Rocket Kapre – Fantastic Filipino Speculative Fiction

The latest volume of the annual Philippine Speculative Fiction anthology, already available digitally, will be having a launch event on November 22, Saturday, from 2-4pm at the CBTL at Shangri-La Plaza. PSF launches are always fun, so do try to pass by!

Here’s the new poster and some new details for the new launch date of the expanded Alternative Alamat print edition. It will be on July 25, Friday, from 4PM onwards, at Powerbooks Greenbelt 3 (2nd floor). Here’s the official Facebook event page.I’ve also updated the Book FAQ page to reflect the suggested retail price of PHP250. See you there!

Two horror anthologies are launching at the end of November. “Horror: Filipino Fiction for Young Adults”, edited by Dean Francis Alfar and Kenneth Yu, and a print edition of “Demons of the New Year”, edited by Karl de Mesa and Joseph Nacino, both launch officially at5PM on November 29, 2013 at the West Wing Gallery of the Vargas Museum in UP Diliman. Drop by if you have the chance!

Three spec fic book launches at once — how’s that for efficiency? I’ve got a story in the  ’Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction, 2005 – 2010′ (it launched in print a while back, but this is the digital launch), a reprint of “Carbon” from PSF5. If you’re in the area and interested in spec fic, do come by — the Alfar-hosted launches are usually frenetic and enjoyable.

Here are the details:

When: Saturday, July 27, 2:00 p.m.

Where: e Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at EDSA Shangri-La Mall

The UST Publishing House, Flipside Publishing, and Kestrel DDM invite you to the launch of:

‘Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 8′, edited by Dean Francis Alfar and Nikki Alfar,

‘Now, Then, and Elsewhen’, a short story collection by Nikki Alfar, and

the digital edition of the ‘Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction, 2005 – 2010′, edited by Dean Francis Alfar and Nikki Alfar.

Ours has regularly been called “the most fun book launch of the year”, so do join us for an afternoon of laughter, merienda, and the inevitable teasing of Eliza Victoria. And probably you. And probably me. But, you know, we believe that mockery is the sincerest form of friendship. (Please note that this will be held at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at EDSA Shangri-La MALL, not the hotel, and also not the 26th Street Bistro at the new wing. It’s the ground-level Coffee Bean, facing the driveway.)

Specfic isn’t the only genre (*gasp*) that the country could use more of. Crime fiction is even less represented here — but that could change with the advent of books like the upcoming Manila Noir. An anthology of stories curated b y Jessica Hagedorn, the book’s been available for a while but officially launches this Saturday. Spec fic fans also have reasons to rejoice, because, in a departure from other books in the Noir series, there is a spec fic story included in Manila Noir — and it’s a new Trese comic, from Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo.

Details of the launch are below:

What: Manila Noir Book Launch with special guest Jessica Hagedorn

When: July 6, 2013, 4 pm

Where: National Book Store, Glorietta 1

New York-based Filipino writer Jessica Hagedorn will visit Manila for the launch of the book Manila Noir on July 6, 4 pm, at the National Book Store flagship in Glorietta 1. Plus! Meet and greet Filipino contributors such as Angelo Lacuesta, Budjette Tan, F.H. Batacan, Jose Dalisay, Jr., Kajo Baldisimo, Lourd De Veyra, R. Zamora Linmark and Rosario Cruz-Lucero.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Brand-new stories by: Lourd De Veyra, Gina Apostol, Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, F.H. Batacan, Jose Dalisay Jr., Eric Gamalinda, Jessica Hagedorn, Angelo Lacuesta, R. Zamora Linmark, Rosario Cruz-Lucero, Sabina Murray, Jonas Vitman, Marianne Villanueva, and Lysley Tenorio.

Manila provides the ideal, torrid setting for an Akashic Noir series volume. It’s where the rich rub shoulders with the poor, where five-star hotels coexist with informal settlements, where religious zeal coexists with superstition, and where politics is often synonymous with celebrity and corruption.

ABOUT JESSICA HAGEDORN

Jessica Hagedorn is the author of Dream Jungle, The Gangster Of Love, which was nominated for the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and Dogeaters, which was nominated for a National Book Award. Her works include Danger And Beauty, a collection of poetry and prose, musical play Most Wanted, a collaboration with composer Mark Bennett and director Michael Greif at La Jolla Playhouse, Fe In The Desert and Stairway To Heaven for Campo Santo in San Francisco, the stage adaptation of Dogeaters, and the screenplay for Fresh Kill, a feature film directed by Shu Lea Cheang. She wrote the scripts for the experimental animated series The Pink Palace, which was created for the first season of the Oxygen Network.

In this breakthrough graphic novel from the award-winning author of Mercury, there’s a new superhero in town—and she’s got kick-butt cyberpowers.

