And to make it official:
The best editor in the world (believe me, I know by experience) joins me as co-editor of the annnual Philippine Speculative Fiction anthology, beginning with volume 3.
Nikki Alfar is an excellent fictionist and her editorial taste will undoubtably invigorate the collection (plus, I get multiple editing passes for free - because she will never ever let a book out unless it is pristine and edited to death LOL).
So beginning this year and on until the stars go blue:
Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 3
Edited by Dean Francis Alfar & Nikki AlfarYup, an unabashed husband-and-wife editorial team.
We're excited about this year's antho as a number of authors we hoped would submit did submit stories, and there are happy surprises and no doubt more to come. We can't wait to get to the task of reading and deliberating this September. Personally, I hope more new authors submit quality work - especially science fiction. Submit, submit!
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On a somewhat related note, I think it's high time someone put out a Filipino language antho of spec fic, because, and I'll say it again, there are a lot of wonderful non-English-language stories that deserve a wider audience. I wouldn't be surprised if they are, in fact, even better than the English language ones.
Bhex! You can do it!
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And while I'm thinking out loud, is it too much to hope that someone comes out with something like "The Year's Best Philippine Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror"? Man, I'd buy that book in an instant. And no, it doesn't intrude on "our space" (as if anything is "ours"). Our antho is not positioned as a "Best of" anything, though I see how people can come to that erroneous conclusion.
"Philippine Speculative Fiction" showcases stories that I (and now, we) think are helping describe the literature of the fantastic, as it grows in the country. It is based on our aesthetic tastes alone (just as any editor's, in similar anthologies), though we try to provide a wide range of stories.
In fact, I think our antho should not be the only one of its kind here. Having another annual antho or two, whether or not a "Best of", would create wonderful opportunities for discussion and simply provide more delicious stories to read.
Labels: nikki alfar, philippine speculative fiction vol. 3
Hey, hey! The launch for The Night Monkeys: More Palanca Prize Winners for Children (Tahanan Books) is on June 30, 2008 at 7PM (that's a Monday). Come on over to Mary Grace Café at Serendra, Fort Bonifacio Global City and join the celebration.
