BABAYLAN: A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

EVENT REPORT:

[Click on image to enlarge]

Babaylan: 2-4 PM, Sunday,Nov. 9, 2014

San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch

100 Larkin Street

San Francisco

Koret Auditorium

BABAYLAN: A Roundtable Discussion of Bay Area Filipino Women Writers

Eileen R. Tabios joined other Pinay writers sharing narratives in progress and talking  about the importance of the Bay Area for their writing and practice.  Other participants were Jean Vengua, Arlene Biala, Veronica Montes, Elsa Valmidiano and Rose Booker.  Host was Barbara Jane Reyes.

Sponsors: Philippine American Writers and Artists and SFPL.

Barbara Janes Reyes, Veronica Montes, Eileen Tabios, Elsa Valdimiano, Jean Vengua, 

Rose Booker and Arlene Biala. (Sunny Vergara's photo). Art on screen by Trinidad Escobar.

PAWA founder Ed Lozada and Lisa at book table which featured, among others, SUN STIGMATA, THE AWAKENING and VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA

Long-time activist Terry Bautista with a copy of VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA!

Arlene Biala and Barbara Jane Reyes--something about the Giants...

I was also moved to meet Amy Pabalan who was apparently published for the first time when I accepted one of her poems for VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA -- it's always special to midwife that first publication.  Also moved to meet Aileen who apparently had attended some of the events I created years ago in New York for the Asian American Writers Workshop--glad to see those events resonated with attendees.  I was not moved to meet the "elder" ... actually, never mind about that one (grin).

Thanks as well to Mitch Yangson who curates the Filipino American Center for the San Francisco Public Library.

LAUNCHING THREE 2014 BOOKS IN NOVEMBER!

EVENT REPORT:

At The Sitting Room - A Community Library, Eileen R. Tabios launched three 2014 books:

147 MILLION ORPHANS (MMXI-MML) (gradient books, Finland)
SUN STIGMATA (Sculpture Poems) (Marsh Hawk Press, New York)
and
as Editor, VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA (Meritage Press, San Francisco & St. Helena)

Here are photos from the wonderful event:

Erin, a visiting student from Sonoma State University and 

The Sitting Room founder J.J. Wilson by the book table.

Scholar-poet Lily Mendoza

Poet-scholar Leny M. Strobel 

Among the delicious refreshments put together by Sheila Bare was

the above cracker with goat cream cheese and truffle honey. Truffle honey!

Home-made calamansi chips by noted poet-scholar and chef Leny M. Strobel!

Sadly, Eileen's books couldn't compete with Dr. Seuss for Gabriella's attention.

*****

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

YOU ARE INVITED!

http://versestyphoonyolanda.blogspot.com/2014/08/sonoma-california-book-launch.html

The Sitting Room - A Community Library based in Santa Rosa (near Sonoma State University) will present a book launch for three of Eileen R. Tabios' 2014 books:

147 MILLION ORPHANS (MMXI-MML) (gradient books, Finland)
SUN STIGMATA (Sculpture Poems) (Marsh Hawk Press, New York)
and
as Editor, VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA (Meritage Press, San Francisco & St. Helena)

The event is free to the public and will take place at 2 pm, Saturday, November 1, 2014.  Please click on The Sitting Room link for directions and other information.  The Sitting Room is at  2025 Curtis Drive, Penngrove, CA.

Other poets from VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA, also will be present at the launch: Marianne Villanueva, Joi Barrios, Leny Strobel and Michelle Bautista.  All book sales proceeds during this event -- not just from VTY but also Eileen Tabios' two other books -- will be donated for Haiyan relief. Haiyan is known as "Yolanda" in the Philippines.

Readings, discussions, Q&As -- you are invited to attend and participate!

Light refreshments will be served.

For questions: email MeritagePress@aol.com

AMONG A HUNDRED THOUSAND POETS IN SEPTEMBER

This event has come and gone. THANK YOU for your support!  Coverage of the event is available HERE!

********************

Eileen Tabios and Janet Stickmon will be Featured Poets at a "100 Thousand Poets for Change" fundraising event in Napa, California.  Here's the flyer for the referenced 6-8 pm Open Mic Fundraiser.

From the event's Press Release:

100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE-NAPA
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2014.

POETRY OPEN MIC AND FUNDRAISER FOR KEDS PROGRAM

Time: 6:00-8:00PM 

Doors open and open mic sign ups open: 5:30PM
Open mic sign ups close at 7PM or when list is filled.

