Two weddings and a fun year

First off, congrats to Marc Gaba who won the 9th annual Boston Review poetry contest. His winning poems should have appeared in the publication’s November/December issue.

As erstwhile Londoner Ed Maranan reported by e-mail weeks ago, "Hebigat, ‘no? I googled him up and came across his ‘controversial review’ of the Likhaan anthology edited by Ricky (de Ungria) and Neil (Garcia) in 2003. And this win comes in the wake of Joel Toledo coming in second in the Bridport Poetry contest here in the UK..."

Yes, I recall that the young Marc attended the University of Iowa’s writing workshop a few years ago, which is already quite a distinction, as it’s ever been a tough gig to enter. It’s distinct from the UI’s International Writing Program instituted by Paul Engle, which continues to invite foreign writers for four months of literary camaraderie, but with hardly any critical evaluation conducted. The UI Workshop, on the other hand, is mostly for young American writers, who have to compete like crazy just to get in.

I’m not sure now where Marc is based. Even in his absence, he’s been helping run the High Chair group of Filipino poets and its online editions of poetry and criticism, together with leading poet in Filipino Allan Popa.

By the by, Ed Maranan’s finally back, for good, after long years of serving as information officer and jack-of-all-trades at our embassy in London. Unbelievable how he couldn’t be turned "organic" in the diplomatic service, especially since he served three or four ambassadors – as a writer, editor, photographer, and cultural affairs expert, apart from winning regular distinctions such as in The Guardian’s weekly haiku contest, let alone Palanca awards for poetry and fiction in two languages.

Well, London’s loss is currently Baguio’s gain, and soon we’ll have Ed in Quezon City, perchance planning on overtaking Rene Villanueva as the record holder for the most number of Palanca awards.

Congrats as well to Paolo Manalo, who’s in New York after a stint in Scotland, and who joined a recent reading hosted by 2nd Ave Poetry featuring five other poets at The Bowery Poetry Club in New York.

Last Dec. 10, 2006, his namesake Paolo Javier was invited to join the Third Annual Single Malt Poetry Slam! at the same club.

He read with four other New York-based poets, first the tasting notes on five different single malts – Glenmorangie, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Suntory, & Talisker, as the audience sampled the offerings – before they all read their selected poems.

Now why can’t I get an invite like that? New Year’s resolution, here I come!

Reviewing the year that was, certain memorable affairs on the arts and culture front still stand out in our mind’s eye. Let me say, however, that peripatetic and socially engaged as I’ve been, too many cultural events transpire in our otherwise benighted environment for me to offer a definitive rating of the best or the topmost arts accomplishments and activities.

For one thing, I hardly got to cover any theater and dance presentations, or musical concerts for that matter. So the list I offer below is composed mostly of literary, visual arts and pop-musical activities.

In no particular order, then, here’s my list (not a Top Ten or anything close to that, mind you) of memorable gigs I’ve appreciated for the year 2006.

There was Gilda Cordero Fernando, declared "Goddess" by adoring young lady writers, reading poetry at Mag:net Katips. Then she also staged a reading of her classic children’s story "Horgle and the King’s Soup" at Podium, with personages like Billy Abueva and Rio Almario, National Artists both, daring to match their charming novato skills onstage with such thespic veterans as Joy Virata, Emily Abrera, Sheila Coronel, Rina Jimenez David, Ambeth Ocampo and, ehem, myself.

That Mag:net stage also hosted an outstanding reading performance by the Fil-Am poet Patrick Rosal who came to visit a couple of months back. Then it stood still for a one-night wonder act by vintage rocker Joey "Pepe" Smith, whose 12-minute rendition of the ’70s anthem Ang Himig Natin – performed with a pick-up band of young, dynamic musicians – I’ve kept in my trusty cell-phone’s video gallery.

Also with regards to our very own Mr. Smith, video documentarist Howie Severino came up with a well-appreciated I-Witness feature on the unfading Pinoy Rock and Blues icon, apart from a controversial if equally riveting docu on the cultural rite called "Lukayo." Rather inappropriately, it earned GMA-7’s outstanding program a two-week suspension, if only because some viewers thought those were dildos being paraded on a Laguna town’s streets. Mwa-ha-ha!

