VOL. 21 NO. 1 2017 BOOKWATCH - National Book...

BOOKWATCHTHE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL BOOK DEVELOPMENT BOARD PHILIPPINES

VOL. 21 NO. 1 2017

xeroxography

photobooks

fan fiction

fake news

bltx @ 7

punk

diy

Ever since I could read, reading is what I did whenever I didn’t want to do

something. I read every single issue of Reader’s Digest published in the

1980s, twice, instead of getting ready for school in the mornings. In the

afternoons, waiting for the bus, I hid from the playground and haunted

the library for ghost stories and the Hardy Boys. I read under my desk at

school, disrupting Biology class with a gasp when Snape died. In college,

I read instead of studied, finally switching my major to Literature so that

studying was about reading. As an adult I skip parties and ache to read

at my work desk, I read on the subway and — loath to let the story go on

without me even for a bit — read while walking the long sidewalks home.

I’ve convinced myself that any scrap of spare time that I have must be spent

in the specific kind of interiority that a book gives. In reading I am both

alone and protected, and I realized too late, only now, even as I struggle to

finish this sentence instead of returning to Miéville, that reading isn’t what

I do in between events, it is in itself an event, the quiet party I get to throw

for myself every day, as often as I can.

PETRA MAGNO

Copywriter and reader

thewild

beyond“It ends with love, exchange fellowship. It ends

as it begins, in motion, in between various

modes of being and belonging, and on the way

to new economies of giving, taking, being with

and for and it ends with a ride in a Buick Skylark

on the way to another place altogether.”

So begins “The Wild Beyond: With and For

the Undercommons”, an essay written by Jack

Halberstam that serves as an introduction

to Stefano Harney and Fred Moten’s The

Undercommons: Fugitive Planning & Black

Study. Harney, a professor at the Singapore

Management University, and Moten, a poet and

literary critic, may at first seem like an unlikely

pair, but the work hits its stride in its rollicking

and rhythmic discussions of what it means to

reclaim social life, to love, and to be not only

for humanity, but with humanity, amidst the

proliferation of capitalist logics and logistics.

While this politics of sharing, engagement,

and collectivity is nothing new, it is constantly

undergoing renovation and reclamation in light

of the contemporary moment. In this issue,

we see its history in the intersecting narratives

of punk, hardcore, and the do-it-yourself

movements that gave birth to our first waves of

self-publishing, which then led to the small press

expos being held now. We see it in the more

ambitious efforts, like Thousandfold, a library

and small press dedicated to photography and

artist books – to publications that transcend what

the written word is capable of communicating.

And finally, we look at what it means to reclaim

the act of reading amidst the proliferation of

fake news and historical revisionism.

For this issue of Bookwatch, Moten and Harney’s

description of a Wild Beyond is read in the

context of how our books are created, traded,

and read outside of the large publishing

houses, mainstream retailers, and academic

institutions by asking: What are these “new

economies of giving” and where can we find

them in the Philippines? By asking this question,

we also help contextualize the undercommons

– locating, in our own alternative economies,

what was initially an homage to the black

radical tradition in the Western world; where,

despite living amidst the inconveniences and

indignities of everyday life in a Third World

country, we still find ways to work together,

harnessing the strength of the collective to

make something good.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

con

ten

ts 8

14 22

28

30

Stranger than Fake News

Fact, Fiction, and the Limits of Creative Imagination

Women WritingLife Stories

Never Mind the Printing Press– Here’s The Photocopier

Excerpt from “The Filipino Authoras Producer”

Booklatan sa Bayan and the 2nd West Visayan Mother Tongue Children’s Book Summit

ABOUT THE COVER

This issue’s theme is represented here by what is either an unlikely context or the only kind of space that can be recognized as The Wild Beyond of Philippine letters. Katrina’s, a bar on Mabini Ave. in Manila, was one of the many spots where a crowd gathered and a community was formed. Ideas were performed through music and further disseminated through an informal economy of printed material. Featured alongside are the alternative spaces created through and on the page: photobooks, marketplaces, online platforms, as well as burgeoning ideologies.

The photo was taken by Boyet A. Miguel of Betrayed and laid out by Jhoan Medrano.

13Training and Workshops on the Development of Textbooks and Other Printed Learning Resources 2017

16For the Withering of the Profit Motive: Better Living Through Xeroxography, 7 years later

32The Thing,the Photobook

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BOOKWATCH VOL. 21 NO. 1

Dear Reader,

No doubt, you are a kindred spirit, one who finds solace in literature, for whom the word library is synonymous to “home.” But, too often are we accustomed to thinking of books as calcified stories, applying it simply as a panacea for our ills. Books are much more than that! This time around, NBDB hopes to induce you into exploring new terrain in literature – to books that offer us no “comfort zone,” those that provoke us into critical thought and action.

This summer is the season for literature: this year’s Buwan ng Panitikan (National Literature Month) was themed “Banyuhay” (metamorphosis), a term extracted by Alejandro Abadilla from the phrase “bagong anyo ng buhay.” Banyuhay emphasizes the transformative power of literature, its ability to shape and define our lives. The month-long series of literary events hope to present books and literature as a necessary tool in social change and development. As part of the celebrations, NBDB hosted another iteration of the Philippine International Literary Festival themed “Incendiary” in celebration of literature that invites enlightened discourse or even disturbance to our regular ways of seeing. Though Literature Month is over, we hope your fervor for literature hasn’t died out.

Bookwatch also presents you with features on how writing has shaped Filipino culture throughout the years: Paolo Jose Cruz introduces us to the counterculture cross-section of punk music and DIY publication; Alice Sarmiento and Adam David provide us with pieces on Better Living Through Xeroxography (BLTX), the indie zine market that has given rise to independent publishing; Gabby Sarmiento shines the spotlight on Thousandfold, a photobook library and artist-run space focused on the expansion and education of visual literacy and independent publishing in the Philippines.

We at the NBDB hope that this issue of Bookwatch not only enriches your experience of Philippine literature, but that it also shows you the infinite possibilities of how literature can mold this nation, and the crucial role it plays in nationhood. Thank you for your continued patronage of NBDB and Bookwatch. Let us continue to work towards making the Philippines a country that READS PINOY.

FLOR MARIE STA. ROMANA-CRUZ

messageof thechair

Alice Sarmiento is a freelance writer and a lecturer in Clothing

Technology at the University of the Philippines, where she is

also finishing her Master’s in Museum Studies. She writes about

art and occasionally makes clothes in order to keep herself and

her dozens of cats alive and well.

this issue’s contributors

BOOKWATCH is the official publication of the

National Book Development Board. It is not for sale.

All rights reserved. No article or visual material

may be reproduced or altered without permission

from the authors and artists. NBDB retains the

sole printing rights of the journal. However, the

journal may be freely copied digitally and shared.

Copyright of the commissioned and solicited

articles and visuals are owned by the NBDB until

publication, whereupon copyright reverts back to

the authors and artists. For inquiries, please call

929-3887 loc. 804.

NBDB GOVERNING BOARD

FLOR MARIE STA. ROMANA-CRUZChair

NEPOMUCENO A. MALALUANVice-ChairAssistant Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Office of the SecretaryDepartment of Education

CEFERINO S. RODOLFOUndersecretary for Industry Development GroupDepartment of Trade and Industry

VIRGILIO S. ALMARIOChairNational Commission for Culture and the Arts

JOSETTE T. BIYODirector, Science Education InstituteDepartment of Science and Technology

RONALD L. ADAMATCommissionerCommission on Higher Education

ANI ROSA S. ALMARIOVice PresidentAdarna House

MARIA KARINA A. BOLASCODirectorAteneo de Manila University Press

ISAGANI R. CRUZFounder Manila Critics Circle

RUEL S. DE VERAJournalist, Philippine Daily InquirerMember, Manila Critics Circle

ALFREDO C. RAMOSChairman and PresidentNational Book Store, Inc.