Meet Lin, a formerly average teenage girl whose cell phone zaps her with magical powers. But just as superpowers can travel through the ether, so can evil. As Lin starts to get a handle on her new abilities (while still observing her curfew!), she realizes she has to go head-to-head with a nefarious villain who spreads his influence through binary code. And as if that weren’t enough, a teen blogger has dubbed her an “anonymous coward!” Can Lin detect the cyber-criminal’s vulnerability, save the day, and restore her reputation?

With ingenious scripting from graphic novel phenom Hope Larson and striking art from manga illustrator Tintin Pantoja, this action-packed story brims with magical realism and girl-power goodness.

The workshop is only on a dry run right now. I hope to offer it to students during the school year on a weekly weekend basis. I just went online looking for comic schools and didn’t find any, so I thought it might be a good niche to fill, if people were  interested in learning to make comics I don’t know if Elbert Or’s workshop is still ongoing? It might be nice to trade notes with him, if he is. Anyway, a couple of my Indonesian friends put up comic/manga schools in Jakarta and I thought it might be a fun thing to do here. If anyone’s interested in the comic workshop, it’s a two-hour eight/nine-session program in which we make a short comic from script to final coloring/ tones. Email me at tintinp@gmail.com! The first MWF summer sessions starts April 12!

I have no idea. the future’s kinda wide open at this point. I don’t really have plans or ongoing projects.

“The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction 2005-2010″ edited by Dean Francis Alfar & Nikki Alfar, and published by UP Press, will have a book launch on Feb 28, 2013, 5:50PM, at the UP Bahay Kalinaw. Making the cut is my science fiction short story “Carbon” from PSF5. Here’s a more complete description:

Between these covers are the best short stories of fantasy, horror, science fiction and genres in-between, selected from the first five years of the Philippine Speculative Fiction annuals. Step through the portal and explore worlds old and new and experience the power of the literature of the imagination as crafted by Filipino authors. Featuring stories by:  Rebecca Arcega FH Batacan Rica Bolipata-Santos Jose Elvin Bueno Ian Rosales Casocot Paolo Chikiamco Ronald Cruz Marguerite Alcazaren de Leon Timothy James M. Dimacali Andrew Drilon Russell Stanley Geronimo Pocholo Goitia Carljoe Javier Angelo R. Lacuesta Anne Lagamayo Apol Lejano-Massebieau Joseph F. Nacino Alexander Osias Kate Osias Vincent Michael Simbulan Joshua L. Lim So Charles Tan Yvette Tan Mia Tijam Noel Tio Eliza Victoria Isabel Yap Kenneth Yu

I’ve received notice that the first book of the Anak Bathala series of graphic novels will be launching this Friday night at the Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street. Here’s the presser:

“Legends have foretold his destiny, and a bewildered journey is about to begin…
He has the power of the Gods…the heart of a man…
He is Kalem…the Anak Bathala.”

Dedicated to nurturing a society that fortifies the youth with intellectual capacity, moral integrity and global faculty, BHM Publishing, in partnership with 2P’s in a Pod, is proud to re-launch Anak Bathala’s Kalem:  the first of a five-book graphic novel  series that celebrates rich Filipino  cultural heritage  by weaving together rich elements of Philippine mythology, culture, beliefs, folklore and values  through well-executed and artistic graphic illustrations  Mr. Norman G. de los Santos, Mr.  Bernard H. Morillo, and Mr. Edsel L. Africa.

The book launch will happen  on  January 18, 2013 at Fully Booked, Bonifacio Global City Fort fro m 6:00PM  onwards. Aside from  the  much-anticipated meet-and-greet and book signing, various interesting activities such as Q & A with authors, Alibata Henna Tattoo, and many others, await those who will attend the event.  Cocktails will also be served and tokens of appreciation will be given away.

While more than 500 lucky readers were able to pick up copies of the newest Trese volume (number 5)  at the recent October Komikon, the book will also soon be available at all National Book Store, Power Books and Bestsellers outlets with an exclusive dustcover by Kajo Baldisimo. To celebrate this, as they did last year, the Trese crew will have a book launch — but this time they will have two book launches: one in Bestsellers Galleria this Saturday, and the next for our friends in the south of the Metro, at the NBS at Alabang Town Center on November 24.

I recently interviewed Budjette Tan about Trese 5, and I’ll put that interview up tomorrow so be sure to check back. Until then, here’s that dustcover I mentioned. Shiny!

Here’s the cover of Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 7, with art and colors by Les Banzuelo, art direction by Adam David. The volume will be launched this Saturday, July 28, 2012,  2:00pm at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf-Shangri-la Plaza, Edsa. You can see the table of contents here.

For the first time, this latest volume will launch as a digital book. For those who want to take home something tangible from the launch, however, rest assured that the good folk at Flipside Digital are preparing beautifully packaged CDs for the event:

PSF launches are always fun, as you can see from this video excerpt of last year’s PSF6 launch. Hope to see you all there!