Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Have Horn, Will Toot

You're invited to a party! Well, it's just a cyberspace party, and it's just here at my blog, and there won't be any food, drinks, music, dancing, or hot-looking people (correction: there will be hot-looking virtual people), but still.

What am I celebrating, you ask? At the very real risk of appearing hopelessly tacky, I am taking a cue from Walt Whitman and celebrating my own dang self. So without further to-do, I present a press release that appeared in my in-box over the weekend:

Contact: Tel: 703 276 0427
our_own_voice@yahoo.com
http://www.oovrag.com

“BERNIE ARAGON JR. LOOKS FOR LOVE” TOPS SHORT STORY COMPETITION

“Bernie Aragon Jr. Looks for Love,” a lighthearted and poignant short story by Veronica Montes, captured First Prize in The Ivy Terasaka Short Story Competition sponsored by Our Own Voice, online literary ezine. The story will appear online at Our Own Voice in September.

Veronica Montes is a native of San Francisco, California. Her fiction has been published in the literary journals Prism International, Furious Fictions, and maganda, and in the anthologies Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America (Anvil, 1997), Growing Up Filipino (Philippine American Literary House, 2003), and Going Home to a Landscape: Writings by Filipinas (Calyx, 2003).

Dr. Luisa Igloria, sole judge for the competition, is Associate Professor in the Creative Writing Program & Department of English at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. In reviewing the entries, she praises Bernie Aragon as a “well-rounded story … because of its balanced mix of humor and pathos.” As a fictionist herself and a multi-awarded poet, Dr. Igloria notes that Bernie Aragon possesses a “confident sense of dialogue and place . . . resurrect[ing] the narratives of [an] era rife with the tensions of racial violence, anti-miscegenation and other discriminatory practices; and dramatizes the situation of Filipino busboys and migrant workers in 1927 Watsonville and up and down the West Coast.”

Veronica Montes will receive a check for $100 and a copy of Our Own Voice Literary / Arts Journal (Firstfruits/PWU, 2003). Our Own Voice extended an invitation for her to read her prize-winning story at a gathering of writers in the Library of Congress, Washington, DC in Spring 2006 for the LOC Asian Division’s centennial commemoration of the Filipino First Wave Migration to the U.S.

The competition was named for Ivy Terasaka who was an emerging writer vacationing with her family when the Tsunami of 2004 swept the beach resort where they were to spend their holiday. For a short while, she was a familiar face and voice at various Singapore literary events. In late 2003, Ivy discovered Our Own Voice and submitted a short story. "The Last Time I Saw Nanay" was published posthumously in the January 2005 issue of Our Own Voice. To honor her dream of being a writer, the editors of the cyberspace ezine will be holding the annual competition in her memory.

Ten finalists were selected by the Editorial Board and presented to the independent judge for selection of the winners. No awards were given for Second or Third Prize this year. The competition attracted entries from around the world. A majority of submissions were from the United States and the Philippines, and other entries came from The Netherlands, Denmark, and Australia.

- end -

Many, many thanks to Our Own Voice and to Luisa Igloria for giving "Bernie Aragon, Jr. Looks for Love" the nod. I am quite grateful and happy. And...I'm going to the Library of Congress!!

55 comments:

Gura said...

Whoo-hoo! Congratulations! (clink, sip!)
I'll clink and sip some more as soon as other people post their comments.

ver said...

Thank you!

See? What'd I say? Look at the Virtually Hot Gura with her fabulous cheekbones and eyebrows...

Jean Vengua said...

Congrats, and great party, Ver! Now let me get at that lumpia...

Ian Rosales Casocot said...

this is happy news! CONGRATULATIONS! :)

ver said...

Thank you Jean (and, wow, that jacket looks great) and to Ian, too, for coming all the way from Negros Oriental!

Anonymous said...

...sorry for getting to the party late - hair drama. could someone take my coat? and yes, i'd love a cocktail.
so proud of you!!!!!!! I'm coming to DC!!! Wouldn't want to miss your big reading... Do you think they'll be serving Chalupas?

ver said...