Petra Magno is a copywriter and poet living in New York City,

where she no longer gets to do as many freelance writing gigs

as she did when she was still living in Manila. At some point in

her life, she had five blogs and countless followers.

Paige Occeñola is a writer and social media manager

for Rappler. She is working towards a Master’s degree in

International Relations at the University of the Philippines,

Diliman, where she did her undergraduate studies in Clothing

Technology. She (and her cat) are now based in Pasig, Metro

Manila.

Paolo Jose Cruz is a writer and professional customer service

representative. His extensive knowledge of local subcultures

led to his founding of Geek Fight! Trivia Night, held every other

month at bars and cafes across Metro Manila, where otherwise

useless knowledge becomes a means to compete for free food

and drinks.

Conchitina Cruz is a poet and professor at the University of

the Philippines, Department of English and Comparative

Literature. Her most recent work, on “The Filipino Author as

Producer” (excerpted in this issue), was made available on

her own terms through the Youth and Beauty Brigade, a small

press she runs with Adam David.

Gabby Sarmiento was trained in commercial photography

as an AB Photography student at the School of Design and

Arts of DLS-CSB. Finding the need to say more and do more

with the medium, she attended the European Master of Fine

Art Photography program of Instituto Europeo di Design in

Madrid, Spain. She is now based in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

Tioan Medrano used to spend her nights in Cubao X,

doodling, before she was asked to teach at the University

of the Philippines Baguio. She’s now a freelance artist still

enjoying her new city with its growth of pine trees, flowers,

and concrete.

Editor: Alice Sarmiento

Art Director: Tioan Medrano

Managing Editors: Deborah Nieto and Ihna Embalzado

| 9


My first foray with fan fiction was as a high school Potterhead. My classmates and I used to troop to fan fiction sites and forums to wait for the latest chapters of our stories. These pockets of the Internet are where those who ship Draco and Hermione can come together and fulfill their favorite characters’ imagined destinies. To share these, some of us would painstakingly print them out, keeping the fonts and margins as small as possible and using colors like green or blue, because black ink was a precious commodity. Like contraband, they would be passed around the class for us to collectively gush over our OTPs (one true pairings) over lunch.

Fan fiction (or fanfic) is, by definition, fiction based on other fictional characters: a body of work by the fans, versus canon – the original work. Far from being the stuff of high school kids obsessed with Hogwarts, fan fiction has received a certain amount of success. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James was a work of fan fiction based on Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, which eventually turned into its own franchise.

There have been some attempts to replicate its success locally as some writers on these platforms move past repurposing existing worlds and characters to developing their own on sites, like Wattpad. With a built-in engaged audience before it even goes to print, local publishers have taken notice of this thriving community, and now you see these slim volumes everywhere, from your local bookstore to the nearest convenience store by the cashier. Some have been turned into movies starring famous loveteams.

Stranger than Fake NewsFact, Fiction,

and the Limits of Creative Imagination

PAIGE OCCEÑOLA

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BOOKWATCH VOL. 21 NO. 1BOOKWATCH VOL. 21 NO. 1

A POST-TRUTH VOCABULARY

Post-truth, picked by the Oxford

Dictionary as the word of the year for

2016, defines the circumstances when

objective facts are less influential in

shaping public opinion than appeals

to emotion and personal belief. The

term however did not come about in a

vacuum, and is often used either amidst

a flurry of other such comments, or as

the conditions in which we must now

be more vigilant and discerning when

receiving information—granted, it can

still be called information (compiled by

Alice Sarmiento and Paige Occeñola).

Algorithm, ( i/ˈælɡərɪðəm/ AL-gə-ri-dhəm) ~ according to the Oxford

Dictionary, an algorithm is a self-

contained mathematical sequence

used to generate information,

perform calculations, or process

data; the algorithm is extremely

relevant to our understanding of

how information on a newsfeed

seen on our computers is retrieved

in the first place. In other words, in

The success comes as no surprise. These are relatable stories written by members of that community, for the community. They are very readable, spanning a little over 150 pages, some written in a mix of English and Tagalog. They are also more affordable, at no more than 200 pesos a pop.

Before these communities were put up, self-publishing was much harder. A writer looking to self-publish would have to look for an editor, if necessary, someone to design the cover, as well as manage the costs and logistics of distribution. These platforms take out the middle man, in the process giving writers more freedom, and granting readers easier access.

This ecosystem has democratized the process of how fiction is traditionally disseminated; and while this phenomenon is good for works of fiction, it raises the question of how eliminating the gatekeepers would affect other genres of writing, such as journalism and nonfiction. The same freedoms that fiction enjoys are now given to bloggers and mouthpieces, who then provide their own spin to news and issues. Their commentaries, usually posted on Facebook, run from criticism of news pieces to “investigative work” of their own. Like fictionists, they quickly amass followers who share what they have to say within their own communities. They enjoy an engaged audience because of posts that cater to a niche that amplifies their message—sometimes with a little help from a network of fake accounts.

This blurring of the line between fact and fake news has been called out by both concerned users of social media to legislators like Senator Francis Pangilinan, who filed a Senate Resolution 271 to hold platforms like Facebook to task. This received criticism from bloggers like Sass Rogando Sasot, who called out the

Senator saying “Senator Pangilinan wants to punish fake news. It’s like punishing people for writing fiction.”

This is where our problem lies: the inability to distinguish fact from fiction while freely giving those who are commenting on real-life situations and issues the same creative licenses afforded to fiction writing. These are two different disciplines which should have different sets of standards by which we evaluate, approach, and consume the work. A work of fiction, done poorly, does not carry the same harmful effects as fake news and propaganda. With works of fiction, readers know they are dealing with characters and settings that come from the writer’s imagination; while, for the latter, lines between reality and fiction are blurred. This has disastrous effects for readers who can’t be bothered to double-check and take them for their word.

Deconstructing canon and rewriting characters and narratives used to be reserved for fictional work but has now made its way to our realities in the form of historical revisionism, fake news, and propaganda. These alternate realities have become euphemisms for when leaders misrepresent themselves. In a post-truth world, readers have to now be more vigilant about what they consume.

the age of Web 2.0, the algorithm

largely dictates what we see and

read, what we are entertained by and

informed by.

Bias, (/ˈbīəs/). In fashion, the term

bias refers to a cut of fabric that

favors neither the weft (the horizontal

threads) nor the warp (the vertical).

Being an even cut that is made in

between the two sets of threads

needed to complete a weave, cutting

on the bias produces a perfectly

flexible piece of fabric that does not

easily fray at the edges. Interestingly

enough, in news media, the term has

been co-opted to refer to biased—that

is, unfairly prejudiced or defaulting

to being in favour of one thing over

another—news outlets and journalists.

Creative Imagination, during a

press briefing held in October of

2016, Presidential Spokesperson

Ernesto Abella spoke on behalf of

the President, against the tendency

to take his declarations literally. The

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BOOKWATCH VOL. 21 NO. 1 BOOKWATCH VOL. 21 NO. 1

solution, according to Abella, was to use

“creative imagination” in interpreting the

President’s statements (source: Viray, Patricia

Lourdes. “Palace: Use ‘creative imagination’ to

interpret Duterte remarks,” in The Philippine

Star. Web. Updated 5 October 2016, 4:41 pm).

Echo Chamber, (/ˈekō ˌCHāmbər/) by

definition, an echo chamber is “an enclosed

space for producing the reverberation of

sound,” (thanks, Google!). Given that many

now receive their news through social media

feeds generated by algorithms, wherein you

will typically be shown more of what you may

have reacted positively to in the past (clue:

Facebook “Like” buttons and Twitter hearts

are far from innocent tools), our feeds and

timelines are often guaranteed to be not much

more than echo chambers.

