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NOTES FROM THE PEANUT

GALLERY
M Y L IFE AS A HU SBAN D, FATHER, WRIT ER A N D BUSIN ESSMAN

MONDAY, JULY 12, 2010 A BOUT M E

call for submissions: philippine speculative fiction D E A N F RA N CIS A LF A R

M A N ILA , P HILIP P IN E S
6
Fictionist, playwright,
husband, father and
Editors Nikki Alfar and Kate Aton-Osias invite you to submit short
businessman.
fiction for consideration for Philippine Speculative Fiction
V IE W M Y C O M PL E T E PR O F IL E
volume 6.

Philippine Speculative Fiction is a yearly anthology series, which

L INKS
collects a wide range of stories that define, explore, and
sometimes blur the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy, Google News
horror, and all things in between. The anthology has been Edit-Me
shortlisted for the Manila Critics’ Circle National Book Award, and Edit-Me
multiple stories from each volume have been cited in roundups of
the year’s best speculative fiction across the globe.
PREVIOUS POSTS
First-time authors are more than welcome to submit; good stories
call for submissions: philippine
trump literary credentials any time.
speculative ficti...
Submissions must be: LitCritters readings for July 17
return of the litcrittters
1. speculative fiction—i.e., they must contain strong elements or
book launch: philippine speculative
sensibilities of science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism,
fiction 5
alternate history, folklore, superheroes, and/or related ‘nonrealist’
health schmealth
genres and subgenres
fully booked awards
2. written in English the abyss that is pet society..
For Benjie
3. authored by Filipinos or those of Philippine ancestry
litcritters postponed until better
weather
last week for submissions for PSF V
Submissions are preferred to be:

1. original and unpublished

ARCHIVES

2. no shorter than 1,000 words and no longer than 7,500 2002/09

2002/10
3. written for an adult audience
2002/11

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In all cases, these preferences can be easily overturned by 2002/12

exceptionally well-written pieces. In the case of previously-published 2003/01
work—if accepted, the author will be expected to secure permission 2003/02
to reprint, if necessary, from the original publishing entity, and to 2003/03
provide relevant publication information.
2003/04

Submission details: 2003/05

2003/06
1. No multiple or simultaneous submissions—i.e., submit only one
2003/07
story, and do not submit that story to any other market until you
2003/08
have received a letter of regret from us.
2003/09
2. All submissions should be in Rich Text Format (saved under the 2003/10
file extension ‘.rtf’), and emailed to kate.osias@gmail.com, with the 2003/11
subject line ‘PSF6 submission’. 2003/12

3. The deadline for submissions is midnight, Manila time, 2004/01

November 15, 2010. Letters of acceptance or regret will be sent 2004/02

out no later than one month after the deadline. 2004/03
2004/04
Editors’ notes:
2004/05
1. Please don’t forget to indicate your real name in the submission 2004/06
email! If you want to write under a pseudonym, that’s fine, but this 2004/07
can be discussed upon story acceptance. Initially, we just need to 2004/08
know who we’re talking to. 2004/09
2004/10
2. If you’d like to write a cover letter with your brief bio and
publishing history (if applicable), do feel free to introduce 2004/11
yourself—but not your story, please. If it needs to be explained, it’s 2004/12
probably not ready to be published. 2005/01
2005/02
3. We advise authors to avoid fancy formatting—this will just be a
2005/03
waste of your time and ours, since we will, eventually, standardize
2005/04
fonts and everything else to fit our established house style.
2005/05
Compensation will be Php500 for selected stories. In 2005/06
previous years, we’ve provided contributor copies of the book, as 2005/07
well as small royalty shares, but we are strongly leaning toward
2005/08
shifting Philippine Speculative Fiction to digital format, so we’re
2005/09
shifting to outright financial payment as well.
2005/10
Please help spread the word! We’d really appreciate it if you’d 2005/11
publish this invitation on your blog, e-group, etc. 2005/12
2006/01
Thanks,
2006/02
Nikki Alfar & Kate Aton-Osias, co-editors 2006/03
2006/04
Dean Alfar, publisher
2006/05

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Labels: philippine speculative fiction 6 2006/06

2006/07
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2006/08
2006/09
SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2010 2006/10
LitCritters readings for July 17 2006/11
2006/12
Hey LitCritters!
2007/01
2007/02
Our next sessions is on July 17, 2010 at 2PM over at The Coffee 2007/03
Bean & Tea Leaf, Robinsons Galleria. The stories we'll discuss are 2007/04
the following (take note that the navigation for the MacDonald story is 2007/05
a little tricky):
2007/06
2007/07
2007/08
"The Queen of Spades" by Alexander Pushkin
2007/09
http://home.freeuk.net/russica2/books/pushk/spads/spads.html
2007/10
2007/11
2007/12
"The Light Princess" by George Macdonald
2008/01
http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/George_MacDonald 2008/02
/The_Light_Princess/1_What_No_Children_p1.html
2008/03
2008/04
2008/05
"Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl
2008/06
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lamb.html
2008/07
2008/08
2008/09
See you there.
2008/10
2008/11
Labels: litcritters
2008/12
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2009/01
2009/02
THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 2009/03
2009/04
return of the litcrittters
2009/05
LitCritters! 2009/06
2009/07

