Istoryan Writers

[galenostiel]

---

When he opened his eyes, he was in a strange world. He stared in consternation at the sparkling blue sea spread out before him. There was nothing else to be seen for miles and miles. Just the endless blue sea.
"What is this?" he demanded out loud. "Where the hell am I?"
"I wish I knew the answer to that question! I've been asking that over and over and over..." a voice behind him said.
He turned and saw the girl he'd just carried into the hospital. She was sitting on the sand behind him, her knees drawn up to her chin. She had a lost look on her face, and she was gazing at some point beyond the horizon.
"Is this what dying is like?" she went on as if he wasn't there. "I had thought that if I died, I'd see Jason, that we'd be together again. But where is he? Where are all the others who died?"
She tore her gaze away from the horizon and turned to look at him. "Is this what death is like? Being stranded on some strange little island in the middle of nowhere?"
"How should I know? I've never died before!" he retorted sourly. What the hell was this place?
She smiled at his words. "It feels so nice to hear someone else's voice again. I thought I was all alone here. I would have gone crazy."
"How did I get here?" he asked. She shrugged.
"You were sort of washed up on the shore," she replied. "Can we talk about something else? We'll never get anywhere if we keep wondering where we are. Perhaps...perhaps we should just wait and see what happens."
"Well...what's your name and what were you doing in the graveyard?"
Her eyes clouded immediately. He thought she wouldn't answer him but she did. "My name's Kaye. I was...visiting my boyfriend's grave. He..." she paused and swallowed. "Jason died in a bus accident--"
"--three weeks ago," he finished for her. "I know. My girlfriend Angie died in that same crash. I...I was visiting her grave, too. I'm Andrew, by the way."
"How weird," she mused. "To have something like that in common...were you the one who caught me when I collapsed?" She blushed. " I seem to have a fleeting memory of being carried around."
"Actually, I carried you all the way to the hospital. I don't know what happened when I got there, 'coz then everything went black."
"So that's why you're here, too. You tried to save my life," she said, smiling sadly. "Thank you so much..."
"I did what I had to do," he replied, embarrassed. "This is really weird, you know. I can't help talking about it. Where are we, really?"
"Maybe we are dead..."
They both fell silent, contemplating on the thought of being dead and alone in God-knows-where. A tear rolled down Kaye's cheek as she remembered her friends and family, especially her little brother whom she loved dearly. The tear was followed by another and another until she was sobbing profusely.
"I miss my family," she announced softly. Andrew scooted towards her and draped an arm across her shoulders.
"I miss everyone back home, too. My sister and I have been on bad terms lately, and I'd hate to die without telling her I really love her..."
"At least I'm not alone here. Thank goodness you're here, even if it means you had to die, too. You'll have to forgive me for saying that," Kaye told him with a tremulous laugh.
"That's okay. I'll be here for as long as you need me," he answered with a smile.
They both fell silent again, until suddenly Kaye shouted at the top of her voice:
"I don't want to die yet! D'you hear that, God? I'm sorry if I wished I were dead!" Then, in a whisper, she added, "And I'm sorry, too, Jason..."
She began to sob uncontrollably. Andrew held her all the while, mumbling words of comfort, until her tears dried up. Then they talked. They talked of anything except death, trying to drown their frustration with endless chatter.
They didn't know how long they talked. Time seemed to be frozen in their strange little new world. The sea sparkled as blue as ever. The sun shone but they didn't feel the heat. They stopped talking when they finally got exhausted and just continued to hold each other silently, staring at the endless blue water.


- 4 -

Kaye opened her eyes slowly. The first thing she saw was the white ceiling. She wasn't on the island anymore. She was on a hospital bed. She was alive!
"Kaye? Kaye, you're awake, thank God!" she heard her mother exclaim. In the next moment, she was smothered with kisses and tears as her family crowded around the bed. She'd been unconscious for two weeks, her mother told her. She'd had severe pneumonia from staying under the rain for too long.
Two weeks! What about Andrew? What happened to him? She had to find him. He had brought her to the hospital. He had saved her life.
"Mom? What happened to the guy who brought me in here?"
"He was transferred several days ago, to a different hospital where his father works as a surgeon. He was still unconscious when they wheeled him out. I was too worried about you to find out where they were taking him, dear, but I do hope he survives. I owe him a lot for saving your life."
Andrew, where are you?


