The 51st Silliman University National Writers Workshop will be held April 30 to May 19, at the Rose Lamb Sobrepeña Writers Village in Camp Look-out, Valencia, Negros Oriental, a press release from the school said.

Eleven writers from all over the Philippines have been accepted as fellows in the workshop. They are CD Borden (University of San Carlos) and Deborah Rosalind Nieto (University of Santo Tomas) for poetry; Michael Aaron Gomez (Silliman University), Thomas David Chavez (Philippine Normal University), Michelle Abigail Tiu Tan (Ateneo de Manila University), Christian Tablazon (University of the Philippines–Diliman), Timothy James Dimacali (University of the Philippines-Diliman), and Ma. Vida Frances Cruz (Ateneo de Manila University) for fiction; Hazel Meghan Hamile (University of the Philippines–Mindanao) and Zendy Victoria Sue Valencia (University of Santo Tomas) for creative non-fiction; and Karlo Antonio David (Ateneo De Davao University) for drama.

The panel of writers and critics are director-in-residence Rowena Tiempo Torrevillas, Dumaguete-based writers Bobby Flores Villasis, Myrna Peña-Reyes, and César Ruìz Aquino; and guest panelists Susan Lara, DM Reyes, Anthony Tan, Alfred Yuson, and Gémino Abad, the press release said.

The workshop is the oldest creative writing workshop in Asia and was founded in 1962 by Ediberto Tiempo and National Artist Edith Tiempo.

This year, the activity is co-sponsored by the Embassy of the United States of America in Manila. Guests from the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy are Regional English Language officer Maria Carina Dungao, Public Affairs officer Robin Diallo, Cultural Affairs officer Alan Holst, and Cultural Affairs specialist Tony Perez, the press release said.

Diallo will give a presentation on “Classroom Teaching” at the American Studies and Research Center of the Robert and Metta Silliman Library on May 3; Dungao on “Classroom Dynamics”, also on the same date; while Holst will lecture on “Literature and Film”, May 16, at the Silliman Library, the press release added.*

back to top