WHAT did you do to celebrate February 2023 as the National Arts Month?
I planned a show at the museum of contemporary arts, and they decided that they couldn’t accommodate me on short notice. Fine!
I planned a series of creative writing workshops; and realized exactly one online.
I think I’m going to pass on collaborative work for now, and will do more personal work.
Like writing for the Palanca 2023. Haha.
***
After the fiery idea of a show at MOCA was shot down—late did I propose, my fault— I went on with the idea of creative writing workshops.
A series of online and in-person workshops.
But I have set my price at P5,000 (minimum) per session.
If it’s face-to-face, a minimum of P5,000 plus accommodation and travel expenses.
Online, it’s going to be P500 per head, with a minimum of 10 participants.
***
“Brown Eyes” was the first workshop.
I was ready to follow it up with “I’m a son of a gun, and my mother is a cannonball”.
The day before the workshop, I got six registrants, and still several people who where inquiring.
I was thinking that P500 is too much for poor people who want to be poets.
I was planning to cancel Brown Eyes.
I was feeling it wasn’t worth my time.
But a friend advised me to just go ahead, and count it as an achieved goal for Arts Month.
Financial loss (in other words, box office flop), but mission accomplishment.
***
If I were after money, I’d count Brown Eyes as a mere loss.
But as it is, as it was, it was a very fulfilling event.
The fact that the six participants were all grateful and satisfied, I still count as a great triumph.
It’s not a success that I will celebrate by buying a P2,000 bottle of wine (we only registered P3,000, remember).
But it’s a reason to go and splurge on coffee.
***
It is also something to rest my restless soul.
To satisfy my messianic complex.
A marker to say that I did something to promote (literary) arts in the Philippines.
I’m ready to be idle for the rest of the month, although a friend and I were just thinking of another photoshoot for me before February ends.
***
Three teachers enrolled in my workshop.
The other three were students.
One Peter’s Prize winner.
Two were former participants in my various online and in-person workshops.
Four were ThePSN workshop virgins.
They had their own concerns, own agenda (master’s degree thesis, publication, teaching techniques, winning the Palanca).
I really hope I satisfied those needs.
If I didn’t, I’ll blame them for not pushing me hard enough.
Because when there are questions, I do not stop until they are answered.
***
We managed three writing exercises in four hours.
Two participants claimed to have written five outputs within the same time period.
I’ll agree with them that I was pretty generous in my critique of their works.
As to critiquing pre-workshop written work, now, that’s for a different workshop.
Brown Eyes was aimed to provide a direction, a new starting point for poetry of the brown-eyed people.
***
The biggest question in the workshop was: What is Poetry?
How do we know that it is poetry?
What makes something poetry?
How do we criticize poetry?
It was a question that I modified to read as: What is Poetry in the 2020s?
And if my answers did not provide a new direction for Filipino poetry in the 21st century, I don’t know what will.
***
Most of the participants were concerned about publication, and, of course, winning literary awards like the Palanca.
I gave them tips about submission, and gave no assurances about winning.
But I also pointed out that true poetry is not out to compete.
That poetry is a way of life.
A way of seeing the world.
A way to be happy.
***
I’m glad that I conducted my online poetry workshop.
It made real (at least, for other people) what was going in my mind.
That the participants recognized the power of poetry in my life, and its effects on my social media posts, and my image as a person living the ideal life, that is not a loss at all.
Not a waste of time.
I continue to be the greatest because my witnessing is solid and true.
***
It is perhaps easier for my life as a columnist to share everything I know about poetry.
But why would I do easy?
I still want that P500 (discounted price) per head per workshop!
Art is expensive!/PN
