Volume 2 of The Digest of Philippine Genre Stories was delivered to our store a few days ago and with the rain in the background, I thought today was a perfect time to do some reading.

It was an afternoon well-spent. We have to congratulate Kenneth (the editor and creator of the magazine) for getting over the second issue hurdle (which can sometimes be more difficult than getting over the first one) and giving us another digest of entertaining short stories by Filipino writers.

You’ll find that some things have changed from the first, but all the good things mentioned in our first post about the digest were kept intact: author profiles, comments from the authors on the writing process, a writing contest, etc. (One thing I did miss from the first one though was the front-to-back cover art spread since this volume has the art entirely on the front cover. Not a big deal, I just thought the cover art looked very nice as a full spread.) My favorite story this time was a mystery in a Philippine fairy tale/mythological setting called “Beneath the Acacia,” by Celestine G. Trinidad. I liked it because I thought it was funny and I enjoy mysteries.

It has to be said that we also love the magazine’s “sincerity.” The magazine truly does exist to showcase local talent, to give us an affordable and entertaining read, and ultimately to contribute to the effort to get Filipinos to read. As someone who has delved into the risky, romantic, and rewarding business of bookselling, this is something I understand and appreciate.

We have a feeling that the digest is going to be around for a while now that it actually has sponsors! Don’t worry, the ad pages will not take away from your reading enjoyment. The digest is available at Booktopia for P100. It’s very handy so you can put it in your purse or fold it into your pocket and whip it out anytime you need an enjoyable read.

Scholastic, publisher of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is posting 7 Deathly Hallows questions on their site as part of their publicity campaign.  They have just recently posted the second question and are expected to post a new one every two weeks until a few weeks before the release on July 21.

Here are the questions so far:

1. Who will live, who will die?

Harry Potter
Lord Voldemort
Snape
Ginny
Ron
Hermione
Neville
Hagrid
Draco Malfoy
Someone Else/Other

2. Is Snape good or evil?

Good and still a spy for the Order of the Phoenix
Good but in too deep with Voldemort
Evil and has always been a spy for Voldemort
Evil but only because Voldemort is back

We will be posting the questions as they come.  In the meantime, check out these bookmarks; there should be one for every question.  (The files are in PDF format and are about 1Mb each.)
Question 1 bookmark
Question 2 bookmark

Adarna House, in partnership with the Filipinas Heritage Library, is now accepting entries for the 6th Barlaya Writing for Young Adults Workshop.  The workshop will be held on September 6 and 7, 2007 and only ten fellows shall be chosen on the basis of their literary work.

Guidelines for prospective Barlaya fellows:

1. The workshop is open to all Filipino citizens.
2. All submissions must consist of a) 2 sample chapters (not more than 20 pages); b) a story synopsis (not more than 3 pages in length) that includes details regarding the plot, characters, and any special twists the story might have; and, c) a 1-page bio-data of the author.
3. Submissions may be in Filipino or English.
4. All submissions must target readers within the age range of 12-18 years old.
5. All submissions should be typewritten on short bond paper, double-spaced.
6. All submissions must be original and unpublished. If the entry has won an award, please indicate this on the first page of the entry.
7. Four (4) copies of each entry should be submitted, enclosed in 1 long, brown envelope. The envelope should be labeled with the author’s name as well the phrase, “Submission for the 6th Barlaya Writing for Young Adults Workshop.”
8. Prospective fellows may send in more than one (1) entry.
9. All entries must be sent through snail mail or parcel service to Adarna House, 2nd Floor, FSS Building, 20 Scout Tuason St. corner Scout Castor St., Quezon City.
10. All entries must be received by Adarna House no later than 5:00 p.m., on July 2, 2007.

Successful fellows shall be notified by August 17, 2007. Submissions that are not chosen for the workshop, must be claimed no later than September 21, 2007, from Adarna House, after which they will no longer be the responsibility of the organizers.

For inquiries, please call 3723548 loc 110 or e-mail events at adarna.com.ph.