Location: Slack Collective Art Studios and Gallery
964 Pearl Street, Suite B. Napa, CA (Entrance in back of the building.)

Hosted by Jonathan Pyner (of Mewted Poetry Jam: Workshop and Open Mic)

**

Eileen Tabios’ 28^th poetry collection, SUN STIGMATA, is forthcoming this Fall from the New York publisher Marsh Hawk Press.  She recently released the poetry book 147 MILLION ORPHANS and edited a 133-poet fundraising anthology for Haiyan/Yolanda typhoon survivors. Translated into seven languages, she received the Philippines’ National Book Award for Poetry. She is an avid bibliophile. When she is not publishing, critiquing, promoting, and writing books, she enjoys the scenery of  her St. Helena home along with her family which includes her husband, son, and four legged companion Achilles, as shown here in photo.

VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA: A Storm of Filipino Poets will be sold at this open mic event. Half of event proceeds go to Yolanda and half to KEDS Program for this special 100 Thousand Poets for Change-Napa fundraiser event. KEDS (Kids Exposed to Domestic Violence Services) is a program of the nonprofit NEWS (Napa Emergency Women's Services). 

For more information about 100 Thousand Poets for Change-Napa or please contact co-organizer:
Glynda Velasco 
phone: (707) 501-3670 or 
email: glyndavelasco@gmail.com

More information at Facebook Event Page.

"ONE HEART, ONE FAMILY" -- A BENEFIT AT DE ANZA COLLEGE

EVENT REPORT

VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA was represented by Eileen Tabios, Michelle Bautista and Aileen Ibardaloza at this weekend's benefit event at De Anza College -- open to the public:

The evening's program:

6-7p Dinner, set-up, DJs, Open Mic, Announcements

7-7:10 Introductions

10 min: PATTERSON

5 min: Brandon

5 min: Alicia

10 min: Brian Dublin

7 min: DSA

10 min: VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA book reading

5 min: South Bay Task Force Haiyan/Kim & Rey (donations pitch)

5 min: Brandi

10 min or under: Far East Dragon Lion Dance

10 min: Sam Young & Kazamm

10 min or under: Ernie Reyes World West Coast Martial Arts

10 min: Denny Pham

10 min: Yiann

5 min: Closing

More information about the program is available at http://www.ysom.org/concert.html

This was a fundraising event with donations given to National Alliance for Filipino Concerns-USA which helps survivors of Typhoon Haiyan.

UPDATE: Some photos from event below:

Michelle Bautista, her baby Gabriella, De Anza Instructor Rowena Tomaneng, 

Eileen Tabios and Aileen Ibardaloza)

(Aileen with Ray Llabang, one of the student organizers who also spoke on behalf of NafCon)

*****

Poets from VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA participated in the May 31, 2014 Benefit at De Anza College, from 7-9 pm.  The VTY poets did a reading and the anthology was available for sale.  Participants were:

Michelle Bautista is a poet and 3rd degree black belt in the Philippine Martial Art of Kali. Her current projects include a memoir/instructional martial arts book tentatively titled, Mandirigmang Babae: journey of the woman warrior and multi-lingual children's ebooks. Author of Kali's Blade (Meritage Press, 2006), she lives in Oakland, CA with her husband and newborn daughter.

Aileen Ibardaloza is the Associate Editor of Our Own Voice Literary Ezine (www.oovrag.com). Her works have appeared in various online and print media including the anthology, Hanggang sa Muli: Homecoming Stories for the Filipino Soul. Her first poetry collection, Traje de Boda, was published by Meritage Press in 2010.

VTY Editor Eileen R. Tabios has released more than 20 print, three electronic and 1 CD poetry collections; an art essay collection; a “collected novels” book; a poetry essay/interview anthology; a short story collection; and an experimental biography. Recipient of the Philippines’ National Book Award for Poetry for her first poetry collection, she has crafted an award-winning body of work that is unique for melding ekphrasis with transcolonialism. Her poems have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Tagalog, Japanese, Portuguese, Polish, Greek, computer-generated hybrid languages, Paintings, Video, Drawings, Visual Poetry, Mixed Media Collages, Kali Martial Arts, Music, Modern Dance and Sculpture.  She also has edited, co-edited or conceptualized ten anthologies of poetry, fiction and essays.  She maintains a bibliophilic blog, “EileenVerbs Books“; edits Galatea Resurrects; steers the publisher Meritage Press; serves as Library Director for BIBLIOTHECA INVISIBILIS; and frequently curates thematic online poetry projects including LinkedIn Poetry Recommendations.