PAN Episode Book Launch: What Light It Can Hold The Philippine Short Story in the Twenty-First Century

Milflores Publishing and The UP Institute of Creative Writing (UP ICW) launch What Light It Can Hold: The Philippine Short Story in the Twenty-First Century, a collection of contemporary Filipino fiction that reflects the evolving landscape of Philippine society.
Edited by Gerald Burns and Jose Dalisay, this anthology features stories that capture the struggles, aspirations, and cultural shifts of Filipinos in the 21st century.

The book launch along with a book talk by the editors will stream on May 16, 2025 | 1PM via the LIKHAAN: UP Institute of Creative Writing Facebook Page.

The Panayam sa Panitikan sa Panahon ng Pandemya (PAN Series) is a series of online lectures and discussions that aims to help writers with the production of literature considering the immense pressure brought by the pandemic. These conversations are made to foster a digital community where they can safely exchange ideas and enrich their own craft. Like the physical iteration of Panayam (Feb 2020), viewers are allowed to pitch in their questions and comments. This is done through the comments section of the Facebook post. The episodes also allotted time for panelists and moderators to answer questions in the live or recorded talkback portion of the program.

Meet the editors:
Gerald Burns holds a PhD in American Studies from Yale University and is Emeritus Professor of English at Franklin Pierce University. The recipient of three Fulbright fellowships for teaching and lecturing on American literature in the Philippines, he has cultivated a longstanding interest in Philippine literature. He is the author of Presenting America, Encountering the Philippines (1993) and has written on such topics as the repatriate theme in Philippine fiction, the evolution of Martial Law genre, the American Dream and the Filipino-American writer, and contemporary Philippine short fiction.

Jose Dalisay is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of the Philippines, where he also chaired the English department and serve as Director of the UP Institute of Creative Writing and Vice President for Public Affairs. He has BA (English, cum laude) from University of the Philippines, an MFA (Creative Writing) from University of Michigan, and a PhD (English) from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Aside from publishing 40 books of fiction and nonfiction, he also edited The Essential Manuel Arguilla Reader and Likhaan: The Journal of Contemporary Philippine Literature.

Source: Likhaan: University of the Philippines Institute of Creative Writing Facebook