Presstitute, a term coined by Vijay Kumar

Singh, a politician and retired General of the

Indian Army; used to refer to members of the

press who produced biased news items in

exchange for payment (source: Joshi, Pranav.

“All you need to know about VK Singh’s

‘presstitutes’ remark, and Katju’s penchant for

controversy,” in Daily News and Analysis India.

Posted via DNA Webdesk on 10 April 2015,

9:00 am).

Whorenalist, see “Presstitute”.

The NBDB, in partnership with the Bureau of Learning Resources of Department of Education (DepEd-BLR), is

conducting a series of training and workshops on the development of textbooks and other printed learning

resources in 2017. The partnership is in response to the DepEd’s invitation to collaborate with NBDB for the said

training. The series of training and workshops include the following:

Training on Basic Editorial Skills and Desktop Publishing of Learning Resources, the first of the series, was held

on 6-9 March 2017 at Teacher’s Camp in Baguio City. The participants of this internal capacity–building activity

included specialists and staff of DepEd-BLR, DepEd-BCD, and NBDB.

The line-up of resource speakers included key officials from DepEd-BLR and professionals who shared about

Technical/Operational Terminologies in Quality Assurance and Production of Learning Resources, Ensuring

Appropriateness of Materials: Readability and Sustainability of Learning and Intensive English Language Training.

The Principles and Current Practices in Instructional Design was discussed by illustrator, painter, and graphic

designer of Studio Dialogo, Mr. Rommel E. Joson. Lawyer for intellectual property rights, Atty. F. D. Nicolas Pichay

shared his knowledge on IP Management (Trademarks and Patents) and on Copyright Management of Printed

Learning Resources.

Orientation on the Development of Grades 3, 4, 9 and 10 Textbooks and Teacher’s Manuals, the second part

of the series, was offered on 15-17 March 2017 at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, DepEd Complex in Pasig City.

This training was mostly attended by NBDB-registered publishers of textbooks (TX) and teacher’s manuals (TM)

having a total of eighty-two (82) participants.

The training once again invited Studio Dialogo illustrator and graphic designer, Mr. Rommel E. Joson who

thoroughly discussed Book Elements, Designing Covers, Layout and Typography, Information Graphics, and

Illustrations. He also shared about Design Crimes and Design Process. The training was completed by a talk

discussing the Manual of Procedures for the Procurement of Manuscript (Textbooks and Teaching Manuals) and

the Issues and Concerns on Copyright in DepEd Learning Resources.

Training-Workshop for Regional Illustrators of the K to 12 Learning Resources will be held in different regions

in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Topics to be discussed are Copyright Management, Basic Photography

and Application, Photoshop Tutorial for Artists and Illustrators, and Book Elements and Design for Artist and

Illustrators. Target participants are Regional Supervisors, Project Development Officers, Curriculum and Learning

Management Division Chiefs and Division Learning Resources Supervisors, and Public School District Supervisors.

This series will be happening from May to July 2017.

Training and Workshops on the Development of Textbooks and Other Printed Learning Resources 2017

Top: Department of Education – Bureau of Learning Resources’ officials, partners, and organizers

Center: (From L – R) Dr. Besy Agamata, Chief of DepEd BLR-PD, Leonor G. Reyes, Chief, NBDB Field Monitoring and Coordination Division, Atty. F. D. Nicolas Pichay, Resource Speaker on Copyright Management; and Ms. Daisy Asuncion Santos, Chief of BLR Quality Assurance Division

Bottom: NBDB staff Ma. Niña Lanciola and Jodelle Beringuela during the training lectures

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On 25 February 2017, the National Book

Development Board (NBDB) and the Community

Development Center of Siena College Taytay held a

creative writing workshop for women to encourage

them to use writing as a tool for empowerment. Writer

Conchitina B. Cruz facilitated the creative writing

workshop, which was attended by night high school

scholars, and women who serve as leaders in their

small communities.

The one-day workshop started with highlighting the

significance of life stories to participants and how

these stories help an individual have a voice, and

empower them. The workshop participants read

works by Filipino author Rene Villanueva and an

OFW who writes with the pseudonym Dove. One

of the readings, Ang Restawran sa Cubao by Rene

Villanueva, served as an inspiration and guide for

them to write their own depiction of a loved one.

The last reading was Ang Aking Karanasan by Dove

which also guided them in writing ordinary events

they experience everyday. By the end of the day,

the workshop participants successfully shared their

experiences as women and developed their skills in

writing.

The creative writing workshop is NBDB’s response

to the national government’s priority program which

is Gender and Development. Last year, a similar

workshop was also implemented to cater to the needs

of women.

WomenWritingLifeStories

Here’s the list of Fully BookedTOP TEN Best Sellers

for the 4th quarter of 2016 (1) “KIKOMACHINE BLG. 12” by Manix Abrera

(2) “PHILIPPINE COOKERY: FROM HEART TO PLATTER” by Tatung Sarthou

(3) “HALO-HALO HISTORIES: A LOLONG TIME AGO BOOK 1” by Michelline Suarez & Joonee Garcia

(4) “MGA KIKOMACHINE KOMIX BLG. 11 KIROT NG KAPALARAN” by Manix Abrera

(5) “AFFAIRS DONT JUST HAPPEN” by Lissy Ann A. Puno

(6) “ALTAR OF SECRETS: SEX, POLITICS, AND MONEY IN THE PHILIPPINE CATHOLIC CHURCH” by Aries Rufo

(7) “HALINA FILIPINA” by Arnold Arre

(8) “JOSE RIZAL -NOLI ME TANGERE 2015 EDT.” by Leon Ma. Guerrero

(9) “ SI JANUS SILANG AT ANG TIYANAK NG TÁBON”by Edgar Calabia Samar

(10) “THE VERDICT-IMELDA ROMUALDEZ MARCOS” by Carmen Navarro Pedrosa

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For the Witheringof the Profit Motive

ALICE SARMIENTO

The crowds are getting thicker at Better Living for Xeroxography (or BLTX), I think, as I squeeze through the cramped spaces between tables crowded with all manner of independently-produced printed merchandise. It is a warm night, but the amount of people crowding around the bar make it difficult to get a drink. I come across a table selling framed photographs, transferred to wood, touched with acrylic; I ask the girl manning the table how much they are going for, and gasp when she tells me.

Poster for BLTX XI by Saturnino Basilla (Allan Balisi and Dina Gadia), courtesy of Allan Balisi.

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“Is that too much?” she asks.

It’s actually too little, I tell her, but fork over what she asks for anyway. She happily takes my money, telling me she has reusable tote bags so I would not have any trouble carrying the piece (which is pressed behind glass) with me. I ask if she has a business card instead.

“No,” she replies, with a laugh, as if I said something funny...Which I probably did.

Work, Space, and A Community

BLTX is an informal community of independent publishers realized through small press expos held sporadically at cafes and bars all over the Philippines since 2010. It may not be the best place to source business cards, but most vendors will gladly trade their handiwork for yours. The Metro Manila leg is usually held at Ilyong’s, a bar and grill in the residential side of Project 4, Cubao, Quezon City, where one typically hears the faint din of bad karaoke in the distance. For nights like these, the dining area of Ilyong’s is converted to a makeshift marketplace, where the tables invite you not only to browse or buy the assortment on display, but to sit down with the creators, maybe have a beer or a bite to eat, and maybe head home with more than something new to read.

