Renowned poets urged young writers to remain steadfast in their creative writing pursuits despite societal, academic and personal challenges.
Roy Rene Cagalingan, a senior language researcher at the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and UST marketing management alumnus, said writing is a vocation that sustains one’s life, even if many students feel discouraged due to the belief that it is not a financially stable path.
“Kaya natin mabuhay sa pagsusulat. Kaya natin magtrabaho habang nagsusulat o magsulat bilang trabaho,” Cagalingan said in an interview with the Varsitarian.
“‘Yong kurso ninyo, hindi magdidikta doon sa [gusto] niyong maging karera sa pagsusulat,” he said.
Cagalingan cited acclaimed poets from the field of sciences who have gone on to flourish in their writing careers, such as Vim Nadera, former Varsitarian editor in chief and psychology alumnus, and biology alumna Nerisa Guevara.
Creative growth can be elicited from limitations imposed by society and authority figures in the academe, serving as young writers’ fertile ground for literary expression, he said.
“I think any kind of writing and any kind of art ay mag-flourish dahil din sa pagsuway mo sa ano ‘yong sinasabi sa’yo na dapat mong gawin,” Cagalingan said.
Award-winning poet and architecture alumnus Jan Dennis Destajo said his background in architecture became his niche in writing.
During his college years, his poetic “sequence” centered on student life. His work shifted toward the realities of corporate life when he became an architect in Pasig, he said.
“The longer I am in my architecture career, the more I am starting to think in this sequence, especially in poetry,” he said.
Destajo won first prize in the poetry category of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 2025 and the 32nd edition of Gawad Ustetika in 2017.
The Thomasian Writers Guild held the first installment of its “Refinement Series” through a poetry workshop on April 11 at the Tan Yan Kee Student Center. Charlize Ann D. Lavastida