- 5 -

More than a month had passed since Andrew got out of the hospital. He had wanted to go straight home, but his parents had insisted that he spend the rest of the summer at his aunt's seaside cottage to "recuperate and get away from it all," they said. The sight of the sea had constantly reminded him of Kaye and their strange little island-in-the-middle-of-nowhere.
Now he was finally home, and he had to find her. He never knew what happened to her; when he woke up he was in a different hospital.
He rushed out of the house, and then stopped at the front gate. He'd forgotten that he didn't know where she lived. He thought hard. Maybe he could ask at the hospital. No, wait. The graveyard. For some reason, his instincts were telling him to go there. That was where he first found her, it might just be where he will find her again. She just had to be there!
But she wasn't. Dejected, Andrew slowly made his way to Angie's grave. He knelt on the grass and faced the gray tombstone.
"Hello, Angie...I miss you...and I treasure the time we had together. But I have to move on. I realize that now. I know you'll understand...I won't forget you, I promise. Thank you for sharing your life with me. Goodbye..."
He got to his feet and smiled. The pain of losing Angie was gone. He would miss her, yes, but it was time for new beginnings. If only he could find Kaye...
They had shared only moments together, he knew, but they had made a bond during those moments...and he had found out when he woke up in the hospital that he missed holding her.
"Andrew? Is that you?"
He spun round. Kaye was there, standing before him. He stared at her awkwardly, suddenly not knowing what to say.
"It is you," she said, her voice breaking. "I looked everywhere for you. I thought I'd never find you. I came here hoping I might see you, but you weren't here. I went to the chapel to pray, and when I came back, there you were..."
"I'm sorry. I wanted to come home, to see if you made it through, but my parents sent me away. I just arrived today. I had to find you, but I didn't know where you lived. I took a chance and came here, but I didn't see you...so I just...I just said goodbye to Angie..."
They stared at each other.
"Do you think it's possible?" Kaye whispered.
"To fall in love in a dream? Maybe. I think so. Yes."
"Perhaps we should prove it..."
He smiled. "Yeah, perhaps we should."
"Come. I'll just say goodbye to Jason, and then you must come see my family. They're dying to meet you..."

--END--

[brownprose]

just wondering...any news of the planned writers guild for istoryan's? been writing professionally but my genre is not really creative writing (more of trade policy issues and commercial writing) as most of you are here. any chance if i can join your group?
at the moment, i write for one of the dailies in cebu as a columnist (which appears every weekend).

i'd like to also promote business writing as there's just too little of them around. finally, hope this helps, i can do workshops including fundamentals of journalism and business writing. please count me in, just in case you seek writers of my kind thankz.

[Onins]

Grabe kalingaw basa maayo na kaayo mo magpabulak bulak

http://ricangelo.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/

here's my 6 chapters (so far) haay...

[diem]

14th Iligan National Writers Workshop (INWW)

The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), the Mindanao Creative Writers Group, Inc., and the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Reseach and Extension (OVCRE) are accepting applications from writers to the 14th Iligan National Writers Workshop (INWW) to be held on May 21-24, 2007 in Iligan City.

Panelists this year are Rosario Cruz Lucero, Erlinda Kintanar Alburo, Jaime An Lim, Leoncio P. Deriada, Merlie M. Alunan, German V. Gervacio, Steven Patrick C. Fernandez, Victor N. Sugbo and this year’s keynote speaker, the poet Rebecca Añonuevo, 3rd INWW Fellow (1996)

Fifteen (15) slots, five each from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao are available for writing fellowships to the INWW.

Applicants are required to submit five poems, or, one short story, or, a one-act play in Filipino, English or in Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Waray (with English or Filipino translations) along with the applicant’s biodata, two 2X2 photos and a certification that his/her work is original. For short stories or plays, please submit a hard copy and a CD with the manuscripts encoded in MS Word Unpublished works are preferred.

Writing fellows will be given free board and lodging and a travel allowance. Applications must be postmarked on or before March 30,2007. No applications or manuscripts will be accepted if sent by fax or e-mail. Applicants are also advised to keep copies of their manuscripts since these will not be returned.

Send all applications to the 14th INWW Director, Christine Godinez-Ortega c/o OVCRE, MSU-IIT, Iligan City. For more information call Pat Cruz tels. (063) 3516131; or e-mail: ovcre-mepc@sulat.msuiit.edu.ph/cherlyadlawan@yahoo.com

STORY PHILIPPINES

MAGPASA SA STORY PHILIPPINES, ang kaisaisahang publikasyong nakalaan sa maikling kwento sa buong Pilipinas. Makulay pa.

