TOMÁS, the official literary journal of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (CCWLS), unveiled the second issue of its fifth volume on June 16.
The newest issue marks a return to form for the double-blind, peer-reviewed literary journal, featuring both critical essays and creative works by multiple authors, as opposed to the previous three issues that only had one contributor.
“We strongly feel that the future of the country’s literature and literary scholarship is in capable hands,” acclaimed fictionist and Tomás editor in chief Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, alongside associate editor John Jack Wigley, said in the book’s introduction.
The issue contains eight critical essays, three poetry suites, one short story and one creative nonfiction piece.
Long-time Varsitarian adviser Asst. Prof. Joselito Zulueta contributed to the issue with his essay, “Modernismo and the Dream of a National Language in Recto’s ‘Bajo de los cocoteros.’”
The essay viewed Recto’s Modernismo poetics as both “a critique of colonial linguistic hegemony and both a prophetic call for a national language,” arguing that Recto’s poetry paved the way for Philippine nationhood decades before the 1935 constitution.
Among other works featured in the journal’s latest issue is “Defy,” a poetry suite by Vince Agcoili, a fellow of the UST National Writers Workshop in 2021.
According to the book’s introduction, the poems in his suite render vivid images of nature without the use of adjectives.
Other notable contributors include part-time literature instructor Isaiah Garcia, Department of Philosophy faculty member Aldrin Manalastas, and literature instructor Jan Ledesma.
Volume 5, Issue 2 of TOMÁS is available to read on its official website.
