RWP’s Coffee and Conversation Journeys to the Past by Bringing You to Escolta
It was once written, like a poem wanting to be immortalized, how Filipinos once kissed by placing their foreheads against each other, before breathing out through their noses. This act of surrender, as if two souls finding solace in the middle of pandemonium, was recounted by no other than Nick Joaquin, using his pseudonym Quijano de Manila, in his Reportage on Lovers, first published in 1977.
Truthfully, it is a paean to the way Filipinos around the world love greatly, celebrated also by National Artist, Fernando Amorsolo through his paintings.
Returning Fisherman (1943) Oil on board by Fernando Amorsolo/ IMAGE courtesy of Frazer Fine Arts
And if this isn’t the makings of a Historical Romance, we don’t know what is. Like an old wine getting more luscious with age, the genre that is Historical Romance does the same.
Join the Romance Writers of the Philippines (RWP) as they bring you to the past with this quarter’s Coffee and Conversation (C&C), by taking you to one of the most historic streets of Manila: Escolta!
On September 8, learn all you need to know about Historical Romance by participating in a casual meet-up with writers who are interested in the genre. So, if Military Romances get you on your toes, if Overcoming Writers’ Block is on the top of your list, and if you want Self-Editing Tips from Editors, then this is the event to be a part of!
In addition, C&C makes it more exciting, as they incorporate a touch of Historical Field Trip to their much-awaited event, by meeting up at 1 pm at Escolta’s First United Building, where the writers will get to meet several historians at a place called HUB: Make Lab, the home of a community of arts and crafts sellers.
First United Building as part of “30 Snaps of Manila: Preserving the Classics in the 21st Century” courtesy of wejeanmarie.com
RWP also wants you to know more about the Tram Line in Escolta through the Coffee and Conversation./IMAGE courtesy of Romance Writers of the Philippines
Hub Make Lab courtesy of www.98-b.org/hubmakelab
Head of art collective at 1372 Designs Seb de Jesus, who has a small store in Escolta called Kariton, will be meeting the writers there, together with Lorraine Sy-Lianteng, Property Manager of the First United Building at Escolta, who will give a tour of the building. RWP will also be gathering other experts more, who will be guiding the writers through a particular era in Escolta that would be of interest to the writers.
Seb de Jesus, known to reuse the old to make it into art, will be gracing RWP’s Coffee and Conversation./ IMAGE courtesy of Manila Bulletin and Philippine News Agency
If you are also into photography, you have nothing to worry about as RWP will be giving you ample of time to spare to take some valuable photographs and to buy some souvenirs of your trip to Escolta, before relaxing and grabbing some coffee at The Den.
And then, as if talking to long lost friends, RWP will be discussing common plot lines and other writing tips to budding writers and authors of romances alike. Whether the discussion on Historicals will revolve around Filipino or Western Romance will be up to the participants’ questions.
The Den is a coffee place inside the HUB, which serves local coffee./ IMAGE courtesy of The Den Facebook Page
According to Historical Fantasies and Paranormal Romance author, Maita Rue, who is also the current host for C&C and the Head of Events for RWP, C&C as a quarterly event, aims “to provide an informal environment to writers and aspiring writers to help them on their writing journey through various topics.”
With RWP as a gateway to educating and reaching more and more readers and writers around the country, helping local authors to build networks among other authors, publishers, and media, C&C can be an aspiring writers’ first step to reaching his or her long-term writing goals.
So join Romance Writers of the Philippines as they journey to the past by bringing you to Escolta in this year’s Coffee and Conversation! For more information, you can visit RWP’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/RomanceWritersPH and join the discussions on the Historical Field Trip at http://bit.ly/2PyM3Iy.
Details:
What: Coffee and Conversation: Historicals (Plotting and Writing Historical Romances)
Where: Escolta Street, Escolta Manila
When: September 8
Ticket Information:
Event is free of charge.
Museum Entrance: Php 50 (Optional)
Coffee or Snacks: Php 150 (Optional)
Written by Chin Sanigan
Sources: Romance Writers of the Philippines, Maita Rue, Jaja Samaniego, Manila Bulletin, 98B Collaboratory, HUB Make Lab