Story Philippines welcomes and considers submissions of new fiction stories and one act plays under 7,000 words, as well as paintings, photographs, and digital art from Philippine citizens or individuals of Philippine ancestry.

Please send all submissions to: submissions@storyphilippines.com. Only email submissions in .doc format, with complete name and contact details will be considered. We look forward to discovering new Philippine fiction.[br]Posted on: February 09, 2007, 01:04:52 PM_________________________________________________Palanca Awards Now Open

The Carlos Palanca Foundation announces the opening of the 57th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. The country’s premier literary awards will accept entries until the midnight of April 30, 2007.

The literary awards is open to all Filipino citizens and former Filipino citizens. The competition includes the following categories: Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, One-act Play, and Full-length Play in Filipino and English divisions; Screenplay in Filipino division; and Short Story in Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Iluko regional languages.

This year’s theme for the Kabataan Essay is “The Filipino Value I Would Like to Share with the World” for the English division; and “Ang Kaugaliang Pilipino na Nais Kong Ibahagi sa Mundo” for the Filipino division. This is a special category open to persons below 18 years old.

Established in 1950, one of the objectives of the Palanca Awards is to serve as an incentive for Filipino writers to craft their outstanding literary works. It is noteworthy that more and more first-time entrants are winning in the contest.

National Artist for Literature Edith Tiempo noted that writers should take full advantage of the annual literary competition to hone their craft. “We are all privileged to have a good number of our writers and their best works being acclaimed and applauded – and we, readers and writers may well wonder about the enormity of literary expertise and craftsmanship and long earnest labor that must have gone into the performing of these chosen works.”

Entries for the literary competition may be submitted in person, or sent by mail or courier service to Carlos Palanca Foundation, 6th Floor, CPJ Building., 105 C. Palanca Jr. St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Entries may also be submitted through e-mail in Rich Text Format or in Microsoft Word Document as an attachment, together with the author’s resume, official entry form and original copy of the notarized authorization form.

Complete contest rules and official entry forms may be obtained from the Carlos Palanca Foundation office or via e-mail to cpawards@info.com.ph or palancaawards@yahoo.com. For inquiries, please call 818-3681, local 31.[br]Posted on: February 13, 2007, 12:55:36 PM_________________________________________________B e one of the 15 fellows of the Iyas Creative Writing Workshop

Date: April 23-28, 2007
Venue: Balay Kalinungan, University of St La Salle, Bacolod City

Applicants should submit original work: either 6 poems, 2 short stories, or 2 one-act play using a pseudonym, in five (5) computer-encoded hardcopies of entries, font size 12, bound or fastened, in separate folders with a diskette (MS Word). These are to be accompanied by a sealed size ten business envelope with the author's real name and pseudonym, a 2 x 2 ID photo, and short resume, which must be mailed on or before March 16, 2007.

Entries in Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Tagalog or Filipino may be submitted. Fellowships are awarded by genre and by language.

Submit to:

Dr. Gloria Fuentes
College of Arts and Sciences
University of St. La Salle
La Salle Avenue, Bacolod City

Grant will cover board and lodging and partial transportation subsidy.

Panelists: Dr. Cirilo Bautista, Dr. Marjorie Evasco, Dr. Elsie Coscolluela, Dr. Antonio Tan, Ms. Susan Lara, and Dr. Malou Jacob

Inquiries may be sent to glofuentes2003@yahoo.com and/or glofuentes2003@usls.edu

Sponsored by: USLS NSDC, DLSU BNSCWC and NCCA

[diem]

8th UST National Writers Workshop

The Center for Creative Writing and Studies of the University of Santo Tomas is accepting manuscripts for the 8th National Writers Workshop to be held from April 22 to 28 in Baguio City.

The workshop is open to writers who have not been awarded fellowships to any national writers workshop.

An applicant should submit three printed copies (on short bond paper) and a CD or diskette containing soft copies in MS Word format of his/her manuscript (at least five poems or two short stories or five fiction or non-fiction pieces in English or Filipino). He/she should submit a resume, a 2 x 2 ID photo, and a certification duly signed by an institution/ company senior that the manuscript is authentic.

Fifteen fellowships are available, a percentage of which will be given to the Dominican Network of Schools, Colleges and Universities. Deadline is on Feb. 23.

