Sibale hosts 6th RDL-CLEAR Writing Workshop

From March 26 to 28, 2009, Romblon’s literary fever will notch a few degrees higher as the Concepcion National High School (CNHS) in Sibale hosts the 6th RDL-CLEAR Writing Workshop on the Three Romblon Languages—Asi, Unhan, and Ini.

The writing workshop is an annual pilgrimage for young Romblomanon writers.

RDL-CLEAR has tapped Kusog Sibalenhon, an association of Sibalenhons engaged in cultural, economic and welfare programs for the island of Sibale, to organize the workshop. Kusog, in turn, has joined hands with the Concepcion National High School (CNHS) to co-host the activity.

“Kusog is proud to organize this year’s RDL-CLEAR writing workshop, and prouder still to bring it to Sibale, Romblon’s remotest municipality,” said Nicon Fameronag, Kusog chair and who himself is an Asi writer.

For this year’s edition of the most anticipated date in Romblon’s literary calendar, Kusog Sibalenhon has invited Victor Emmanuel Carmelo D. Nadera, Jr., an award-winning poet, fictionist, playwright, and essayist as resource person, and Ryan Machado, a noted Unhan writer, as a critique-lecturer.

Ismael Fabicon, RDL-CLEAR chair emeritus and one of Romblon’s acknowledged cultural warriors, will be participating in the workshop. As in the past workshops, he will share his wisdom and experiences on writing in one’s own language and issue the challenge to the writers to utilize to the fullest their literary expression in their own tongues.

The writing workshop seeks to promote and preserve Asi, Unhan, and Ini and to re-awaken the Romblomanons’ consciousness about their rich language heritage. It also aims to develop Romblomanon writers in these languages.

Young writers from Romblon’s 17 municipalities have been invited to join the workshop. Selected fellows will be entitled to full reimbursement of the transportation expenses to and from the workshop venue and to free food and accommodation. They shall, likewise, be paid modest honoraria for the three-day workshop.

Every year, RDL-CLEAR sponsors the workshop in the hope of mining the rich literary talents in the province.

There will be at least 20 writing fellows in this year’s workshop. Some of them are third- and fourth-year high school students; some enrolled in colleges and universities. Some have written either a poem, or a short story, or a play, or an essay, or a news feature in a newspaper or campus publication, while still others are members of a cultural group and are engaged in a cultural activity in their respective communities. Most have shown an inclination to write or pursue a writing career.

Fameronag said there is much to be gained from the writing workshop.

“For one, it will once again bring to the surface the heretofore undiscovered literary talents of the Romblomanons. For another, it will expose the young writers to the crude tools of the writing craft and they will be better for it,” he said.

For more information about the workshop, call Nicon F. Fameronag at 0917 623 8842 or email him at aralcalil [at] yahoo.com.