When asked who else is running the expo, Adam David rattles a list of “Baguio peeps, Naga peeps, and Davao peeps” off the top of his head,while expressing excitement about how, after six short years, BLTX is going in the direction it should ideally take—which is for it to be taken out of the hands of David and partner Conchitina Cruz. Outside of Manila, BLTX has been organized in Naga by the Meet-Every-Other-Weekend (MEOW) Club, led by writer Jay Salvosa; by the writers’ collective, Pedantic Pedestrians, in Baguio; while writer Angely Chi handles the Davao leg. As a result of this regional presence, the fruits of independent production are able to tour the country as well, moving from one leg of the expo to the next.

In David’s original manifesto, also called “Better Living Through Xeroxography,” the first step of self-publishing happens not through any form of manual labor, but

Poster for BLTX XI by Julienne Dadivas, courtesy of the artist.

20 | | 21


with the decision that it is okay not to earn a profit: profit being, to David, “an insidious bug up the arse of art production.” This should explain why, at BLTX, creators are willing to trade rather than sell, ultimately recognizing that creative output need not have a price tag.

This all sounds very utopian, but consider what changes we may see in the not-too-distant future, especially in light of the most recent series of BLTX small press expos, i.e. BLTX11, where David and Cruz visited four cities outside of Metro Manila, and went from end-to-end of the Philippines in just one week. At each stop, they met with respective organizers, willing to mount their own expos with or without (but most likely without) permission of the expo’s founders.

“What we should be focussing on is creating and providing new venues for alternative attitudes in Reading and Writing, creating and providing new venues for ourselves and our “unmarketable” material, for our ‘unrefereed’ efforts,” wrote David, in BLTX (the manifesto, not the expo). The original essay was published in a 2009 issue of the Philippine Free Press, criticizing the existing literary establishment and its system of patronage. But beyond that, BLTX (and this applies to both the manifesto and the expo) is a call to arms, not only to articulate your grievances and frustrations over the state of Philippine letters, but to create—in whatever order—work, space, and a community on your own terms.

What materials take love and belief in order to stand?

This question was asked by Thomas Hirschorn, in relation to Eternal Flame – part-performance, part-sculpture, and installed at the Palais de Tokyo, Eternal Flame was made up of 16,500 used rubber tires surrounding a single bonfire. These, to Hirschorn, were materials “you have to insist on,” in an exhibition that, more than anything else, demanded presence to generate its possibility. These were signified by the titular bonfire – a gas flame that stayed lit throughout the entire show; and yet, the strongest statement was made after the show ended and the flame was put out, when, according to Hirschorn, “We threw everything out.”

While Hirschorn’s work is anchored on the utopian premise and promise that love (and belief) are enough to create art, this conviction is rarely seen outside the halls of a major gallery (and without the backing of an international artist). Mentioning love and belief, in the context of art practice in the Third World—or in the context of neoliberal capitalism, anywhere, really—is typically met with cynicism, where “love” and a close cousin of belief, “passion,” are mere euphemisms for “exposure,” as in “Do it for the…”

What this translates to in the experience of many freelancers and part-time artists are the common problems of not getting paid on time, in full, or at all. In a context where creation depends on capital, just what are these materials that depend so much on love and belief? When we consider what is

being produced in the independent publishing circuit, how do love and belief even enter the discussion on practical terms?

Conchitina Cruz discusses this in an interview with Paolo Chikiamco (published in 2014 in this same magazine) where she says, “The work from independent producers made available in BLTX ranges from autobiographical comics to activist zines, from limited edition poetry books to alternative histories and biographies, from sketchbooks by art school kids to stories by ad-agency people, from pamphlets by conceptual artists to anthologies by migrant workers…Self-publishers are bound by a common means of production (rather than, say, a shared genre or aesthetic or thematic preoccupation).”

It is precisely within this common ground, by seizing the means of production, that independent publishing takes that revolutionary (but not new) step in reclaiming the control of the market through alternative venues for the circulation of the literary arts. What is stressed about these harmless seeming folded and stapled pages is that it’s never just about the work itself. Echoing David’s original manifesto: not about selling prices and winning prizes, but about reclaiming the need to write for the purpose of being read.

While independent publishing has made it possible for marginalized and activist voices to gain an audience, the most outwardly political aspect of this sector has always been the community it generates – a community that exists not to criticise or antagonize the existing institutions, but to make things with or without making money. For the withering of the profit motive. B

LTX

7

22 | | 23


Never Mind thePrinting Press– Here’s The Photocopier

PAOLO JOSE CRUZ

Photos from Katrina’s pub on Mabini in 1985, during the series, Katrina’s Live!, which featured the likes of Betrayed, The Wuds, G.I. and The Idiots, and Private Stock; photos taken by Boyet A. Miguel, courtesy of Manny Pagsuyuin, both from the band Betrayed.

On paper, the histories of Philippine punk rock and independent publishing seem like a natural fit. The scrappy gung-ho attitude and raised middle finger iconography of punk dovetail neatly with the cut-and-paste, do-it-yourself ethos of Xeroxed zine-making, in particular. It’s an ephemeral, blink-and-you-miss-it approach shared with chapbooks, newsletters, and other forms of print media with limited runs. However, the actual relationship between the Pinoy punk scene and independent publishing is a little more nuanced than that.

To begin making sense of this, it is crucial to understand the roots of the punk scene – in Manila, at least –circa the waning years of Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship. By the mid-1980s, dissent was mounting even among the historically sedate middle classes, in the aftermath of Ninoy Aquino’s assassination. This would suggest the perfect mood for disaffected youth to rise up against the strongman and their elders who kept him in power for so long. Ironically, the local punk scene was decidedly less politically engaged.

24 | | 25


Apathy in the RP

Sure, punk was often fed up with the normalized economic and political troubles of life in that era. However, bands like Betrayed, Dead Ends, and G.I. (George Imbecile) & the Idiots were just as likely to offer a release valve for everyday frustrations than a profanity-filled battle cry to overthrow the Marcoses and their cronies.

Part of this apathy was baked into the structure of Manila’s punk scene. The largest shows were the Brave New World events held at the Philippine Trade Exhibit Grounds, organized by Tommy Tanchangco of the band Chaos, and his label, Twisted Red Cross (TRC). By most accounts, it was an open secret that Tanchangco’s family were mid-level beneficiaries of Marcos largesse. While much of this is speculative hearsay, it’s likely that the presence of punk and New Wave music on radio stations like DWXB was the result of decidedly un-punk industry practices like payola for favored airtime. Intentional or not, the nascent punk scene was a screaming, three-chord freakshow in the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan’s decades-long strategy of proverbial bread and circuses.

Damaged goods

All of this unverified shadiness casts a long shadow on the origins of zine-making in the Philippines. Among the earliest and most widely-circulated zines was Herald X, published by Tanchangco in 1987. By this point, DWXB had been sequestered by the Aquino government,

and mainstream entertainment magazines like Jingle no longer had staff writers sympathetic to the punk scene. Without these outlets for promoting Twisted Red Cross acts, Tanchangco used Herald X as a de facto publicity machine for the scene.

Printed on newsprint and formatted like a tabloid, Herald X was largely patterned after Maximumrocknroll, the seminal Berkeley-based punk zine founded in 1982, with a mix of articles, feature reviews, and scene reports. As with so many Pinoy zines that followed, it was meant to be a news outlet for its community, first and foremost, not necessarily an alternative to the mainstream press.

This approach is influenced by a particular view of punk (and other fringe music subcultures, for that matter): as a kind of self-identified extended family, with its own symbols, in-group values, and (in the Pinoy context) sense of utang na loob to the scene. In this framework, the studs and mohawks are tribal markings or secret handshakes; the aggro slogan-esque gang vocal choruses are its call-and-response chants; the circle pits and slam-dancing, its rites of passage. By extension, zines are the scribes’ transcripts of its proceedings, rather than sacred texts. It’s a record of the community first; independent publishing is a distant second.

