April's featured poet is Juaniyo “J” Arcellana who recently released a long-overdue collection of poetry and prose collection, Under The Breadfruit Tree: Poems and Stories (De La Salle University Press, 2002). Juaniyo (b. 1959) twice won the Palanca award for poetry in the 1980s and a fiction prize from Focus magazine in the late 1970s. He has taught at the University of the Philippines (Diliman, Manila, and Los Banos) and at De La Salle University. After writing for Jingle, National Midweek, BusinessWorld, Evening Paper, Agencia EFE and Graphic , he is now deskman at the Philippine STAR . His first book, Gabriela's Sundial and Other Poems (Anvil) came out in 1992. Featured below is “Insomnia Ballad” from his book, and a previously unpublished poem from 1997 which we are pleased to debut on Meritage Press:

INSOMNIA BALLAD

Cheers be to you, my friend
without a hand to hold nor a story
to tell, sometimes it is better to
let matters take care of themselves
and focus instead on the long-winded
sad music of our ancestors.
Raise a glass, dear friend,
to the spirit and its elements,
to the angels and demons who never
wore a halo nor gave a damn, respectively,
in all the wildness of our days
and the nights ground to uneven dust.
Drink up, drink up, my friend
for tomorrow laughter will be rare
as cufflinks on a sleeveless shirt
and sleep will be even harder to come by
when insomniacs rule the earth
begging for a drink or two to still
the sot-filled hours.

UNTITLED FROM 1997

The staircase is a blank well
where no one listens, no one stares
From the 5th floor of a building Makati
gathers into a tumult of squares,
geometrical shapes gone awry, the
nadir of high-rise, half-finished construction.

Whosoever walks past in her black
stockings and cigarette offers no
consolation; only the middle of the week
but somewhere a distant sky is going up
in smoke, burning without respite the coals
in your black and blackened stairwell.

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READING INVITATIONS

From The Poetry Center at San Francisco State University:

Thursday, April 3
Maureen Owen & Eileen Tabios
at The Poetry Center, SFSU, 4:30 pm, free

THE POETRY CENTER
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco CA 94132
tel 415-338-2227
http://www.sfsu.edu/~poetry

EILEEN TABIOS has released a poetry CD and written, edited or co-edited ten books of poetry, fiction, and essays since 1996 when she traded in a finance career for poetry. Her most recent book is Reproductions of the Empty Flagpole (Marsh Hawk Press 2002; see www.marshhawkpress.org ). “Hers is a poetics of social and cultural interrogation in which she succeeds in uniting what she would call ‘the convex with the concave'” (Forrest Gander). Ms. Tabios lives outside San Francisco in St. Helena, CA.

MAUREEN OWEN is the author of numerous books of poetry, including Imaginary Income (Hanging Loose 1992), Untapped Maps (Potes & Poets 1993) and American Rush: Selected Poems (Talisman House 1998). She was founding editor of Telephone magazine and Telephone Books , one of the signature independent poetry imprints from the 1970s forward, and has a long history working in various capacities (teacher, administrator) with The Poetry Project at St. Marks Church in New York City.

THE POETRY CENTER is located in Humanities 512 on the SW corner of the San Francisco State University Campus, 1600 Holloway Avenue, two blocks west of 19th Avenue on Holloway. Take MUNI's "M" Line to SFSU, or from Daly City BART free shuttle or 28 bus.

============

From East Wind Books in Berkeley:

POETRY READING: Rick Barot and Eileen R. Tabios

When: April 16, 2003, Wednesday at 6:30pm

Location: Eastwind Books of Berkeley
2066 University Ave., Berkeley
phone: (510) 548-2350

This reading pairs two brilliant poets in a feast of "unpredictable narrative." Rick Barot's poetry in The Darker Fall has been described as "wit that turns dark, darkness that blazes up again in music and story." Eileen Tabios in Reproductions of the Empty Flagpole evokes "a captivating, utterly original imagination...stingers barbed with wit and political incisiveness".

Eileen Tabios has written, edited and co-edited ten books of poetry, fiction and essays. Reproductions of the Empty Flagpole is her first U.S. published poetry collection. Winner of the Philippines' National Book Award of Poetry, Eileen has received praise for editing Black Lightning: Poetry in Progress, The Anchored Angel: Selected Writings of Jose Garcia Villa, Babaylan: An Anthology of Filipina and Filipina American Writers.

Rick Barot is currently Jones Lecturer in Poetry at Stanford University. He was born in the Philippines and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2001, he received a poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Darker Fall is his first collection published by Sarabande Books.

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POET TONY ROBLES DEBUTS AS AUTHOR OF A NEW CHIILDREN'S BOOK!