For information, call 406-1611 loc. 8281 (from Tuesdays to Saturdays), or e-mail aldimalanta@ gmail.com

ON THE CALL CENTER LIFE

A website that features call center jobs and other resources for call center employees in the Philippines is seeking freelance
contributors who can write call center-related articles (stories, tips, how-tos, interviews, etc) for the site's use.

The management of the website seeks original articles, around 500 words, factual, must not be published in other publications or websites, engaging, lively, and fun to read.

Because the website is still new, pay is P500 (plus freebies) per published article as of this time. The rate, however, will increase as soon as the the site begins establishing regular visitors and advertisers.

The site does not accept poems or fiction.

If you are interested, please email (no attachment please) a story summary of the article that you are planning to submit at
articles@callcenter jobs.ph. When approved, your summary will be considered as your first assignment.

Thanks and happy freelancing!

[angelphoenix]

A writer is an artist. Not a preacher. Writing is, first and foremost, an art.

I write mostly prose. I "paused" writing poetry.
I'm not exceptional. I just love what I do.
I was told once that my destiny was in writing.
I thought they were mistaken.
Turns out, they were right.
I contradict myself a whole lot.

/gawi

[firefox47]

Wow istoryan writers! Kudos everyone

[galenostiel]

how's everyone?

i'm trying to write some poetry these days... i think i might try entering them into the palanca awards... well...you never know until you try right? :P

[diem]

@angelphoenix, maybe you could care to share some samples of your work?

@firefox, please continue your interest and support for this thread.

@galenostiel, go for it~! You could also test your poetry's mettle at the contest below:

*~~**~~*

2007 MANINGNING MICLAT POETRY COMPETITION IS NOW OPEN

The Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. (MMAFI) is calling on young poets writing in Filipino, English and Chinese to participate in the 2007 Maningning Poetry Competition.

The Poetry Contest consisting of 3 divisions - Filipino, English and Chinese – is open to all poets, age 28 and below. An entry must consist of at least eight (8 ) but not more than fifteen (15) poems. Authors may join all the divisions but can submit only one (1) entry in every division. All entries should be original in every language and not a translation of another entry.

All entries should be submitted in four (4) copies, double spaced on 81/2 x 11 inches bond paper with one inch margin on all sides and with ARIAL or TIMES NEW ROMAN size 12 font. Entry should be submitted with pen name only. Real name and pen name should be submitted in a separate sealed envelop together with a biodata, copy of birth certificate and a notarized declaration of originality and authenticity of authorship of the entry.

Entries must be addressed to the Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. (MMAFI), 2nd Floor Mile Long Building, Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City (Tel No. 816-7490 to 91) not later than 5:00 P.M. of April 17, 2007. Entries sent by mail should be postmarked/invoiced not later than April 3, 2007.

The Maningning Miclat Award has been launched to honor her short but meaningful life and to encourage, recognize and nurture young talents like her. Every year since 2003, MMAFI has been awarding outstanding poets during odd numbered years and winning painters during even numbered years. This year’s grand winners will receive PhP28,000.00 cash award for each of the 3 categories, copies of collector’s edition of “Voice from the Underworld” and “Beauty for Ashes : Remembering Maningning” as well as the Miclat family journal, Beyond the Great Wall and trophies by the eminent sculptor, Julie Lluch. Read the contest rules or email maningningfoundation@gmail.com for more information.

2007 MANINGNING MICLAT POETRY AWARD

RULES OF THE CONTEST

1. The contest is open to all poets of all nationalities, age 28 and below.

2. There are three divisions in the awards: a) Filipino b) English c) Chinese

3. An entry must consist of at least eight ( 8 ) but not more than fifteen (15) poems.

4. Authors may join all the divisions but can submit only one (1) entry in every division.

5. All entries should be original in every language and not a translation of another entry.

6. A work which has been awarded a prize in another contest is not qualified for the awards.

7. Published or unpublished works may be entered in the contest. If published, the date of publication should be within 2006-2007.

8. All entries should be submitted in four (4) copies, double spaced on 8 ½ x 11 inches bond paper with one inch margin on all sides and the page number typed consecutively, e.g., 1 of 10, 2 of 10, and so on. Font should be ARIAL or TIMES NEW ROMAN, and the font size should be 12. Entry should be submitted with pen name only and not real name. Real name and pen name should be submitted in a separate sealed envelope together with a biodata, copy of birth certificate and a notarized declaration of originality and authenticity of authorship of the entry.

