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[av_heading heading=’ MY LIFE AS ART ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’30’ padding=’18’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY PETER SOLIS NERY
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Friday, August 18, 2017
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ON AUG. 30, Wednesday, I will be at Northern Iloilo Christian School in Balasan to give a lecture called āLiterature in the Age of Blogs, Facebook, and YouTube.ā
It is a lecture to help students, teachers, and writers understand the forms and functions demanded of literature in the digital age.
I hope it is going to be an eye opener in the teaching, writing, sharing, and consumption of literature in our third millennium.
I will tell you this: I do not have a degree in Literature, or in Writing. I am not connected with any academic institution.
And although I know the formal theories and classical elements of traditional writing, I would not even dare and presume to teach them.
I mean, sure I teach these, too, but itās not like people havenāt heard of these before. I merely review what other teachers have been teaching, AND THENā¦
And then, I diverge like a road in a yellow wood. And then, I teach what I know from my experience of the real writerās life in this new age of internet technology.
I know it is meaningful to teach that real talent will get you somewhere. That you should just concentrate on mastering your craft first, and wait until you are ready with your best work, because you donāt want to regret a mediocre first book.
I mean, that was a lesson given to me by my college teacher who was also a writer.
Thank God, I did not listen to that part about waiting for my best work.
What can I say? I am impatient. I want to do things. And I want to see results while Iām still alive. While Iām still young.
Thatās why I teach āhow to be a famous writer before you are deadā.
Mediocre writing? Check out my newspaper columns written on a deadline. Iām sure you will find plenty.
But Iām sure you will also find growth, evolution, and at least gaining, if not achieving, mastery of the craft.
Anyway, between me and those who took my teacherās advice, or even between me and that writer-teacher, Iām pretty sure I command more attention now; and Iām seriously not deteriorating, or going down, in terms of quality of writing.
Oh, believe me, I am just starting to reach the fullest of my greatest potentials!
In fact, early publication (I wrote my first book in 1990, published in 1993) gave me so much confidence that I became the boldest, and most daring (transgressive, if you will) writer of my generation.
What happened was, I was published. And then, I felt a bigger responsibility as a published writer. I wanted to outdo myself.
Notoriety was my entry point to the world of literature and publishing.
Notoriety was my ticket to fame, and, as we see later, my great fortune.
And then!
And then, the digital age came. Blogs happened. Social media happened. Facebook and YouTube happened. Self-publishing happened. Publish-on-demand happened.
Now, now, now, who has been teaching these phenomena in the Philippines? Who have been teaching writers and student-writers to cope?
Last time I checked, fiction classes still spend weeks discussing Aristotleās āPoeticsā, and the Freytag pyramid for dramatic structure.
Quick questions: Whatās hint fiction? Whatās a dribble? Whatās a drabble?
Question for reflection: How has literature adapted to the needs of the ADHD generation?
Pragmatic questions: How can you make yourself a relevant writer in the new millennium? How can you keep literature alive and meaningful in the age of social media? How can you exploit social media to promote literature that sheds light to the human consciousness at this point in the planetās life?
Believe it or not, I am a mildly successful writer. And I attribute my success to my flexibility and adaptability.
Sure, Iām not as famous as Shakespeare, or J.K. Rowling, but who among our Filipino authors are as famous as they?
So, letās not talk about Shakespeare-level fame.
Letās stick to the facts: I am the first Filipino author ever invited to the Sharjah International Book Fair in the Middle East in 2015.
Among the many authors in the Philippines, why did Sharjah choose me? How did they hear about me? How did they arrive at a decision to choose me?
Another fact: I was commissioned by DIWA Publishing and University Press of First Asia to write the Creative Writing textbook for Philippine Senior High School.
Again, among the many āgoodā writers in the Philippines, why me? I told you I do not have a degree in literature or writing! And yet, they insisted on me!
Hereās why I tell myself Iām a relative success:
In the classical or traditional writer sense, Iām a respected writer because I have been awarded prizes by respectable award-giving bodies: the Palanca, the CCP, the NCCA, the Philippine Centenial Literary Prize, among others.
But other writers who have won the same prizes do not share my popularity. Theyāre nowhere near my monstrous presence in print media, especially in Iloilo and the Western Visayas.
Nowhere close to my strong online presence, which, by the way, brought me to the attention of the Sharjah Book Fair.
Now, on the other hand, among the social media savvy and online celebrities, these flash and flashy celebs do not have my gravita, and literary respectability. Because they have not won anything for the things that they write!
So, look whoās laughing now.
Back to my special appearance and lecture in Balasan.
Iām scheduled to lecture from 8 am to 12 noon. There will be a lunch break, and then, thereās āRoyal Moment with the Kingā from 1:30 pm to 4 pm.
I donāt exactly know what the royal moment is, or will be (I have two weeks to find out), but Iām thinking it could be Q & A, photo opportunities, and general camaraderie, the author moment, or the āonce-in-a-lifetime chance to talk with the writer we most admireā (quoted from the fliers, posters, and social media posts).
Whatever this royal moment is, knowing me, Iām sure I will more than deliver.
I am, after all, the king. The king of lectures and workshops.
The King of Western Visayan Literature. So said the posters; and, of course, I wonāt disagree. I wonāt decline the honor. So, king I will be!
To attend my royal lecture, call 330-2821 or 0977-802-5134.
I promise you, this king is fun, smart, and modern! This is the king for the iGeneration. (500tinaga@gmail.com/PN)
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