Congratulations to poet Tony Robles who just came out with his new children's book, Lakas and the Manilatown Fish , illustrated by Carl Angel and with translations by Eloisa D. de Jesus and Magdalena de Guzman. The book already has been cited by Publisher's Weekly . Here's the publisher's description of book:

In this bilingual English-Tagalog story set in the U.S., an all-American boy of Filipino descent, some amusing manongs—Filipino elders—and a fish with unusual faculties take off on a fanciful romp through a dreamscape of the imagination. Author Anthony Robles' irrepressibly lively characters and improbably funny adventure will delight readers. Artist Carl Angel's evocative illustrations leap off the page and pay affectionate homage to one neighborhood's Filipino-American past.

For more information, go to http://www.cbookpress.org/ob/new.html

Meanwhile, here's a new poem by Tony as well:

SOMETHING FOR NOTHING

The old man said you
can't get anything for
free in this world
What old man
you ask?
Many
Some of them
are still
old, some of
them are in
the ground
I think they
Meant
well (some of them)
They were
right (some of them)
It seemed that
most folks were
after something
some form of
payment for
the privilege of
walking down the street
or maybe rolling like
a dog in the grass...
a crazy dog on his
back, tongue hanging
out trying to hump
the sky
leaving behind
clouds
But that wasn't
free, and the doors
shut, big doors, small
doors, nonexistent
doors
everybody wants
something...wants
some form of
payment
The craziest person
on this earth
is the person who
walks around
picks up the
trash, puts a
buck in a poor
guy's pocket
the nutcase
is the person
who'll do something
for nothing
the person
who'll give you
something for
free
like
this
poem

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GARGOYLE CD

Gargoyle of Washington D.C. is known for its fabulous literary journals printed since 1976. For its No. 46 edition, it has chosen to release a Spoken Word/Music CD, featuring our own Eileen Tabios. For more information, go to http://www.atticusbooks.com/gargoyle/gargoyle.html . Meanwhile, here's the CD line-up:

1. Swifty Lazarus - History is Dead/Read My Lips (4:46)
2. Kenneth Carroll - The Domino Theory or Snoop Dog Rules the World (3:08)
3. Salena Saliva Godden - Portsmouth (4:14)
4. M.L. Liebler and the Magic Poetry Band - And I Ain't Never Gonna See Bobby Rush No More! (2:43)
5. Bruce A. Jacobs - Jeep Cherokee (4:02)
6. Kim Addonizio - Full Moon (1:57)
7. Lida Husik - Breeze (3:55)
8. Barbara DeCesare - The Birthplace of Aviation (2:50)
9. Jim Williamson/Alan Spears - Lavaman (3:40)
10. Susan Browne - After Breaking Up with My 27th Boyfriend (1:09)
11. Rebecca Villarreal - Orange Food (0:56)
12. Priscilla Lee - Chinese Girl in the Mirror (2:05)
13. Andrew Sofer - Find a Way Home (3:20)
14. Nin Andrews - Sea World (1:52)
15. Brian Gilmore/Brother Ah - America (2:50)
16. Eileen Tabios - Adultery (3:04)
17. M.L. Liebler/Country Joe McDonald - The King Tree (3:16)
18. Andrew Sofer - Conkers (0:53)
19. Nin Andrews - Domestic Bliss (2:27)
20. Ken Waldman - The Violinmakers (1:49)
21. Priscilla Lee - Becoming a Cross Dresser (2:38)
22. Kim Addonizio - What Do Women Want? (1:24)
23. Little Pink - Bumblebee (4:55)
24. Susan Browne - Full Moon, Cabo San Lucas (1:24)
25. Rebecca Villarreal - Fresh Tomatoes (1:28)
26. Lida Husik - Lovers Divine (3:50)
27. Bruce A. Jacobs - Shock (2:34)
28. Eileen Tabios - Grey, Surreptitiously (2:24)
29. Jim Williamson - Blue Light On (2:31)

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DEAR U.S. MILITARY AND U.S. GOVERNMENT

The following is the text of a letter sent to the U.S. Military in a continued attempt by Filipinos and others to prevent the abuse of language. It's self-explanatory:

The Military Order of the Carabao
The Army and Navy Club
901 17th NW
Farragut Square
Washington DC 20006-2503.

Dear Military Order,

We are writing to you to share the concerns of the Filipino community -- concerns that also should be shared by anyone interested in fairness and correct education about history. We have two requests:

1) Please correct the information on your web site which refers to "Philippine Insurection." The use of the word "Insurrection" is factually erroneous. It was NOT a Philippine "Insurrection." It was an appropriate Philippine defensive response to what was then an invasion by the United States. It was not an "Insurrection" for that word implies that the U.S. armed forces then represented either civil authority or an established government against which the people were rebelling.