9. Entries must be addressed to the Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. (MMAFI) , 2/F, Mile long Building, Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City not later than April 17, 2007. Entries sent by mail or courier should be postmarked/invoiced not later than April 2, 2007.

10. Entries submitted via e-mail should be an RTF (Rich Text Format) or a Word Document file and should be sent as an attachment together with the author's biodata and copy of birth certificate and notarized certification of originality or authenticity of authorship of entry. The original copy of the notarized certification should then be sent to MMAFI thru mail. Entries submitted via e-mail should be transmitted not later than April 17, 2007.

11. Submitted copies of winning entries shall remain with and become the property of MMAFI. Copyright of the works remains with the author but the latter grants, assigns and transfers into MMAFI the right without necessity of any payment other than the prize which may have been awarded to publish any winning entry or selection or portion thereof as it may at its discretion determine; to make the work available for downloading on the Internet or other electronic medium; and /or to allow students to make copies for research or in connection with their school requirements.

12. Plagiarism is anathema to the contest and MMAFI has the right of action against the author, if it may be later on discovered that said person is not the creator or owner of the copyright to the winning work. The foundation shall not be liable to any court action if a third party files a case against the winner who plagiarized the work of the said third party.

13. There will only be one Grand Prize winner for each division and the prize is P 28,000.00 and a trophy per winning entry.

14. The Board of Judges shall have the discretion not to award any prize if in its judgment, no meritorious entry had been submitted.

15. MMAFI has the sole right to designate the persons who shall constitute the Board of Judges in each division of the contest. The decision of the majority of the Board of Judges in all divisions shall be final.

16. The names of the winners and the members of the Board of Judges shall be announced on September 29, 2007.

http://www.maningning.com/home.htm
http://www.maningning.com/rules.htm

Call for Submissions to the 46th Dumaguete National Writers Workshop

National Artist for Literature Edith L. Tiempo has announced a March 31 deadline for applications for fellowships to the 46th National Writers Workshop to be held in Dumaguete City from May 7 to 25.

Panelists this year are Gemino Abad, Alfred Yuson, Susan Lara, Anthony Tan, DM Reyes, Marjorie Evasco, and others. They will compose the revolving panel of writers together with National Artist for Literature Edith Lopez Tiempo, and resident panelists César Ruìz Aquino, Bobby Flores Villasis, and Ernesto Superal Yee.

Fifteen (15) fellowships are open for young writers all over the country.

The first screening panel, composed of the workshop's resident writers, selects the writing fellows for the summer based on the manuscripts submitted by the applicants. These selected manuscripts are forwarded to the Director of the Workshop, who does the final screening and formally approves the final lineup of writing fellows.

The writing fellowship covers lodging for the full 22 days of the duration of the entire workshop, a modest stipend, one-way fare reimbursement, and workshop manuscripts and reading materials.

The applicant must submit original manuscripts consisting of at least three to five short (3-5) stories, or three to five (3-5) essays/creative non-fiction, or two (2) one-act plays, or seven to ten (7-10) poems. Stories, poems, plays, and essays in English are preferred. Only unpublished manuscripts are accepted. Works which have previously won in literary contests will not be accepted.

Other requirements include an application letter addressed to Workshop Director Dr. Edith Tiempo; a diskette or CD containing the various submitted literary works encoded in Microsoft Word; a recommendation letter from a renowned writer or literature teacher; two 2x2 pictures; and a brief biodata or résumé.

These must be sent before the 31 March 2007 deadline to Dr. Edith Lopez Tiempo, National Writers Workshop Director, c/o College Assurance Plan, 2nd Floor, CAP Building, Rizal Boulevard, 6200 Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines.

Accepted fellows are usually notified by postal mail, or email, or by phone call, although the announcement is usually published by major Philippine dailies.

Interested parties may also apply for sit-in or auditing privileges.

The National Writers Workshop was established by Edith and Edilberto Tiempo in 1962, making it the longest-running creative writing workshop in Asia. The 2007 edition is sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Silliman University, and College Assurance Plan, in coordination with the Creative Writing Foundation Inc. and the Dumaguete Literary Arts Service Group, Inc.

Donors to the fellowship program include Senators Edgardo J. Angara and Mar Roxas as well as former NCCA Chairman Jaime Laya and Ms. Erlinda Panlilio.

[shaxyra]

diem, question.. pwede ako entries sa tanan pare-pareha ra? hehe.. wala pjud ako usb