POETS should go beyond the confines of traditional poetry and explore different formats, award-winning writers said during the 2nd UST National Writing Fellowship held in Lucban, Quezon.
In craft lectures delivered by guest mentors, fellows for the poetry category were shown possibilities for formats, themes, and history within the genre.
“Laging may pangangatal na mag-explore pa tayo,” Asst. Prof. Paul Castillo, deputy director of the UST Publishing House, said. “Kasi gan’on tayo. Hindi nahihinto ‘yong paghahanap natin ng cracks.”
Exploring other formats in poetry writing was tackled in Castillo’s lecture, titled “Magbanat ay ‘di biro: Stretching the Trope, Motif, and Image,” where he approached poetry anthologies as an extension of a theme.
He also mentioned the importance of research and knowledge of literary tradition in writing.
Assoc. Prof. Nerisa Guevara, called for a collaborative approach to poetry writing.
In her lecture titled “Hapag: The Collaborative Voice of Poetry,” she likened the process to sitting at a table and exchanging ideas.
“The collaborative voice of poetry for me is about home. We don’t really write alone. We don’t do things alone,” Guevara said.
“We’re here in a fellowship because we are not alone. It is necessary. The physicality of all of us being together to create work is important,” she added.
UST Publishing House Director Benedict “Ned” Parfan discussed how anthologies introduce new formats for presenting poetry, such as animations, erasure, and hypertext.
“The other term for the lyric sequence is poem cycle or a lyric cycle. It begins over and over again,” Parfan said. “Lyric sequences are tailor-made to accommodate obsessive tendencies. Because ‘yon ang formula. Paulit-ulit.”
Apart from poetry, drama, and screenplay, other genres were highlighted in this year’s fellowship.
Two guest mentors, historian Jose Victor Torres and Palanca award-winning poet Victor Emmanuel Carmelo “Vim” Nadera Jr., tackled historical fiction and Philippine literary history, respectively.
Filmmaking was discussed by CCWLS resident fellow Jose Justin Mojica and filmmaker Kanakan-Balintagos, who discussed cultural sources and narrative structures in films.
Asst. Prof. Joselito Zulueta, the Varsitarian’s publication adviser, analyzed the common themes and elements of Cinemalaya finalists from 2022 to 2024.
The National Writing Fellowship was launched by the UST CCWLS in 2024 to replace the original National Writers’ Workshop established in 1999.
It departed from the original format of criticizing all fellows’ works and instead focused on one-on-one consultations and craft lectures.
This year marks its second year with a focus on poetry, drama, and screenplay.
Last year’s first edition focused on fiction, creative nonfiction, and other experimental works. These genres are set to return in 2026 for the third installment of the fellowship.
Accepted fellows have the opportunity for their works to be reviewed for Tomás, the official literary journal of the UST CCWLS.