Ah, weez...at last we will meet! And Lola Lomy, too?! And cherry blossoms, muggy D.C. weather, and that good bookstore in Logan Circle/Adams Morgan? How fun is that?

I'll be the one with the rose between my teeth...

na said...

Wine, wine!!! I brought cases of wine! Red, white, in-between? Let me pour, let me pour. AND NOW A HUGE TOAST TO YOU!!!!!

CookieDuster said...

Congrats! Gonna get out my lighthearted and poignant Zoo pals for snacks!

Anonymous said...

Hey, V! Forget the "virtual party"-- let's have an ACTUAL party in your newly-remodeled house -- ha ha ha ha!

Seriously, I'm thrilled for you. That Library of Congress gig sounds like the event of a lifetime (Girl, you will knock all those people in the audience dead!)

ver said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ver said...

Nothing like the Chatelaine's fine wines paired with snacks on CD's Zoo Pal plates.

And Marianne, come on over. Just don't be surprised if my daughters try to drag you into some extended pretend drama in which the name "Phoebe" or "Cristal" is cruelly forced on you...

(Don't tell the others, but the party didn't really start until the 3 of you arrived. And...thank you!)

Princess Leia said...

Congratulations!

Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor said...

Hello! Hello! I'm fashionably late as usual...here's some adobo for later!

Congratulations m'dear! Well done, well done!

bjanepr said...

congrats vs. ver! see, cocktails *are* in order....

ver said...

Oh my...I bet Ian, CD, and Kuya are happy to have all the beee-yoo-tiful ladies to themselves at this shindig...

Thank you Dets, Bec, and BJ!

A. D. said...

Sorry I'm late. . . was a long drive.

Congratulations!

ver said...

Someone get this guy some halo-halo! Thanks A.D.!

OBermeo said...

bX in da house!
and i brought the whole crew
http://flickr.com/photos/geminipoet/14969432/

so bust out the freestyle jams & chicago house tracks cuz we came here to part-ay

congrats, ver!

Jean Vengua said...

Damn, you throw a good party, Ver. And you didn't think there'd be any food? Think again! I brought the music; "It's Dancin' Time" by Mr. Scruff & Quantic! (I hope this works)

na said...

But wait -- I wine and whine: of course I also specifically brought champagne! Come get your bubbles!
eileen

na said...

Barb,
Where the heck is your laing?

And Gura, you must have brought sisig!!!!!

Pinoy-food-deprived Eileen

bjanepr said...

LOL laing on tha way! eileen, recommend a good accompanying riesling?

(ob, can you eat laing? or shall i jus bring u some goooood scotch?)

OBermeo said...

barbara: being that its ver's party, we can have BOTH the pork & the glenmorangie

on my end, ceviche de camaron for everybody!

ver said...

Dang, o.b., I thought for sure you'd show up with Conger Chowder! Never mind, never mind, it's all sarap! to me...

And Jean, the music works! Now if we only had scratch and sniff for the food and wine...

(This type of gathering should be called a "Blogtail Party.")

Anonymous said...

Wow-
congrats...how exciting. DC isn't too far from NY- and the Library of Congress is very cool...Roadtrip!

Anonymous said...

I can't stay late. I need a LOT of beauty sleep. But, did bring the octodogs. I'm so proud of you!!!

Please, let me have your autograph.

JD

A. D. said...

'Blogtail party'? . . . and what's with the lampshade on your head?

Rich Villar said...

(crashes through back door)

VAAAAAYAAAAAAAAA! I'm crashin this sucka. Where's the pork?

Oh, uhmm, ahem. (straightens up)

Hello, Veronica. Pleased to meet you. Congrats are in order, I see.

I shall be honored to make your acquaintance if/when you ever make it to the Bx or if I ever make it out your way. That goes for you too, Ms. Barbara Jane Reyes.

Meantime. WHERE'S THAT PORK?

Anonymous said...

Hey - can we have the next Delfino - Montes reunion there?

What a support group you'd have!

JD

ver said...

