For Love of the Word: Workshops on Teaching Philippine Literature in High School and College

Dear Sir/Madam:



Warm greetings from the Philippine PEN Board of Directors!



The Philippine Center of International PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists) is conducting a series of teaching literature workshops in selected regions of the Philippines this year. Called “For Love of the Word: Workshops on Teaching Philippine Literature in High School and College,” this project is geared toward retooling and upgrading the skills of literature teachers in both secondary and tertiary levels. This project is supported by PEN International in UK, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The first workshop was successfully held last March 25 in Far Eastern University-Manila.



The second of the series, a lecture-workshop on teaching poetry and fiction in English, Filipino and regional languages, will be held on May 6, from 8:30am to 4:00pm, at the University of San Agustin’s Conference Room, Blanco Hall, General Luna St., Iloilo City. PEN authors and Metrobank Outstanding Teacher Awardees Dr. Marjorie Evasco and Dr. Leoncio Deriada will serve as the facilitators.



In this regard, may we invite your faculty members to participate in this workshop? There is no registration fee. A workshop kit and a certificate of attendance will be given to each participant.



At this point, PEN is making arrangements with possible patrons to sponsor the lunch for the participants. We have not finalized anything though. However, may we assure you that there are decent and affordable eateries located within and outside the campus.



For pre-registration, please submit the name/s of your participant/s and your school to PEN. You may email PEN at philippinepen@yahoo.com, or please text +639175287491.



Thank you for your kind attention. We look forward to your participation.





Very truly yours,



Joselito B. Zulueta

National Secretary

Philippine Center of International PEN

c/o Solidaridad Bookstore

531 Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila, Philippines

Tel. (632) 5230870; Telefax (632) 5255038

Email: philippinepen@yahoo.com

Website: http://philippinepen.co.cc/









Background



The Philippine PEN is a member of International PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists) with Centers in some 150 countries worldwide.



The PEN Philippine Center celebrated its golden anniversary in December 2007. Its founding was marked by a national writers conference, the first of its kind after the war, held for two days in Baguio City in December 1958 and attended by distinguished literary people and intellectuals from all over the country including Senator Claro M. Recto and President Carlos P. Garcia. The conference organizer and also Philippine PEN founder was F. Sionil José, now National Artist for Literature. Among the conference participants were, later to become National Artists for Literature: Francisco Arcellana, N.V.M. Gonzalez, Bienvenido Lumbera, Alejandro Roces and Edith Tiempo.



In its 50 years, the Philippine PEN has organized and sponsored activities such as literary readings, workshops, meet-the-author series, seminars, and conferences in Manila and in the provinces. It has hosted the visits or held receptions for distinguished writers from abroad, such as Nobel Laureates Wole Soyinka and Mario Vargas Llosa, Richard Kim, Lin Yutang, Khushwant Singh, Hirabayashi Taiko, Hayako Sono, Norman Mailer, Gunter Grass, Mochtar Lubis, Edwin Thumboo, Juan Gelman, and many others. PEN also organized two regional Asian Writers conferences in Manila, and published several anthologies including an Asian PEN Anthology.



During the Marcos dictatorship, PEN stood in defense of the freedom of expression and speech. This is an avowed purpose as embodied in the International PEN Charter.



In December 2010, Philippine PEN marked its 53rd year with an international conference in Cebu City, Philippines. The theme was “Solidarity in Literature without Borders.” The confab gathered together not only Filipino writers in the archipelago, but also representative writers from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The Jose Rizal Lecture, the highlight of the conference, was delivered by eminent writer and intellectual Dr. Resil Mojares.



PEN is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.





Philippine Center of International PEN Board



Francisco Sionil José, Founder



Board Members (2009-2011)

Bienvenido Lumbera, Chair

Elmer Ordoñez, Vice Chair

Joselito B. Zulueta, National Secretary

Susie Tan, Treasurer

Shirley Lua, Assistant Treasurer

Jose Wendell Capili, Public Affairs Officer

Ronald Baytan

Herminio Beltran, Jr.

Karina Bolasco

Marjorie Evasco

Susan Lara

Charlson Ong

Nicolas Pichay

Jun Cruz Reyes

Jose Victor Torres