The Ateneo de Naga University Press will launch the reprinted books of Fr. Wilmer Joseph S. Tria and poet Kristian Sendon Cordero this coming January 25, 2010 at the Richie Fernando Hall (3PM), Ateneo de Naga University in Naga City.
First published in 2006, the Ako asin An Kapwa Ko is a seminal work of Fr. Tria that encourages learners to use the Bikol language in the task of philosophizing. In this new edition, the book has included several poems of contemporary Bikol poets, Bikol folksongs, and several texts translated into Bikol, to further stimulate among its readers the deep appreciation for one's language and culture.
Fr. Tria who heads the Philosophy Department of Ateneo de Naga University has also done several book projects, most notable is the coffee table book Ina and the Bikol People: A Journey of Faith published in 2001. He also served as co-author of An Satuyang Tataramon, a comprehensive study on Bikol languages and has written a children storybook, The First Peñafrancia Fiesta in Bikol released last year.
Described as the enfant terrible of Bikol poetry, Kristian Sendon Cordero comes with a 'revisited' volume of Bikol poems in his book Pusuanon: Mga Bersong Bikol, which carries the English translations of Marne L. Kilates and H. Francisco V. Peñones Jr.
First published in 2007 by Goldprint, an independent publishing house in Bikol, the book of Cordero was cited as a finalist in the 27th National Book Award.
In his short review, New York-based poet Luis Cabalquinto has these words about Cordero: 'One of the bright lights of the recent Bikolnon writing renaissance, Kristian Cordero presents in his poetry Pusuanon, intimate sketches and portraits of the people and land of his birth. He does this with a confident hand, cool detachment and, very often, with tongue-in-cheek humor. Fully in command of his material, Cordero's poetic diction deftly fuses real and surreal elements to elicit from the thoughtful reader not only high amusement but also deep understanding.'
Cordero who also writes in Filipino has received the Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award in 2006, the NCCA Writers' Prize for Poetry and the Maningning Miclat Awards.
The book launching will coincide with the Harampangan and Pintakasi nin mga Libro, which will gather Bikol writers to discuss their poetics and politics in their writings. The writers who will compose the panel are last year's SEA WRITE awardee Abdon Balde Jr., Bikol historian Dr. Danilo M. Gerona, literary critic Paz Verdades Santos together with Frank Peñones Jr, Vic Nierva, Fr. Wilmer Tria and Adrian Remodo.