Goodbye Philippines, Helllo CCP!
Magpies took part in {Author}ities: The 9th Philippine International Literary Festival as two of the collective’s members joined poets and scholars Conchitina Cruz and Rae Rival-Cosico in a panel for a talk entitled, "Taking a Stand: Challenges and Opportunities in Publishing" held last April 19, 2018 at Bulwagang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining, Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Shaunnah Ysabel Cledera and Mac Arboleda shared the endeavors of Magpies as a striving collective based in University of the Philippines Los Baños, a science-oriented university. Examples of these endeavors are joining and holding events that promote zine culture within and outside Los Baños. Among others, Zine Orgy is a bi-annual event that Magpies organizes along with campus-based organizations and individuals. In sharing said efforts of the collective, the speakers asserted the problems they face such as financial difficulties as a small independent press, lack of public spaces that are affordable and convenient for holding events for zine community within the UPLB campus, and lack of support from the university administration for the literature and arts enthusiasts.
Poet and Philippine High School for the Arts Creative Writing teacher Rae Rival-Cosico spoke about feminist press Gantala Press’s initiatives in creating more spaces for publishing for women, including their work with peasant women organization for genuine agrarian reform and women’s rights Amihan (more about Gantala Press’s work here). Meanwhile, Conchitina Cruz, the author of Dark Hours and UP Diliman Creative Writing and Comparative Literature professor, told the story of how the Youth and Beauty Brigade’s Better Living for Xeroxoraphy developed from a 1000-word manifesto written to being BLTX, the go-to zine event featuring talks, music, merch spread over two-days and simultaneously happening in five different cities in the country.
Despite the challenges, the panel saw how these were opportunities to be more critical of the relationship of independent publishing to mainstream publishing and the various institutions that regulate publishing. More than this, the speakers also recognized the need to extend the efforts of independent presses beyond the production of art and reading materials--cultivating a relationship with the larger community that we independent writers, artists, and publishers are part of, and we need to take part in the discourse on politics especially during these times under the Duterte administration.
{Author}ities: The 9th Philippine International Literary Festival is organized by the National Book Development Board.
All photos used in this post were taken from the Philippine International Literary Festival Facebook page.