 
that hid our defiance,
the pseudo-
innocent walls 
of your room
that knew YOU-
DEEP 
WITHIN,

the silence
of darkness
and the creak
of the bed 
that carried us
and the weight 
within us

the wrinkles 
we made
on your bed,

your toes 
atop mine
and my thigh
where you reached
your ecstacies-
were once 
in my dreams
and fantasies

we were chained
in the bed
heavy 
and unforgiving 

i dragged you,
inch 
by
inch,
in 
and out
as i 
slid 
my fingers
deep 
into 
somewhere

and to the other skin
in 
between.

COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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2009 Davao Writers Workshop





May 4, 2008: (Day 1)

Bacolod City: 9:30- 10:10 am
Cebu City: 10:30 am
Gaisano Mall Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu 10:30- 1:30 pm
Mactan Inernational Airport: 1:30-2:30 pm
Davao City International Airport 3:30 pm
General Santos City 7:00pm

(l-r Panelists Macario Tiu, Don Pagusara, Marjorie Evasco and Jhoanna Lynn Cruz; Damsel and the guitar; Damsel, Jhoanna Lynn Cruz and Allen; A walk with Ma'am Marj: Aaron, Ma'am Marj, G, Damsel and Allen) 

May 5, 2009: (Day 2) 

Lecturer: Don Pagusara

Plenary Session 4: Merese, Poetry in Cebuano
Plenary Session 5: Sudoku with Love, Essay in English
Plenary Session 6: Mga Dahong Laya, Poetry in Cebuano
Plenary Session 7: Bars, Poetry in English
Plenary Session 8: The Wait, Short Story in English

May 6, 2009: (Day 3)

Lecturer: Macario Tiu

Plenary Session 9: Ang Tsismosang si Tiya Piling, Poetry in Filipino
Plenary Session 10: The Next Best Thing, Short Story in English
Plenary Session 11: To Cherish Forever, Essay in English
Plenary Session 12: Space Convenience, Poetry in English



(l-r: Damsel @ Ponce Suites; Panelists Macario Tiu and Marjorie Evasco; Henrietta de Guzman, Kaye Quinones, Hannah Enanoria and Damsel; Damsel with one of the panelists)

May 7, 2008

Plenary Session 13: I make Stories for a Living, Short Story in English
Plenary Session 14: Red nga Dahon sa Green nga Mangga, Poetry in Cebuano
Plenary Session 15:My So Called Glamorous Life as a Freelance Writer, Essay in English
Plenary Session 16: Cotabato, Poetry in English
Plenary Session 17: Refleksyon, Poetry in Filipino
Lecturer: Timothy Montes

(l-r EJ Villena defends his Short Story; The 2009 Davao Writers Fellows and some panelists with Ma'am Morales  for Concerto, an independent film directed by her son)

"I'm turning this short story into a novellete"
"Masaktan muna ako para maintindihan ko"
"This is free writing"
"Inspirations ko? Anime and Fall out boy"
"This was meant to be a comic story"
                                                                 
(l-r,Awarding ceremony with the panelists;Damsel reads her poem, Rumba; Aaron, Damsel,Allen with Tita Lacambra Ayala; Jeff, Damsel, Allen with Jhoanna Lynn Cruz) 

May 8, 2009

Lecturer: Ricardo de Ungria
Plenary Session 18: Empty Spot, Short Story in English
Plenary Session 19: Amakan, Poetry in Cebuano
Plenary Session 20: Halayo nga Panaw, Poetry in Cebuano
Closing Ceremonies; Distribution of Certificates



Aftermath's Photographer: Aaron Jalalon

****
Words to live by during the 2009 Davao Writers Workshop

Macario Tiu- on Specific Particular Experience: The constituency
         should become familiar and familiarize your work so that you 
         will own the piece of art.
  - SLOW DOWN
  -respect the language that you're writing in
  -mas ineffable ang experience pag dili  ma read 
       or maka understand ang readers
  -The poem has no metaphor!
  - This is so mechanical!
  - ilabay sa Bangkerohan river!

  Ricardo de Ungria- Images are there but they do not cohere
                                       -Music is there but it is out of place
                                   -Befriend the language

 Timothy Montes- This is a writer who has a sophisticated sense
          (referring to the author of My So-Called  
           Glamorous Life as a Freelance writer)
   -This is just an essay not a creative non fiction
   -This is a diarrhea of words
   - I was lost!
   - Ang usa ka balak naay human significance
   - Complexify your concept!

 Marjorie Evasco- on Writing: You have to have that kind of humility
       -Whatever you do have to to work
       -You have to see it from your ideal readers
       - go against the grain, explore shadows, go for the unsayable
       -Poetry's language is metaphorical
 - You have to know where you're coming from, if it's not familiar to you, 
    you can't understand it
   -pagbasa ug mga balak(poems) nga murag ballad
 - you have to create the silences around  the word they will configurate 
       the meaning of meaningfulness
 - you cannot hear if there is no silence around it
 - I'm not looking for meaning, I'm looking for the meaningfulness
 - Keep the very bad work para hindi makalimutan ang mistake
 -Break out the forms that you are really familiar with and release the true forms of your life
 - A succesful metaphor rises into something else
- Ignorance will not excuse you because you are supposed to know your language

COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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Leaving Memories



a parade of
black coffins
queueing-

remnants,

cold footsteps
scarred the shore

these are but the
joys of yesterday.

COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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Filmstrip






Sepia,
black and white,
high school uniforms,
remembering 'em right

chicken curry,
ruler,
pentel pastels
all so dear

late night jokes,
printing press,
charcoal
all but stress

men's perfume,
white polo,
 five peso coin,
and a song by Piolo

sniff, sniff
run and chase
under the blue sky-
a happy face

overexposed,
five rolls of film,
holding Ken-

keeping negatives.


COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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Jazzing Around


lying  in the bed,
a pillow 
barricading their bodies

hearing their short gasps
 echoing off the walls.

COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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Sud

Isulod nako akong tudlo
usa ug duha
pili lang kung asa
diri sa baba sa baso
o dili kaha sa pirtahan 
sa akong pantalon

ini'g sulod nako sa usa
siguraduha nga malamian ko
o di kaha siya-

walay mabilin nga luod
nga gibati ini'g sulod
sa akong tudlo,
sa baba sa baso man
o sa akong pantalon.


COPYRIGHTED MARCH 2008

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