Rockin’ in the free (trade) world

As the Cold War ended in the industrialized world in 1989, ushering in a new decade, punk music grew into new creative forms including hardcore, oi, ska punk, and emo. So too did the zines that covered it. California-based HeartattaCk focused on hardcore music and integrated many of the straight edge lifestyle practices espoused by the likes of Minor Threat. Anarchist collective CrimethInc’s publications like Inside Front were popular among fans of crust music; however, the media collective was just as influenced by the balaclava-clad anarchist politics that emerged during the anti-corporate globalization movement circa the dawn of the millennium. Meanwhile, Punk Planet extended the definition of the term ‘punk’ – it was an inclusive, bottom-up way of doing things and perceiving the world, rather than a particular musical or aesthetic style, emphasizing punk’s influence on art and activism.

Perhaps inevitably, these subgenres and the quasi-professionalized zines made their way to the Philippines – ironically—as a result of the neoliberal economic boom and deregulated trade that characterized Fidel Ramos’ Philippines 2000 policy agenda. Some ended up on the shelves of the book section inside Tower Records. Many of them were ordered by the

Herald X, Tommy Tanchangco’s de facto publicity arm for the punk scene; hat tip to planetangpapel.blogspot.com and PinoyPunk.com for this rare bit of online ephemera.

26 | | 27


section’s buyer, Reymond Bravo, who himself published Anti zine in the mid ‘90s. Others found their way to the underground economy that flourished in the ratty strip malls of the university belt, where they were sold, traded, sometimes even bartered alongside bootleg cassettes or silkscreened band T-shirts.

Pangaea calling

In turn, these influenced a new batch of Pinoy punk zines. Many of them were focused on particular subgenres like Manila Oi (oi), Newskaster (ska), Get In Touch (hardcore), and Step Forward (hardcore). Aside from content influenced by their Western counterparts – op-ed-like columns or band interviews – one staple feature was the scene report, which recapped happenings in local communities elsewhere. Its scope was both regional (say, “Seven Lakes Hardcore report” for San Pablo, Laguna) and international (“Kota Kinabalu Anarcho-Crust Not Dead!” for example). In that sense, scene reports let zine readers feel like part of an imagined cross-border community of people with similar tastes, values, or sensibilities. Another common element were album reviews, which earnest but cash-strapped Pinoy zine creators often relied on as a way to source new music – even if that sometimes compromised the integrity of the reviews, as a result.

As this was happening, there were many other Philippine zines being made with only tangential connections to punk, at best. Standouts included graphic art-oriented Lunar Landing, the well-designed stoner ramblings of

Scrawlshop, and the intensely personal writing in Framing Historical Theft. While the people who made these zines may have attended punk shows or took part in scene activities, they were more interested in engaging with others doing similar work elsewhere, or advancing zine-making as a craft and practice. Unlikely as it seems now, in the post-web 2.0 world of feeds, tags, and streaming on-demand content, all of this activity was largely coordinated via the country’s antiquated, clunky postal system. Self-addressed stamped envelopes, mail order forms, and well-hidden cash were among the zinesters’ tools of the trade, before Paypal, e-commerce platforms, and virtual currency exchanges made it possible to trade paper goods via online transactions. That meant a zinester might conceivably arrange a trade via their free EDSAmail inbox with a counterpart in the US (or the province), then fulfill it over the post office counter with a potentially corrupt clerk. Needless to say, plenty of mail-related “lifehacks” were innovated during—that period.

Punk in the present tense

Here and now, groups like Cebu-based Bomba Press carry on the links between Philippine punk and indie publishing. While they still help to organize gigs in the Queen City, which include CDs sold as merchandise, the majority of their music sales happen online via Bandcamp. Curiously though, much of their published work gets marketed face-to-face during events like the Cebu Zine Fest or the periodic Better Living Through Xeroxography

(BLTX) small press fests that happen around the country.

In many ways, BLTX feels like the Hegelian child of Pinoy punk and independent publishing, offering the community spirit of the former with the immediacy and eclectic tastes of the latter. One of its co-founders, Adam David, was literally raised in the milieu of Manila’s early punk scene, as the son of radio DJ Dante “Howlin’ Dave” David, who hosted the Brave New World concerts. David the Younger came of age alongside the artsier, more literary forms of zine-making in Manila, which also informed the sensibilities of his publishing group, the Youth and Beauty Brigade.

David is also the co-owner of Uno Morato, a bookstore in New Manila that serves as a retail hub for indie publishers in the Philippines, who choose not to deal with the country’s mainstream commercial bookselling ecosystem. For the most part, the selection on its shelves mirrors the variety found during BLTX, from crudely-drawn komix to poetry chapbooks and special interest magazines. There’s nary a safety-pinned patch or scene report to be found. And yet the ethos of the space is undeniably punk—a defiant fist pumping against the status quo of how print material is published, distributed, consumed, and maybe even taken to heart.

Lunar Landing: A zine produced by the artist duo, Alice and Lucinda, as Yasmin Sison and Lena Cobangbang

were then known; image courtesy of Lena Cobangbang.

28 | | 29


The first Filipino I met at the festival was a woman with

whom I locked eyes as I stood among the crowd outside the

performance hall after a poetry reading. When I returned her

smile, she approached and greeted me warmly in English,

saying I must be the Filipino participant at the festival. Oo

(Yes.), I said. She said she had been on the lookout for me.

Buti andito ka (Good that you’re here), I responded, referring

to her attendance of the reading. Ako ang yaya niya (I’m his

nanny), she said, pointing to a child in the crowd, the son of

the Chinese poet who was the director of the festival. Ah,

sikat yang boss mo (Ah, your boss is famous), I chuckled,

which prompted Auntie L– to tell me about her employer,

whom she described as a kind and generous amo (boss).

He was easy to talk to. He had a house full of books that

she was welcome to read. He hosted writers from all over

the world in his home; she was in charge of their meals,

but she often also got to meet them. Auntie L– first learned

about the festival when her amo was planning it, and she

told him she hoped he would invite a Filipino poet. She was

unfamiliar with Filipino poets herself, but surely they were

out there. He seemed to think this was a good idea, because

after a few days he mentioned the name of a male Filipino

poet to her as a possible guest. It would be nice if you chose

a woman instead, she suggested. Later, he told her about a

female poet, a Filipino-American living in the US. She said

he could consider inviting a poet who actually grew up and

still lives in the Philippines. Now the festival was happening

at last, Auntie L– couldn’t be happier that a Filipina was

chosen to represent our country. She said her boss even

invited a Filipino band based in Hong Kong to perform in

the same program as my reading. He insisted that she invite

her friends to the event. She hoped they would go; there

would be no reason for them to miss it since it falls on a

Sunday, their day off from work.

I had been wondering to whom I should credit my invitation

to the festival, which had reached me via what seemed a

convoluted route (a message sent via academia.edu, a platform

I rarely use) that bore no distinct link to my department in the

University of the Philippines, where I was employed, or to any of

the writers I knew back home. As I laughed and listened to Auntie

L–, who was quite the energetic storyteller, it became clear to me

that I owed my presence in the poetry festival to her, a Filipino

domestic helper, whose intervention occurred as she went about

her household duties while chatting with her employer, a famous

poet in Hong Kong.

[…]

My profile in the professionalized world of poetry is not unusual:

schooled in academic institutions of creative writing, both in the

Philippines and the US, published by university presses and literary

journals based in universities, employed in an English Department

as teacher of undergraduate literature and creative writing courses.

It is unsurprising to see these details recur in the brief biographies

of eighteen poets from eighteen countries in attendance at a poetry

festival. In a country where “Filipino” is regarded as synonymous

to “maid,” I go onstage, buttressed by my academic degrees and

the grants that granted me time to write, and read my poems in

English to an international audience. Behind me, translations into

Chinese of my lines, as I read them, are flashed on a big screen.