It was also the year of Pinoy digital cinema’s resounding success, thanks to the untiring, rambunctious efforts of one Khvan de la Cruz, one of whose products, ironically enough, was also banned from TV screening by the MTRCB. Mwa-ha-ha!

Kudos are still in order for Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, helmed by Auraeus Solito in 2005, but which kept getting more plaudits abroad all of last year. Personally, however, I still want a clarification if indeed one sequence was a direct rip-off (especially since it’s not credited) from the "Miss Pilipins" chapter in Bino Realuyo’s novel, The Umbrella Country.

Then there’s the consistently effective Jeffrey Jeturian to congratulate for Kubrador, another international serial winner. Indeed, our filmmakers keep doing us proud.

Radical Renaissance man Cesare A.X. Syjuco resurfaced and mounted serial depredations at appropriately infamous "underground" venues such as Penguin in Malate, Conspiracy Bar and Mag:net Katips in QC, and Rico-Renzo Gallery and The Blue Room in Makati. He did it with lustrous and illustrious company, too, which front-acted with performance readings before he shook up Metro M’s Hades basement parking lots with his gee-tar twanging the body electric! Us basement denizens will never be the same again.

In turn did our buddy Igan D’Bayan electrify the Art Walk at SM Megamall with his sold-out show last February at The Crucible. We understand a repeat is due next month. Bravo the spirit of annual outings!

Eileen Escueta exhibited at Galerie Joaquin in San Juan – golden carp and still lifes that proved as luminous as the viewing company last October. On the same month was Dennis Ascalon’s "Showbiz Lang" exhibit at Art for Space in Alabang, followed up last month by Susanito Sarnate’s second one-man sculpture show titled "Lola Patola."

Then there was the grand reunion of baby boomers attending Jaime de Guzman’s and Jon Altomonte’s "Sacred Spaces" exhibit at Glorietta’s Art Lane last November. And of course we all delighted in the retrospective exhibits of two of our art titans in sculpture, Ed Castrillo and Ramon Orlina.

Among book launchings, nothing could have beaten the production values attending Unilever’s publication of Ronnie Alejandro’s and Mike Santos’ coffee-table book Manila Bay: Crossroads of Asia. Held at Manila Hotel, the launch featured a full-stage program of dancers and other entertainers.

For musical gigs, there were Mon David’s nights at Mag:net, Mishka Adams’ homecoming concert at Music Museum a couple of nights before Christmas Day, the underground hip-hop group Ampon’s launch of their CD album "Dekoding Rhythm," and the poets’ band Los Chupacabraz’ rousing success at the annual Writers Night held in UP Diliman.

Particularly enchanting, too, was a one-of-a-kind concert held last month at the Blacksoup Project Artspace at Marikina Shoe Fair, featuring Isha and Bodgie Pascua, among other singers, interpreting Pete Lacaba’s Salinawit series or adaptations into Tagalog of Western standards.

So that was the year that was. And now, barely a week into 2007, we can already cite three occasions that should prove memorable. The first was Danny Dalena’s 65th birthday party last Thursday, where he gave away personalized artworks to lifetime friends and special guests. No raffle, either!

And yesterday, special rites involved a couple of young artist-friends of ours who tied the knot, not with one another, but to equally lovely ladies.

At mid-morning at Madre de Dios Chapel at the Tagaytay Midlands, artist Zack Yonzon exchanged vows with Berenice Sim. The son of our friends Boboy and Guia Yonzon, Zack came home only recently after having been chosen among five young Asians for Discovery Channel’s special training program that took them to various places, including the US. Now it’s his turn to discover nuptial bliss.

At 2 p.m. yesterday at Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes, prizewinning poet, feature writer and fellow AdMU faculty member Ruey de Vera exchanged "I do’s" with Joysie Rufino. Of course we all know what’s been said about poets’ vows: Why, they’re certainly for keeps.

Finally, I did say I didn’t get to watch theater at all last year. I do know however that UP’s Tony Mabesa and Ateneo’s Ricky Abad both continue to do excellent work. So here’s an alert at least for the latter’s Tanghalang Ateneo staging of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, with no less than Laurice Guillen playing Amanda Wingfield. This will be at the Rizal Mini Theater in the Loyola campus starting on the weekend of Jan. 18 to 20, till Feb. 10.

Off to a good start are we! Whee!