23 November by Romulo Galicano – ” I decided to paint what is appropriate for that particular subject. I am not compelled to represent the actual horror of the massacre victims as they are being mowed down. I simplified the process by focusing on the anonymity of their killer, who raises a dirty finger to the audience to symbolize his contempt for human life.”
“In Mo[u]rning: Poetics of the Maguindanao Massacre”
By Ted Alcuitas
Filipina poet Karla Lenina Comanda, who is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia, will do a reading of her poem ‘In Mo[u]rning: Poetics of the Maguindanao Massacre’ on the infamous Maguindanao Massacre.
The reading will be at UBC’s St John’s College on Tuesday, January 12 at 8pm.
“Considered to be the worst case of election-related violence in Philippine history, the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre resulted in the deaths of 58 people, with many of the victims being journalists, lawyers, and women. In this talk, I will read plunderverse poems about the massacre’s victims from an in-progress collection. Using President Gloria Arroyo’s declaration of Martial Law in the region as the source text, my poems humanize those who died from the slaughter, capturing their thoughts as they prepare to depart and (unknowingly) meet their fates.”
Comanda has been featured in LitFest: Edmonton’s Nonfiction Festival. Her works have appeared in Contemporary Verse 2: Poetry Lives Here, Glass Buffalo, and Paragon.
She completed a degree in Comparative literature with a minor in Creative Writing from the University of Alberta.