The space I am given to present my work is made possible with

the help of a domestic helper, who reminded her employer to

consider including a Filipino in the festival lineup. My poems

betray preoccupations removed from the realities of the three

Filipino aunties in the audience, who have, perhaps unwisely,

decided to dedicate a portion of their day off to showing their

support for a Filipino poet. The poems are what they are in

part because I believe that what’s worse than a Filipino poet in

English who does not in her poetry speak on behalf of fellow

Filipinos is a Filipino poet in English who does.

My privilege is encoded in the very language that I use to write. A Filipino poet who writes in the language of the educated and the elite cannot easily claim to represent the oppressed in her work. A Filipino poet can hardly claim to address or express solidarity with the marginalized, if she writes in the language that excludes them.

On the international stage of professionalized poetry, I belong

to the minority by virtue of nationality and ethnicity, and my

presence both signals and advocates inclusivity in the world

of letters, whose achievement continues to define the struggle

of writers from the margins. My presence, however, is also

indicative of multiple privileges that set me apart from the

minority that I appear to represent. I am the Filipino at the

festival precisely because I do not come from the margins of

Philippine society. I neither live below the poverty line, like most

Filipinos, nor am I forced to migrate to other countries in search

of better (minimum) wages, like Auntie L– and many others. My

privilege is encoded in the very language that I use to write. A

Filipino poet who writes in the language of the educated and

the elite cannot easily claim to represent the oppressed in her

work. A Filipino poet can hardly claim to address or express

solidarity with the marginalized, if she writes in the language

that excludes them.

The need to reckon with the privileges inscribed in Philippine

literary production in English is obscured, I think, by the

minority position of Philippine literature in the “world republic of letters,” combined with the likelihood that Philippine literature

in English, rather than in other Philippine languages, would

gain access to this minority position, since it can be read by a

global audience without the aid of translation. What dominates

the hierarchy of literatures in the Philippines, becomes a stand-

in for Filipino national identity in the global literary arena, where

it is an extremely minor player and must struggle for visibility. I

think this struggle, or even just the idea of it, at times emboldens

Filipino writers in English to testify to the global audience

about the lives of Filipinos, and to occupy or represent, in art,

subject-positions of the marginal from which they are estranged

in their immediate environment. Such moves can predictably

generate essentialist or exoticized renditions of “the Filipino

experience,” whose deployment of otherness to pander to the

market is arguably compensated for by the space they strive

to carve out for Philippine literature (in English) on the world

literary map. More complex and nuanced imaginings of national

identity, while contributing more meaningfully to the struggle for

representation, are nevertheless still embedded in the business

of representation. This inevitably commodifies the struggle and

converts it to cultural and economic capital, whose immediate

beneficiary, for good or ill, is the writer herself. It is simply more

likely that efforts at literary representation would translate to

accolades, or sales, or promotion points, or plain old recognition

or credibility among the smallest of audiences, or an additional

line in the writer’s curriculum vitae, than to a world where the

exportation of Filipinos as cheap human labor, who live in the

margins that frame the writer’s speech, becomes obsolete.

The invisibility of Philippine literature globally, when generalized

to a degree that downplays the hierarchy of literatures locally,

also reinforces the valorization of writing as a struggle in itself

and thus in itself an explicitly politicized action. That the page

is the arena in which the writer labors has yielded a routine

exercise in the local world of letters that presents itself as a form

of activism. In a country prone to disaster and rife with atrocity,

the Filipino poet, myself included, responds to disaster or atrocity

by writing poetry about it. In some instances, the magnitude of

the death toll, or the extent of the violence, can drive a poet to

mobilize other poets to write more poems, to post the poems on

social media to reach a wider audience, perhaps put together

an anthology, perhaps donate the sales from the anthology to

the victims. Such gestures seem to restate even as they conceal

the division between aesthetics and politics. There is something

amiss in collective action when all that comes out of it is more

poetry.

This excerpt was retrieved online, from https://curiouscouch.

wordpress.com/2017/03/10/the-filipino-author-as-producer/

and published with the permission of Conchitina Cruz. Translations

of Filipino terms and phrases were made by the editor.

Exerpt from

“The Filipino Author as Producer”

CONChITINA B. CRUZ

Conchitina Cruz helps run the small presses High Chair and the Youth & Beauty Brigade. It is with the latter that she published The Filipino Author as Producer – a three-part essay which tackles both the work produced by Filipino authors, as well as the production (construction, manufacturing) of The Filipino Author. The first part, from which this excerpt was taken, was made available online in March of 2017.

In a country where “Filipino” is regarded as synonymous to “maid,” I go onstage, buttressed by my academic degrees and the grants that granted me time to write, and read my poems in English to an international audience...The poems are what they are in part because I believe that what’s worse than a Filipino poet in English who does not in her poetry speak on behalf of fellow Filipinos is a Filipino poet in English who does.


The National Book Development Board (NBDB) partnered with Hubon

Manunulat, a West Visayan writers’ organization, and Kasingkasing Press, an

independent publishing house, to conduct the 2nd West Visayan Mother

Tongue Children’s Books Summit in Iloilo City on 18 – 19 February 2017.

Ms. Tarie Sabido, Chair of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People

talked on the Current State of Children’s Literature in the Philippines:

Challenges and Opportunities while Michael Jude Cagumbay Tumamac

(Xi Zuq), Adarna House translator and award-winning writer gave tips on

writing children’s and young adult novels during the event. Leonor G.

Reyes, Project Development Officer V of NBDB discussed an overview of

the Philippine Book Publishing Industry, NBDB’s mandate and activities,

National Book Policy and the presentation of NBDB’s programs, services,

incentives, and future directions.

Booklatan sa Bayan and the 2nd West Visayan Mother Tongue Childrens Book Summit

Other resource speakers who talked at the Children’s Books Summit were:

• Dr.IsidroM.CruzoftheNationalCommitteeonLiteraryArts,NationalCommissionforCultureandtheArtson

The Value of West Visayan Children’s Literature in the 21st Century Classroom;

• Dr.JesusInsiladaofPhilippine–AmericanEducationalFoundationonThe Contribution of Panay Bukidnon

Literature to West Visayan Children’s Stories;

• SharonGungonofNewWashingtonElementarySchoolonThe Developing Stories in the Mother Tongue

for Young Readers;

• Dr.LuisGatmaitanofOMFLiterature,Inc.withhispresentationofMga Kuwento ni Tito Dok: Reseta at Gamot

sa mga Batang may Sakit at Nayayamot; and

• SegundoMatiasofLamparaBooks’withhistalkonKaranasan ng Lampara sa Paglilimbag ng Aklat Pambata.

On the next day, 20 February 2017, NBDB organized a Writing Workshop on Children’s Books with various key

stakeholders of the publishing community of Western Visayas as part of ‘’Booklatan sa Bayan’’at Casa Real Gallery,

Iloilo City. The one-day intensive training was given by Michael Jude Cagumbay Tumamac and Tarie Sabido. Mr.

Tumamac gave a lecture on Writing Stories for K-3 Readers, while Ms. Sabido presented the Importance and Bright

Future of Children’s Books and did Storytelling and Read Aloud activities.

Through its program Booklatan sa Bayan, the NBDB encourages the production of original content, development of

literary systems, and promotion of local authorship and of translations in mother tongue.

Clockwise: Organizers, partners, and resource speakers of the 2nd West Visayan Mother Tongue Children’s Books Summit

Organizers, partners, resource speakers, and partcipants of the 2nd West Visayan Mother Tongue Children’s Books Summit

Ms. Tarie Sabido on the Current State of Children’s Literature in the Philippines: Challenges and Opportunities

L-R:Presentation of NBDB’s Programs, Services, and Incentives by Ms. Leonor G. Reyes, Project Development Officer V, Field Monitoring and Coordination Division

Mr. MJ Tumamac’s 101 Tips on Writing Children’s and Young Adult Novels

Dr. Isidro Cruz on the Value of West Visayan Children’s Literature in the 21st Century Classroom

Booklatan sa Bayan speakers, Mr. MJ Tumamac and Ms. Tarie Sabido

| 31

32 | | 33


The Thing,the Photobook

GABBY C. SARMIENTO

“What exactly is a book?”

