I found the “Subtle Energies” of Baybayin and bean seeds interesting as well as Baybayin on the Manunnggul Jar. What do you think? Download the paper.

I recently had the pleasure working with Barbara Jane Reyes on the artwork for her Diwata poetry book. She chose my piece, Masamang balita galing sa mga bituin – Bad news from the stars. It’s a perfect fit. Here’s the press release:

New from BOA Editions, Ltd.

Diwata

Poems by Barbara Jane Reyes

In her book Diwata, Barbara Jane Reyes frames her poems between the Book of Genesis creation story, and the Tagalog creation myth of the muse, placing her work somewhere culturally in between both traditions. Also setting the tone for her poems is the death and large shadow cast by her grandfather, a World War II veteran and Bataan Death March survivor, who has passed onto her the responsibility of remembering. Reyes’ voice is grounded in her community’s traditions and histories, despite war and geographical dislocation.

“Reyes has accomplished a masterpiece by conjuring and weaving the dialectics and elements of Malakas and Magandá – a Filipina poetics of the strong and beautiful. This alone merits praise. In majestic prose and deep story, in rhythmic caesura and hunter woman voices, in genius image brushwork and long and short line archipelago, we learn lessons for the 21st Century: that colonial invasion, the horror of cultural dismemberment, is not exhaustive: Asia, the Philippines, Manila spirit, all of us – can rebuild and continue in América, in many ways become whole again, by the alma and ceremonias, the tellings kept for centuries and beautifully recast in this book. I was mesmerized by the true Diwata that lives in these pages. Diwata – she instructs us, lures us, takes us deep into her jeweled river, then breathes into us our Creation Story – one we thought we could no longer remember, write, speak, or call our own.” — Juan Felipe Herrera

“Barbara Jane Reyes’ Diwata is a book that would have raised the hairs on the nape of Emily Dickinson’s head upon recognition of its poetic backbone. She injects Filipino words like calamansi, kastoy, and pananaghoy into the sinew of American poetry with panache and fearless abandon. Hers is an incomparable talent from which we cannot avert our gaze.” — Nick Carbó

September 2010 • 88 pages $16.00 paper • 978-1-934414-37-8

BOA titles are distributed to the trade by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution 1-800-283-3572

Press kits and other promotional materials are available upon request from BOA Editions. Contact Peter Conners, 585-546-3410 or conners@boaeditions.org

The March exhibit will feature Filipino Martial Arts. Learn about the traditional fighting systems and weapons.

BaybayinArt.com is a monthly online gallery exploring Baybayin as an artform. Every month will feature a new theme.

I’ll be doing an informal Baybayin workshop at Tribu Grill on Saturday 2/27. Worksheets provided along with other goodies.

FREE event but I believe it’s KKB.

Organized by the Meetup.com Filipino group RSVP here.

32208 Dyer St, Union City, California 94587
tribugrill.com
View Larger Map

In the LA area? Check out this workshop on 2/20

Below is my drivers license. Turned out well considering the digital pad didn’t output your signature so I can verify the strokes/kudlit (didn’t show) much like the credit card terminals you see at stores. Signing blindly was tough.

Next exhibits:
March 2010 – Filipino Martial Arts
April 2010 – Filipino Spirituality