Jhoanna
Lynn B. Cruz
teaches literature and creative writing at the University of the Philippines
Mindanao. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, and a
Master of Arts in Language and Literature, major in English, both with high
distinction, from De La Salle University-Manila, where she had also finished an
AB in Literature, cum laude. She has been a fellow in the Silliman, UP, and Iyas national writers
workshops. Her first book, Women Loving. Stories and a Play, was published in 2010 by De La Salle University
and Anvil Publications, Inc. In 2011,
she came out with a poetry chapbook entitled Heartwood. Some of her works are online at dagmay.kom.ph
and panitikan.com. She has received
Carlos Palanca Memorial Literary prizes for her writing. Cruz is currently the president of the Davao
Writers Guild, Inc. She also serves as
Regional Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Mindanao for the Committee on
Literary Arts under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the
Philippines.
Christine F. Godinez Ortega is a full professor of the Department of
English, College of Arts & Social Sciences and at the same time the
Director of the Office of Publication & Information and Senior Special
Assistant to the Office of the Chancellor.
She is Editor of the Institute Official Journal, The Mindanao Forum. She finished her AB English & American
Literature and MA in Creative Writing at Silliman University and her Doctor of
Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree with high distinction at the De La Salle
University, Manila. She is a co-founder and Director of the Iligan National
Writers Workshop and has helped organize regional writers workshops in
Zamboanga City, Cagayan de Oro City, and in Musuan, Bukidnon. She has published a collection of her poetry
and published numerous articles and play, book and movie reviews in newspapers
and magazines. She has read her papers in the country and in Singapore,
Thailand, Indonesia and Japan. She is the Head of the National Commission for
Culture & Arts-National Committee on Literary Arts on concurrent capacity
as Coordinator of the NCLA-Central & Northern Mindanao and serves as
Secretary to the Sub Commission on the Arts for 2014-2016. At present, she is
doing a research project on contact aesthetics of the epics of the
Alivunganen-Arumanen, Matigsalug, and Talaandig groups of Central Mindanao, and
is working on her second collection of poetry and her first collection of
essays. She was Director of Taboan 2013
in Dumaguete City.
Rebekah Marohombsar Alawi is a faculty member of the Department of English, College of Social
Sciences and Humanities and, at the same time, the Dean of the Graduate School
of Mindanao State University, Marawi City. She finished her Ph.D. in Language
Studies at the Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan as a scholar of the Midnanao
Advanced Education Program (MAEP). She was a Visiting Researcher at the
University of California at Berkeley under a Fulbright Grant. She has held
various administrative positions at MSU and has been a lecturer or speaker in
many forums. She has read or published her papers in numerous conferences here
and abroad. Her citations include the “Outstanding Teacher of MSU” main campus
and she was subsequently nominated for the Metrobank Search for Ten Outstanding
Teachers of the Philippines in 2006. She was awarded the NCCA Writer’s Prize
for a collection of essays, A Rose for Angela: the Muslim Filipino Woman Taking
the Word to Create Textual Expressions of Her Psyche in 2005. She received the
Presidential Merit for her support of the realization of the MSU Vision 2020 in
2008.
Ric S. Bastasa is
currently serving as Municipal Trial Court Judge in Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte.
He finished his BS Chemistry in Ateneo de Davao (1981) and Bachelor of Laws in
Andres Bonifacio College of Dipolog City (1987). He is also one of the Law
Mentors in a college of law in Dipolog.
Julian dela Cerna is a nursing graduate who has discovered
writing as his vocation. He was a writing fellow in the Southern Mindanao
Writers Workshop in 2006 and in the Davao Writers Workshop in 2009. His short stories have been published in Dagmay, Philippines
Graphic, Philippines Free Press, and the anthology Philippine Speculative Fiction (2011).
He is the current vice president of the Davao Writers Guild & has
served as director of the Davao Writers Workshop.
Pierre Ian Dela Cruz, CZARDUEL is a dancer who looks at the world
with full of letters and musical notes. He is currently staying and teaching
philosophy in a sectarian private school in Zamboanga City. Consistently, he is
always on standby mode for "volunteer works day and night" as long as
his former girlfriend will allow him. His blood is a combination of Chabacano,
Bisaya, Panggalatok and Ilokano, but he grows up with the Yakan and Chinese
friends in Lamitan City, Basilan. With ex-girlfriend Tatah, (together with
their children named Sophie, Chiz and Miggy) are his companions as dancer-poet
in Zamboanga Peninsula.