2) Please amend the name of your Order by deleting the reference to "Carabao." As the reference to the Philippine water buffalo occurs as a result of the Philippine-U.S. War through which the U.S. invaded and then colonized the Philippines, we do not feel it appropriate for the Military Order to continue this imperialist practice by co-opting the carabao into its name today.

Given that the Philippines and the United States today are close allies, we hope that you will be sensitive to making this change -- which only results in having your site more truthfully reflect what actually happened.

Thank you for your time. We look forward to hearing back from you on your response to this matter.

Sincerely,
1. Eileen Tabios, "Babaylan Speaks," Meritage Press
2. Leny Mendoza Strobel, Author, Coming Full Circle:The Process of Decolonization Among Post-1965 Filipino Americans
3. Judy Helfand, "Understanding Whiteness/Unraveling Racism"; educator and consultant
4. Beth Gallock, Hutchins School of Liberal Studies, Sonoma State University, California
5. Leo Paz, Ed.D., , Chair - Philippine Studies Department, City College of San Francisco
6. David Szanton, University of Califoirnia, Berkeley, (retired)
7. P. Emraida K. Kiram, Filipino American National Historical Society, Wisconsin Chapter
8. Marsha Banks, Student, Sonoma State University
9. Ianthe Brautigan, Author, "You Can't Catch Death," Saint Martin's Press
10. Michael G. Price, Michigan Center
11. Connie Barzaghi, Parent, Activist
12. Laurie Lippin, co-author, "Understanding Whiteness/Unraveling Racism", Faculty, UC Davis.
13. Elena Featherston, "New Ways to Learn" and "Featherston & Associcates; mediator, educator, consultant
14. Reme Antonia Grefalda, Editor, OUR OWN VOICE, Literary ezine for Filipinos in the Diaspora
15. Cheryl Elacio, American Student Dental Association (ASDA
16. Linda Ty-Casper, author, The Stranded Whale about the Philippine-American War.
17. Jean V. Gier, "Filipino American Literature," co-author (Greenwood Press), and "The Filipino Presence in Hollywood's Bataan Films," Ateneo de Manila University Press.
18. Thomas Fink, author of "A Different Sense of Power: Problems of Community in Late-Twentieth-Century Poetry"; and "Gossip"
19. Nick Carbo, author of Secred Asian Man, editor of Returning a Borrowed Tongue, and winner of a $20,000 grant (1997) from the National Endowment for the Arts
20. Jimmy H. Tecson, Head-Customer Servces, BNP Paribas, Manila Offshore Bank, Makati City, Philippines
21. Christopher Mark Clemente, Grand Chancellor, ALPHA PHI OMEGA, Gordon College Petitioning Chapter
22. Linda Maria Nietes, Philippine Expressions Bookshop
23. Monica Medina, PA-C, Chinatown Clinic
24. Peggy Healy, Senior Consultant, Future Work Institute
25. Alba Baez, Abbott Laboratories, Programmer/Analyst
26. Dee Dee Risher, coeditor, The Other Side magazine
27. Janet S. Karon, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Philippines II
28. Amanda Bueno, Research Analyst, First 5 LA
29. Aquilino Javier Jr., Vice President, National Association of Filipino American United Methodists
30. National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA)
31. Oscar Penaranda, Teacher/Writer
32. Eddie Alferez, Student
33. Kei Fischer, Ethnic Studies graduate, UC Berkeley
34. Julie Fischer, student, San Jose
35. Kyoko Fischer, artist, San Jose
36. Barbara Jane Reyes, Poet, MFA, San Francisco State University
37. Karen Marie Villa, Asian Am Studies graduate, UC Berkeley
38. Jon Melegrito, Public Relations Director, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA)
39. Elvie Melegrito, Office Coordinator, Kay Spiritual Life Center, American University, Washington, D.C.
40. Danilo Begonia, Professor Asian American Studies, San Francisco State University
41. Jason Gavilan, History graduate, UC Berkeley
42. Olivia Gonzalez, Canadian Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors
43. Gina Masequesmay, Asian Am. Studies Assistant Professor, CSU Northridge
44.. Enrique de la Cruz, Asian American Studies Professor, CSU, Northridge
45. Jay Mendoza, FOCUS - San Jose (Filipino Community Support)
46. Vanessa Nisperos, Students for Justice, San Jose State University
47. Lily Mendoza, Assistant Professor, University of Denver
48. Perla Daly, Creator, www.newfilipina.com
49. Kathy Nadeau, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, CSU San Bernardino
50. Gary Sullivan, Co-Editor, Poetry Project Newsletter
51. PAtricia Espiritu, Co-Author, Pinoy Teach
52. Nadine Sarreal, co-editor, Our Own Voice, Literary ezine for Filipinos in the Diaspora
53. Imelda Fruto, Secondary School Teacher, LAUSD
54. Amir Cuna-Bustamante,The Straits Times (of Singapore), Washington DC Bureau