19th San Agustin Writers Workshop announces fellows

The Fray Luis de Leon Creative Writing Institute of the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education of the University of San Agustin proudly announces the ten fellows of the 19th San Agustin Writers Workshop that will be held online on January 19-21, 2023.

Among the applicants from all over the country, the following were awarded writing fellowships: Bea C. Altar (Antique) for Poetry in Kinaray-a; Jan Phillip P. Bayona (Iloilo City) for Poetry in English; John Lloyd C. Casoy (Rizal) for Poetry in Filipino; Elvie Victonette R. Gonzalez (Iloilo City) for Short Story in English; Alvin Q. Larida (South Cotabato) for Short Story in Hiligaynon; Jhio Jan A. Navarro (Negros Occidental) for Poetry in English; Edison Marte Sicad (Iloilo) for Poetry in English and Filipino; Liane Carlo R. Suelan (Davao City) for Short Story in English; Terence R. Talagon (Guimaras) for Poetry in Hiligaynon; and Paul Aries M. Valera (Iloilo) for Short Story in Hiligaynon.

These fellows will receive an allowance of one thousand and five hundred pesos for snacks and internet use. At stake during the workshop are literary prizes for the recipients of the Leoncio P. Deriada awards for short fiction and poetry and the Jigger S. Latoza award for political commentary/creative nonfiction.

The literary works of these fellows will be critiqued by the following award-winning panelists: SEAWRITE awardee Dr. John Iremil Teodoro, who also serves as Workshop Director; National Book Award for Literary Criticism winner Dr. Isidoro M. Cruz, who also serves as Project Director; Palanca awardees Dr. Alice Tan Gonzales, Dulce Maria V. Deriada, and Noel Galon de Leon; and UP Centennial Literary Prize winner Criselda Yabes.

This workshop is an annual project of the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education, headed by Dean Nenelyn D. de la Fuente, Ph.D. May Anne T. Jaro, Ph.D. serves as Deputy Project Director and head of the Secretariat with Arlene M. Moscaya.

The San Agustin Writers Workshop will celebrate its 20th anniversary in November 2023.