THE MANY INTRODUCTIONS TO THE UNIQUE RICHNESS OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

I'm working on the inaugural release of THE HALO-HALO REVIEW, a journal that will present and collect links to reviews and other engagements with Filipino literature of all genres.  One of its features will be presenting online material that is published offline, e.g. introductions to books.  Looking at the list --SEE BELOW -- and re-reading these material, I'm reminded yet again about the specific and unique nature of Filipino literature -- and how its glory is often subsumed, reduced or elided when it's contextualized into such frameworks as "Asian American," "___ of Color," "Immigrant," "Global," and so on.  There is a specific richness to Filipino English literature that reflects the Philippines' history and that, given the Philippine's history with English, will reach its glory this century (as I predicted last century).  What will be wonderful about this section below is that they present a compelling portrait of my claims.

I'm also presenting this list now as what I have for the first issue, including what I have permission to reprint.  If you have others you would like to add to this list, I can take them until Sept. 7, 2015.  Or (if there are permissions logistics), I can take them for the second issue whose deadline is Jan. 30, 2016.  Contact me at galateaten@gmail.com


From Books: Introductions, Prefaces, Forewords or Afterwords 
(Hopefully this list is incomplete as I'm not listing titles whose permissions are still outstanding)

Luis H. Francia introduces BROWN RIVER, WHITE OCEAN: An Anthology of Twentieth-Century Philippine Literature in English (Rutgers University Press, 1993)

The Co-Editors introduce BABAYLAN: An Anthology of Filipina and Filipina American Writers, edited by Nick Carbo and Eileen Tabios (Aunt Lute Press, San Francisco, 2000)
--Nick Carbo: "The Other Half of the Sky"
--Eileen R. Tabios: "Rupturing Language for the Rapture of Beauty"

Edwin Lozada introduces FIELD OF MIRRORS: Anthology of Philippine American Writers  (Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc., San Francisco, 2008)

Nick Carbo introduces PINOY POETICS: A Collection of Autobiographical and Critical Writings on Filipino and Filipino American Poetics (Meritage Press, San Francisco & St. Helena, 2004)

Jessica Hagedorn introduces THE ANCHORED ANGEL: The Writings of Jose Garcia Villa, edited by Eileen R. Tabios (Kaya Press, New York, 1999)

Amanda [Ngoho] Reavey introduces not so, sea, a poetry collection by MG Roberts (Durga Press, 2014)

Three Poet-Editors introduce The First Hay(na)ku Anthology, co-edited by Mark Young and Jean Vengua (Meritage Press, San Francisco & St. Helena, 2005)
--Mark Young: "A not so tercet note"
--Jean Vengua: "The Chicken and the Egg"
--Crag Hill: "For Nico Vassilakis, Quarrying About Hay(na)ku"

Eileen R. Tabios presents Afterword to NOT EVEN DOGS, the first book-length hay(na)ku poetry collection and written by Ernesto Priego (Meritage Press, San Francisco & St. Helena, 2006)

The Co-Editors introduce FLIPPIN': Filipinos on America (Asian American Writers Workshop, New York, 1996)
--Eric Gamalinda: "Myth, Memory, Myopia: Or, I May Be Brown But I Hear America Singin'"
--Luis H. Francia: "The Other Side of the American Coin"

Thomas Fink introduces THE THORN ROSARY: Selected Prose Poems and New (1998-2010), a poetry collection by Eileen R. Tabios (Marsh Hawk Press, New York, 2010)

Edith Tiempo introduces Sea Serpent, a poetry collection by Alfred Yuson (Monsoon Press, Philippines, 1980)

Eileen R. Tabios introduces Gravities of Center, a poetry collection by Barbara Jane Reyes (Arkipelago Books Publishing, San Francisco, 2003)

Theodore S. Gonzalves's Editor's Note introduces STAGE PRESENCE: Filipino American Performing Artists, edited by Theodore S. Gonzalves (Meritage Press, San Francisco & St. Helena, 2014)

Eileen R. Tabios introduces Bridgeable Shores: Selected Poems (1969-2001), a poetry collection by Luis Cabalquinto (Galatea Speaks / Kaya Press, New York, 2001)

Vince Gotera introduces Seasons by the Bay, a short story collection by Oscar Peñaranda (T’boli Publishing, 2004)

Bino A. Realuyo introduces The Filipino Literature Issue of The Literary Review (Farleigh Dickinson University, 2007)

Jean Vengua introduces BEHIND THE BLUE CANVAS, a short story collection by Eileen R. Tabios (Giraffe Books, Quezon City, 2004)

Introducing VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA (Meritage Press, San Francisco & St. Helena, 2014)
--Leny M. Strobel's Foreword
--Eileen R. Tabios' Introduction 

Alfred A. Yuson introduces FATHER POEMS, edited by Alfred A. Yuson and Gemino Abad (Anvil Publishing, Manila, 2004)

Leny Mendoza Strobel introduces ECSTATIC MUTATIONS: Experiments in the Poetry Library, a mixed-genre (poetry/poetics/fiction) collection by Eileen R. Tabios (Giraffe Books, Quezon City, 2000)

Vicente G. Groyon III presents Afterword to Trading in Mermaids, a poetry collection by Alfred Yuson (Anvil Publishing, Manila, 1993).

Eileen R. Tabios introduces the poetry section of BOLD WORDS: A Century of Asian America Writing, edited by Rajini Srikanth and Esther Y. Iwanaga (Rutgers University Press, New Jersey and London, 2001)