After a long hiatus, we are back! Read the stories below and meet up 2009/08
with us on Saturday, June 26, 2PM at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, 2009/09
Robinsons Galleria. 2009/10
2009/12

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2010/03
2010/04
Here are the stories we'll discuss - just follow the links:
2010/06
2010/07
Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela by Saladin Ahmed

http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2009/09/special-
online-story-from-clockwork.html

Subscribe to
Spar by Kij Johnson Posts [Atom]

http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/johnson_10_09/

Swan by Ellis O'Neal

http://www.fantasy-magazine.com/2007/11/story-swan-by-eilis-
oneal/st,

See you soon.

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WEDNESDAY , APRIL 14, 2010

book launch: philippine speculative fiction 5

Philippine Speculative Fiction has become one of the country’s most consistent and highly-

anticipated yearly anthology series, showcasing the continuing development of the exciting field of

speculative fiction writing. This fifth volume, edited by Nikki Alfar and Vincent Michael Simbulan,

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collects a broad spectrum of short stories that define, explore, and sometimes blur the boundaries

of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all things in between—featuring the work of both literary

luminaries and very new voices, from across the archipelago and the globe. PSF 5 contains stories

by:

Angelo R. ‘Sarge’ Lacuesta Dean Francis Alfar

Rica Bolipata-Santos Paolo Gabriel V. Chikiamco

T imothy James Dimacali Joseph F. Nacino

Charles Tan Dominique Gerald Cimafranca

Isabel Y ap Christine V. Lao

Raymond G. Falgui Mia T ijam

Joseph Anthony Montecillo Ejay Domingo

Apol Lejano-Massebieau Veronica Montes

Alexander Osias Fidelis Angela C. T an

Andrew Drilon Gabriela Lee

Aileen Familara Marla Cabanban

Eliza Victoria Kate Aton-Osias

Kenneth Yu

Join us at the book launch on April 24, 2010 at 3PM, U-View

Theater, Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street!

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THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010

health schmealth
Sadly, I can't go "health schmealth" anymore. As I grow older, parts
of me are just getting tired. This year, my litany of woes continued to
grow, and so I finally finally decided to do something about the
things I could do something about - bridgework for my teeth (yes, I
honestly prefer to chew instead of gumming my food to death)
despite my fear of the dentist (I take on the multiple injections, both
long and short, with a certain degree of quivering resignation), and
help for my eyes.

For around 25 years, I have been relying on my right eye for almost
all of my sight, as my poor near-sighted astigmatic left eye can barely
see jack shit. A decade or so ago, i had a brief dalliance with glasses
(smashed, lost, sat upon, bent) and contact lenses (or, more
properly, contact lens - since I wore only one) which did not work
out (swallowed it - a long and somewhat amusing story). But with
the onset of age and the incipient threat of farsightedness for my
working eye, a visit to the optha was in the cards.

When lenses were tested for my left eye, and when we achieved one

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that permitted me to SEE, I was beside myself with joy. And a little
vertigo, which was not because of sublime emotion but due to the
fact that my brain was merging my suddenly-sighted lazy eye with
my right workhorse. I walked around with the tester, looking like a
poor imagining of a steampunk commoner, but I was really happy.

I prepared myself for the cost of my new progressive lenses and

frame and was a little shocked when it wasn't that astronomical
(compared to my bridgework, which all my descendants will need to
work to pay for, long after I quit this mortal coil). Unlike our
parents' bifocals, the progressive lenses integrate near, middle and
far distance corrections in one miraculous curve. It will require
practice to shift my eyes around but that's fine.

My diet (do not blame the lovely liempo!) and smoking (gasp! can it
be?!) SHOULD be next, but the willingness is not there. Yet. I think I
can work out the diet thing, but smoking is... what? A quality of life
issue (hahaha)? Overwrought overextended teenage rebellion? A
writer's crutch? intellectually, I know it's horrible for me but part of
me says "too bad, then" even as my cells, perhaps inevitably, form
into the letter "C".

We'll see. (Or is it "Will C?")

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fully booked awards

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1st - "A Kind of Flotsam" - Christelle Rhodamae Mariano

2nd - "Filipina: The Super Maid" - Irene Carolina Sarmiento
3rd (tie) - "Cherry Clubbing" - Kenneth Yu
3rd (tie) - "Remembrance" - me :)

Video from Tania.

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M ON DAY , DECEM BER 07, 2009

the abyss that is pet society..