We don't normally ask what a book is, but this was the question that prompted the fairly recent publication of The Thing The Book: A Monument to the Book as Object, by John Herschend and Will Rogan (published in San Francisco by Chronicle Books, 2014).

Without having to check however, we know what books are because we encounter them at a young age. In school, we flip through thousands of pages, and even more just for fun; but it took this massive tome to see just how this question may be worth revisiting. By addressing the book as a “thing,” the volume suggests that books can take on many forms. They're not limited to being bound pieces of paper with text; just as in the world of photography, where photographs aren't just limited to being prints that are hung on the walls of exhibition spaces. Many artists and photographers are also putting their works in books; thus, the thing – the photobook.

"What is a photobook and where does it sit in the art world?" I kept asking myself this when I was in college. Coming from a program that prepared us for commercial photography and being in an environment wherein photography was only used as a tool for something else, my only knowledge of photobooks and photography as art came from my own readings. There weren't any photobooks available in my school's library, only books on photography. Many of the major bookstores weren't much help either because all they had were how-to guides and coffee table books.

Wanting to satisfy my curiosity, my search eventually led me to Spain. In the spring of 2014, I moved to

Madrid to attend a Masters’ program that dealt with authorship in contemporary photography. The course focused on creating personal projects and it required us to produce either a photobook or an exhibition at the end of the program. Picking one or the other is never simple. There are so many factors to consider including the context of the project itself and the projected context it will have in the space it will be presented in. Along with most of the class, I chose to present my project in photobook format. The narrative I was presenting felt more organic in book form–the entire essence of the project depended on viewing the project several times at different points of your life, and seeing if you'll have a different reading each time.

An exhibition would not lend itself well for this purpose because of the short lifespan and physical limitations it has. Exhibitions offer a completely different experience, but they only last while the show is up. You view works at a distance for a few seconds before you move on to the next piece. You can approach the works to see the details, but you cannot touch them. You stand in the middle of an exhibition space and depend on your senses of sight and hearing to take everything in. The documentation may be available for a long time after, but the experience cannot be replicated. Books and other printed materials, on the other hand, last for as long as copies of it are being circulated. Every time you open a book, the sound of the ruffling pages will be different. The colour of the pages will always depend on the light you expose it to. The feel of the paper will change the older it gets. Those are all parts of the intimacy of having a book that exhibitions cannot give.

34 | | 35

BOOKWATCH VOL. 21 NO. 1 BOOKWATCH VOL. 21 NO. 1When I moved back to Manila in 2015, I got news from the school that one of the graduates was about to open a space for photography in the city in May of that year. Thousandfold (https://www.facebook.com/thousandfoldPH/), founded by artist and photographer Wawi Navarozza, is an artist-run space for contemporary photography. Formerly located in Taguig, it housed a photobook library and a bookstore that also carries photobooks, artist books, and zines from artists, photographers, and publishers from all over the globe. In pursuit of giving more exposure to photobooks, Thousandfold also initiated Photobook Club Manila (https://www.facebook.com/groups/photobookclubmanila/), a group for photobook enthusiasts, collectors, makers, and authors. During the festival, Thousandfold Small Press also launched Czar Kristoff's Fugue, the first zine it co-published.

Currently, zines have a bigger share than photobooks in the Philippines’ growing community of small presses and independent publishers and bookstores. Arguably easier and cheaper to produce than photobooks, one can typically put out more zines in the time it takes to publish a single photobook. You don't even have to go to a professional printing house to have zines produced. You can go to a small photocopying shop or you can even do it at home if you have access to printing and copying equipment.

In today's digital age, it's easy to share photos to our friends and to the rest of the world. All you need to do is pick a social media platform to share to, making your work easily accessible, as long as you and people you want to reach have an internet connection. But how long will people keep coming back to the things you post? It's so easy to share and hoard information but do these things actually leave a mark on us? And more importantly, how long will your photos exist online? Of course, it all depends on how long before these platforms become obsolete. When that happens, all the photos you've shared to the internet would just vanish, while the scrapbooks and photo albums your parents made just sit on your shelf. So the next time you want to share photos online, think about making something tangible that will last a lifetime.

Where to find Artist Books, Photobooks, and Zines

Aside from the sporadic popup shops and occasional art bazaars, where are you most likely to find artist books, photobooks, and zines? Characterized by small print runs, editions, and careful quality control, it is no surprise that most of the titles are rare and obscure.

Here is a list of just a few brick-and-mortar locations where you are free to browse and buy these artifacts. Given the handcrafted, do-it-yourself ethos of the merchandise, hopefully these places and spaces inspire not only new experiments with printed matter, but make room for even more distribution outlets outside of Metro Manila

98-B COLLABoratory Mezzanine Level, First United Building 413 Escolta StreetManila, MMhttp://www.98-b.org/

An art space run by artists Mark Salvatus and Marika Constantino, researcher Mayumi Hirano, and art director Gab Villegas, 98-B is part-kitchen, library, and shop located in the heart of Manila’s oldest commercial district.

artbooks.ph at Pioneer Studios123 Pioneer Street Mandaluyong City, MMhttp://artbooks.ph

Run by artists Katya Guerrero and Ringo Bunoan. True to its name, Artbooks is dedicated specifically to retailing local publications about Philippine Art.

Artery Art Space102 P. Tuazon Blvd. Cubao, Quezon City, MMhttps://www.facebook.com/arteryartspace/

Artery is part snack bar and part gallery, with a retail space carrying a respectable number of rare titles and editions on both local and foreign art.

Mt. Cloud BookshopCasa VallejoUpper Session RoadBaguio Cityhttp://mtcloudbookshop.com/

A cozy little destination in Baguio’s historic Casa Vallejo; Mt. Cloud has consistently devoted much of its shelf space to creators from all over the Philippines.

Uno MoratoGarden Area GYY Building #1 Tomas Morato AvenueQuezon City, MMhttps://www.facebook.com/UnoMorato/

Owned by artists and editors, Uno carries an extensive number of local titles, as well as framed prints and rare zines. Keep in mind that, as a bar and a coffee shop, Uno Morato does not open its doors until late in the afternoon. The good news is they also stay open late into the night.

Images are of Configurations by Czar Kristoff. Courtesy of the artist

36 | | 37


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Mary Jannette L. Pinzon, MA, Niel Kenneth F. Jamandre, MAAbiva Publishing House, Inc.March 2017

Media and Information Literacy: Empower the Discerning Audiences

Jose Reuben Q. Alagaran II, PhDAbiva Publishing House, Inc.March 2017

AP 7 – SandigangKasaysayan ng Asya

Neofidel Ignacio B. Ramirez, EdDAklat at Dunong Publishing Inc.April 2017

AP 8 – SandigangKasaysayan ng Mundo


AP 9 – Saligan saPag-aaral ng Ekonomiks


AP 10 – Bagong Siglo (Hamon sa Katatagan)


Studies in Asian Music: A Workbook in Music

Joy Guevara PaladaMegaTEXTS Phil., Inc.May 2017

Studies in Philippine Music: A Workbook in Music Jona Joy Guevara PaladaMegaTEXTS Phil., Inc.May 2017

Studies in Musical Style & Form: Renaissance to Romantic EraA Workbook in Music

Jona Joy Guevara PaladaMegaTEXTS Phil., Inc.May 2017

Studies in Musical Style & Form: Post-Romantic Era to 20th Century A Workbook in Music