OMG, where are my bouncers? WHERE ARE THEY?

Rich, you frickin' landed on the lechon!! No matter, there is plenty of other pork around. Welcome, welcome. I believe you already know o.b.?

Thanks JD & Gica!

A.D...I won't make fun of your rainbow sandals; you don't make fun of my lampshade. Hahahahahahahaha!

Rich Villar said...

Sorry about the lechon. Luckily I brought two more.

Ah, yes, the ubiquitous Mr. Bermeo. :) Alas, poor Yorick, I know him well. Too well.

He speaks very highly of you. And any friend of ob's is a friend of mine. Who's the bouncer, you ask? Well, shucks, I'M the bouncer. LOL

A. D. said...

Hey now it's Rainbow, the brand not the color pattern. . .

Great food by the way.

Anonymous said...

Sorry I'm late. I got lost. Here are the jello shots!

na said...

Oh fer crissakes. Who snatched away the tips of those pig ears?!!! Dang lechon hound! Is that you, Rich? (nice to meetcha).

Riesling, Barb? I forgot as I only brought Californians. But, hey, I'd check out the Pride Mountain Winery viognier!

And, oh yeah!!!! Purple ube time!!!!

Anonymous said...

I knew it! I knew it! There was never any doubt in my mind you would win an award.

Congratulations! UL and I are extremely proud of you.

See you in D.C.

Gura said...

Of course the sisig is sizzling, just like this party!

Also brought a tray of kamoteng kahoy. I'm on a Filipino cooking mode right now.

ver said...

I've been out for a couple of hours (bad hostess! bad hostess!), but I see the party went on without me and my lampshade. Thanks for your kind words, Lenggay!

Stay, relax, take a nap if you want—and please finish all this food—but I'm gonna kick you guys out at midnight. It's a school night, and I see I need to sweep up and do some dishes around here.

You all were so nice to celebrate with me! *air kiss, air kiss*

Jean Vengua said...

OK, time to change tracks and heat things up a bit: how about Besame Mucho by country western pinay diva, Anna Fermin. From her Trigger Gospel album, Things to Come.

ver said...

Awesome, Jean! Was that...Rich on the castanets?!!!

Jean Vengua said...

ah, yeah, I think it was. Well, I don't wanna risk getting bounced out, and it's almost midnight...(where's my jacket?) Time to turn into a pumpkin and go on home. Great party, Ver, and congrats again on your short story prize. Looking forward to reading it...

ver said...

Pffft. There's no one to bounce you out, as Rich is already knocked out on the sofa!

(Don't tell the others, but you were my favorite guest...)

Safe travels home, all.

A. D. said...

This time zone thing is really messing me up. . . am I the only one still up partying?

A. D. said...

Ok. . . I did take a bit of a nap.

ver said...

So that's where you snuck off to—the nap room. I thought you left in a huff over the Rainbow sandal scandal...

Carl said...

This is even bigger than being a columnist on Backwash!

Congrats, V! This is so cool! Or, as my buds would have said in years past, "Duuude!!!"

ver said...

Hahahaha! Thanks Carl!

And since you and A.D. are still on the premises, I'll make you guys some...Spam fried rice! Or champurrado? You want champurrado?

na said...

And now i'm ready for breakfast....!
eileen

ver said...

Longsilog for Eileen!

Jean Vengua said...

(yawn), g'morning everyone (smoothing down my bedhead). Uh, thanks for putting me up in the guestroom, afterall. And hope you don't mind, I already ate a bit of that leftover lechon and rice...in the middle of the night...

Aghh!! I have a job interview today! Gotta run! Thanks again for putting on that great party!

xxx

ver said...

Knock 'em dead, Jean!

And, um...you snore.

Rich Villar said...

(wakes, scratches head) wow. is it friday already?

ver said...

OMG, Rich, I had no idea you were still here. Since it's still morning for you, I present...longaniza and rice.

You can bounce at this here nesting ground anytime you like.

Anonymous said...

Sweet!!!!

Very happy for you!

Joots

ver said...

Hiya joots! Thanks much, doll.