MANILA, Philippines – Joel Toledo will launch The Long Lost Startle, his second volume of poetry, tomorrow, July 20, at Mag:net café Katipunan as part of the 57th installment of the bi-weekly Happy Mondays Poetry Nights. The book launch and signing will take place from 7 to 8:30p.m. at the café’s first floor gallery area, followed by poetry readings and performances which will be hosted by Kris Lacaba. Guest readers for the night include literary luminaries Gemino Abad, Alfred Yuson, Benilda Santos, Marne Kilates, Marjorie Evasco, Patrick Rosal, Neil Garcia, Mikael Co, Rafael San Diego, Khavn De la Cruz, Pancho Villanueva, RJ Baliza, Mia Tijam, and Wincy Ong. Featured performers at 10 p.m. are Ang Bandang Shirley, Lourd de Veyra and Jay Japasin of Goliath, and Los Chupacabraz.
The Long Long Startle is comprised of poems from Toledo’s NCCA Writers Prize grant, as well as verses that won for him the 2006 Bridport Prize (UK) and the 2006 Meritage Press Prize (USA). The 59-poem collection is published by the University of the Philippines Press, and comes with an introduction by Gemino Abad.
Toledo is a two-time Palanca awardee for Poetry in English and is a literature professor at Miriam College.