By Dhel Sue Cabiara
To learn more about the influence of the Silliman University National Writers Workshop (SUNWW) in Philippine letters, a team of German press visited SU last July 8 in preparation for the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair.
Dr. Alana Leilani C. Narciso, associate dean of SU College of Arts and Sciences, discussed the “IOWA influence,” writers produced by the SUNWW, and how it shaped the direction of literature in the country during the briefing.
“We are very much proud of [the SUNWW] because its alumni now shape the direction of Philippine literature. […] Visits like this remind us as well that literature will always be fundamentally important to any education,” she stated.
Narciso said that the purpose of the visit was for “visibility” and to let the German delegates know that “what they are doing in SU is meaningful and worthwhile.”
Moreover, the media visit was in line with the Philippines’ commitment as this year’s Guest of Honor for the Frankfurt Book Fair at Frankfurt, Germany in October.
The said event is an annual five-day publishing gathering aimed at launching books and facilitating the negotiation of the international sale of rights and licences.
Narciso added that the fair will feature the country’s literary and artistic heritage in the international scene.
“Literature reveals the aspirations and ethos of people. We may not always have the same perspectives and aspirations, but we do agree on fundamental things as a people—what is desirable, what is just, what is good and beautiful,” she said.
This is the second international media visit deployed by FBM which included Monopol Magazine editors, critics, reporters, and coordinators.
Edilberto and Edith Tiempo CWC Coordinator Kaycee Melon, Department of English and Literature Chair Dr. Joan Generoso, and the SUNWW secretariat team were also present in the visit.
They were joined by Philippine members and representatives of the Philippines-Guest of Honor, National Book Development Board, and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.
The delegates also organized a conversation with the Buglas Writers Guild at Libraria, 58 EJ Blanco – Arts and Design Collective Dumaguete after the initial visit with local writers.