Margaux Kristel P. Dela Paz is just your regular kid who enjoys drinking
tea, playing video games, and pretending she's a character in the stories she
reads. She's a pluviophile, a lover of rain or someone who is at peace during rainy
days. Her biggest weakness: the sun.
Edgar Saldaña Godin a.k.a. Egay Talipsai, was born on February 28, 1971 in Bogo, Cebu but
grew up in Bugho, Loon, Bohol. He is currently the associate editor of Bisaya,
a weekly Cebuano magazine of the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. He has
received various awards in literature: 5th prize Feature in print category for the AIDS Media Award 2000, the
Doña Modesta-Singson-Gaisano-Dagang Foundation Inc. Poetry Award in 2001, 3rd prize (short story) BATHALAD-Mindanao 2001; 1st & 3nd prize
(short story) BATHALAD-Mindanao 2002; and second prize in the Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature 2008.
Mannan M. Hapil, Manz Hapil, a
Tausug Muslim, was born in Kulasi, Jolo, Sulu on December 26, 1974. His
family transferred to Zamboanga when he was five years old. He finished
Grade 4 in Sta. Barbara Elementary School, where he learned to read and write.
After that, he helped his parents earn a living and spent most of his life in
the public market of Zamboanga City.
It was not an inborn
talent that allowed Manz to write and sing songs. It was in his adolescent
years when discovered that he can compose and sing. Mainly inspired by his life
experiences, his surroundings, or values that he wants to impart to his younger
siblings, he expresses it through his songs.
He
lived in Rio Hondo but due to the unfortunate events that happened in
September, his family evacuated to Mampang. From there he was able to compose
songs that related to his experience of such events.
Mohammad Nassefh Macla is a 20-year old Bangsamoro and Kaagan native
from Panabo City, Davao del Norte. He is a fourth-year student of the
University of the Philippines Mindanao, taking up Bachelor of Arts in English
(Creative Writing). He was a fellow at
the Davao Writers Workshop 2012. His
works have been published in Dagmay,
the literary journal of the Davao Writers Guild. His poem "Salaam Bapa," the first
poem written in Kalagan language has been featured in Sun Star Davao. Three of his works were included in the
anthology Peace
Mindanao (edited
by Jaime An Lim), a
Philippine PEN publication. Currently,
he continues to write poems in his native (Kalagan) language.
Yas Ocampo writes for the governance beat at
Mindanao Times, Davao City's oldest newspaper, as well as other publications
such as MindaNews, M Magazine and Manila Standard Daily. He was a fellow for
poetry at the 15th Iligan National Writers Workshop, held at Tibanga, Iligan
City in 2008. He was recently nominated Reporter of the Year at the Globe Davao
Media Excellence Awards.
Floraime
Pantaleta
is currently a student of the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of
Technology. She wants to fly and take people with her. She isn’t anything
exceptional, except that she is just herself.
Telesforo Sungkit, T.S. Sungkit Jr. is the father of Ananaw (The Beloved) and Anijun (The
Shining One). He is also a farmer and a natural farming advocate. He plants
rice, corn, coffee and narra trees. He is the author of Batbat hi Udan, a novel
in Filipino. He won the NCCA Writers' Prize 2007 for his Cebuano novel
"Mga Gapnod sa Kamad-an" and the NCCA Writers' Prize 2011 for his
Cebuano Novel "Ang Agalon sa mga Balod". He is also a recipient of
the NBDB Trust Fund for writers for his Cebuano novel-in-progress "Mga
Antoka sa Balagbatbat".
Ricky Villafuerte was born in June 1971 in Kidapawan, North
Cotabato with migrant parents from Dumaguete, Ricky Villafuerte presently lives
in Toril, Davao City. He graduated in BS
Architecture and is presently tied up with an architect friend's office as
Associate Designer. He was Poetry Fellow for the 28th UP National Writers
Workshop held last 1996 and former secretary of a local visual arts group Davao
Artists Foundation and the Davao Writers Guild, which he is presently a member.
He does some personal research and
posting it on the web as an independent blogger.