Joy Guevara PaladaMegaTEXTS Phil., Inc.May 2017

Readiness in Language (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)

Rosario P. Nem SinghIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Readiness in Math (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)

Ma. Rosario P. InumerableIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Grow and Learn (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)


Let Us Learn English (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)


Pag-unlad sa Pagbasa (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)

Rosario P. Nem SinghIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.Text Book

Filipino ang Ating Wika (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)

Rosario P. Nem SinghIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.Text Book

Getting Into the World of Science (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)

Ma. Rosario BenedictaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.Text Book

TEXTBOOK

Readiness in Reading (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)


Halika Na! Bumasa at Sumulat (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)


Smart in Math (Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

John Eric L. Peña, et al.Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Ecotourism

Reil CruzRex Book Store, Inc.May 2017

Capital Markets

Norma MarianoRex Book Store, Inc.May 2017

Business Policy and Strategy

Arturo LlanoRex Book Store, Inc.May 2017

TEXTBOOK

Readiness in Writing (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)

Roma de G. San AntonioIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Getting Into the World of Science (Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Ma. Rosario N. BenedictaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Developing My Writing Skills (Nursery, Kinder, Prep)

Carmina Galvez-EsperanzaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Excel in Math (Grades 1, 2)

Ma. Rosario N. BenedictaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

40 |


Hoy, Boy! A Festschrift for Delfin Tolentino, Jr.

Edited by Ben Tapang and Grace Celeste SubidoCordillera Studies CenterApril 2017

Craft Time Magazine Issue 32

Maria Angela C. Parma, Anicia G. Salangsang,Jaclyn A. Malabed,Andrea V. ReyesBrilliant Creations Publishing, Inc.March 2017

21C Performance TasksAraling Panlipunan (Grades 1 to 10)

Published by Rex Book Store Inc. Distributed by Rex Institute for Student ExcellenceMay 2017

21C Performance TasksEnglish (Grades 1 to 10)


21C Performance TasksMath (Grades 1 to 10)


21C Performance TasksScience (Grades 1 to 10) Published by Rex Book Store Inc. Distributed by Rex Institute for Student ExcellenceMay 2017

21C Performance TasksFilipino (Grades 1 to 10)


My Skill BuilderMath (Grades 1 to 3)

Published by Rex Book Store Inc. Distributed by Rex Institute for Student ExcellenceApril 2017

New Syllabus Mathematics (Grade 9)

Dr. Yeap Ban Har/ConsultantDr. Joseph Yeo, Teh Keng Seng, Loh Cheng Yee, Ivy Chow, Neo Choi Meng, Ong Chan HongREX Book Store, Inc. in partnership with Shinglee PublishingApril 2017

New Syllabus Mathematics (Grade 10)

Dr. Yeap Ban Har/ConsultantDr. Joseph Yeo, Teh Keng Seng, Loh Cheng Yee, Ivy Chow, Neo Choi Meng, Ong Chan HongREX Book Store, Inc. in partnership with Shinglee PublishingApril 2017

My Skill BuilderScience (Grades 7 to 10)

Published by Rex Book Store Inc. Distributed by Rex Institute for Student ExcellenceApril 2017

Love Talaga (Poems on Love and Other Mushy, Feely Stuff)

Anj CPBrilliant Creations Publishing, Inc.March 2017Poetry

The Church and Me

Rene CarvajalRex Book Store, Inc.April 2017Religious/Inspirational

Mga Iba’t-ibang Lutuing Tinapay

Elaine Lo-Tan et al.Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Paraan ng Pagluluto at Pag-inom ng mga Halamang Gamot

Cescelie de VeraIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Piling-piling Lutuing Pilipino

Rosario Nem Singh et al.Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Kalusugan at Kagalingan

Dr. Macario C. Galvez Jr.Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Diksyunaryong Filipino-Filipino

Rosario Ples Nem SinghIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

The Philippine Presidents


El Filibusterismo

Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Noli Me Tangere


Florante at Laura


OTHERS OTHERS

42 | | 43


Tumawa Ka

GwyngillIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc. Jokes/Humor

Mga Kuwento ng Pag-asa at Inspirasyon

Willian M. Rodriguez II Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.Religious/Inspirational

Sa Diyos Walang Imposible

Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.Religious/Inspirational

Aklat ng Buhay

Religious/InspirationalIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Paggawa ng Organikong Pataba

Rafael RarrozoIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Mga Pagkaing Nakapagpapagaling

Dr. Macario C. Galvez Jr.Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Botika sa Hardin


Mga Sari-saring Lutuing Pinoy

Giselle V. Manaog Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Healthy Life Style

Leah Bautista Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

The Art of Relating with People


Dealing Positively with Children

Alfredo C. Nem SinghIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Yaman at Pilantik ng Wika at Isip

Benedicta PlesIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Mga Kuwentong Kagiliw-giliw

Benedicta Ma. RosarioIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Ang Sining ng Pakikipagtunggali at Pagtatanggol

Alex P. Martinez et al.Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Mga Talumpati ng Ating Kasaysayan

Vivian L. Balaris-TicaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Mga Panaginip at Kahulugan


Mga Pabula

GwyngillIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Mga Tula ni Rizal at Iba Pang Makatang Pilipino


The Latest Jokes in Town

Alfredo C. Nem Singh et al.Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc. Jokes/Humor

Mga Katatawanan

Cescelie de VeraIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc. Jokes/Humor

Pathways

Alfredo C. Nem Singh Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Araling Panlipunan (Grade 1)

Valerie Pe-SobinskyIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Reading Power


Ang Ibong Adarna


English-Pampango Dictionary


English-Cebuano Dictionary

Al C. Peña et al. Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

English-Bikol Dictionary

Francia P. AlmenorIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

English-Ilocano Dictionary

Benedicta P. ManzanoIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Berzen’s Mathematics Dictionary

Bernardo G. del RosarioIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Science Dictionary

Cescele de VeraIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Mathematics Dictionary

Mercedes AldeaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

English Dictionary

Golda U. VercelesIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

English-Chinese (Pinyin) Dictionary

Christine R. SalvaniaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Mga Alamat


Mga Bayani ng Ating Lahi


Great Men and Woman of Science

Gwynn GuillermoIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

English-Filipino Dictionary


Filipino-English Dictionary

Rosario P. Nem SinghIsa-jecho Publishing, Inc.

A Dictionary of Dream Symbols & Interpretations


Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms


Dictionary of Idioms


Easy Science From A to Z

Benedicta Ma. Rosario Isa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Achieving Fluent English

Alfredo ConsultaIsa-jecho Publishing, Inc.

Grammar Made Easy

Nerissa MendozaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

How’s Your I.Q.


Selected Speeches at Weddings


Punctuation and Other Language Signals

Alfredo C. ConsultaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Speech Power

Psyhe LibanteIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Verb Power


Tagisan ng Talino

Ronald EscalaIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Effective Grammar and Composition

Vivian I. BalarisIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Tongue Twister


Spelling Made Easy


Effective Business Writing

Alfredo C. Nem SinghIsa-jecho Publishing, Inc.

Famous Speeches

Vivian Balaris-Tica Isa-jecho Publishing, Inc.

Bagong Talasalitaan

Cescelie de VeraIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc. Trade book

Guidelines for Letter Writing


Word Power, Synonyms and Antonyms


Abbreviation, Initials and Acronyms


Rizal’s Tears and Smiles


Mga Bagong Palaisipan Bilang 1

Leslie V. ChristianIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

Mga Bagong Palaisipan Bilang 2


Sudoku


Famous Speeches and Writing

Marites BalarisIsa-Jecho Publishing, Inc.

OTHERS OTHERS

44 |


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VOL. 21 NO. 1 2017 BOOKWATCH - National Book...

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