...is what has swallowed my writing time. Yup, I'm blaming Facebook
for not blogging haha.

But not all of my time is spent at the trading forums looking for new
furniture for my pet - I'm actually working on a couple of stories for
the new collection (he says, defensively).

On the publishing front, I have a number of stories available in

anthologies:

I have 3 stories in Growing Up Filipino II, edited by Cecilia

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Brainard (Palh). I'm delighted with the hardcover. I'm particularly

happy with "Something Like That", based on a sad news report of a
girl who burned to death in her bathroom.

"L'Aquilone" appears in The Apex Book of World SF, edited by

Lavie Tidhar (Apex). The response of readers and reviewers is
heartwarming.

I have "Brujita", in Exotic Gothic 3, edited by Danel Olson

(Ash-Tree Press), just hot off the presses. It's my version of a trad
ghost story, with a little politics. In a sad note, fellow contributor
Milorad Pavić passed away before the antho's release.

And "Ghosts of Wan Chai" appears in Connecting Flights, edited

by Ruey de Vera (Anvil). I tried a couple of different techniques
here, focusing on mood and place. The book launch is this
Wednesday, National Bookstore Greenbelt at 6PM.

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F RIDA Y , OCTOBER 09, 2009

For Benjie

For Benjie

I first met Benjie years ago, in Manila. He had recently arrived from
the States and had gangsta swagger around him that was
immediately interesting – because beneath the tough guy was a
heart so vast in its capacity to give, a mind so powerful in its ability
to learn, and a spirit so enormous in ability to share.

We shared stories, he and I. He, about his difficult life and how he
wanted change, and how he knew it would have to be an act of will.
Together, we explored the vistas of imagination, playing characters
engaged in quests to make a difference, crafting together speculative
fiction with our other friends that provided outlets for our creative
energy.

For young people, time is of no consequence. It seems to be always

available, ever-present. And so we burned through time, racing
through the subsequent years, taking on the challenges of life with a
certain sense of glee, extending our personal geographies into literal
ones. Benjie settled in Cebu and had a family. I stayed in Manila and

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had a family. And somehow, in manner of friends overconfident that

getting in touch was just a click or a cell phone call away, we
permitted the orbits of our lives to overlap less and less.

But from time to time, we’d meet up. And I was amazed at how
Benjie’s talent had grown. He became a photographer, parlaying his
inborn visual aesthetics into captured images that moved people. He
took pictures of me that ended up in my books of fiction, in New
York newspapers, that I still use for my social networks on the
internet. His talent took him to new heights in Cebu’s artistic and
creative community, and he shared his abilities with many.

On the dwindling occasions that we’d talk, we shared our lives’

heartaches and sorrows, the challenges that older men – husbands,
fathers and businessmen – face. And we’d be comforted by the fact
that we had each other to listen to.

And listen to him I did, for his wisdom and life experience was both
similar and dissimilar to mine. I only wish we had spoken more, that
I had gone out of my way to see him more. That I could just call him
up, right here, right now, and hear his voice, his stories, and
schedule a meet-up, a dinner. Anything, anything to see Benjie once
again.

A few days ago, Magene contacted me on Facebook and asked me to

write something for Benjie. Perturbed, I checked Benjie’s account
and found out that my friend, my tough-as-nails younger-than-me
friend, had a stroke and had fallen into a coma. I was shocked and
saddened, and angry and guilty, and found myself unable to write a
word when I sat down to write. Part of me rebelled because I was
afraid it would sound like an eulogy, everything in past tense, like
things had ended, and I didn’t want things to end.

Then I learned that he passed away.

I sat in my office and cried, uncaring about my employees’ looks of

surprise. Then the power went out for hours, leaving me alone with
my thoughts and memories and failed hopes. At home that night, I
started to write this when the electricity briefly returned, but after a
few words, the power died.

My friend was gone. My friend was gone.

As a writer, I often think about endings. In my discipline, endings

are constructed, fabricated to either bring closure to the story or
create a sense of lacuna, of open possibilities. Most readers prefer
happy endings, but the truth of the matter is this: pursue any story
to its ultimate end and there is only a goodbye. And we need to say
goodbye, I must say goodbye.

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The secret to a happy ending is in remembrance of a life well-lived.

It is in the recollection of joy and laughter and strength and will. It is
in the viewing of images well-planned and photographed, in
businesses well-managed and fought for, in a family much-loved and
protected and treasured.

This is the time to remember everything that Benjie achieved, in the

brief span of years he had, in lives he has touched, in the difference
that he made. These memories will soften his passage, because he
would not want sorrow but a celebration, never regret but always a
means to go forward, to fight, to find ways, to take time to appreciate
wonder and beauty. He was that kind of husband, that kind of father,
that kind of mentor, that kind of friend.

That kind of man.

Goodbye, my friend. Until we meet again.

Labels: benjie ordonez, eulogy

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