Culture and Arts Notebook

POEM     by Agnes Prieto   We are in a time of transforming Of new songs we have not yet known… Life, asking to the new–   Be not afraid, thrilled, intertwined with the strange, But pivots that lead…

ESSAY We must safeguard the web of life and care about the other living species that we share this planet with. Pygmy tarsiers eat and host bugs that we’ve seen at home — insects, spiders, lizards, bedbugs, lice, fleas, roundworms,…

ON SPIRITUALITY AND NON-VIOLENCE     by Genevieve Balance-Kupang In memoriam and in gratitude to the Buddhist Zen Thay (Teacher) Thich Nhat Hanh who went beyond this physical plane on January 22, 2022, in the Tu Hieu Temple in Hue,…

THE ARTS     Last January 18, 2022,  I attended a webinar focused on the “ in-depth look at the latest models for hosting activities, community engagement, operations, and sustainability” hosted by S.E.A, a Singapore-based art platform. According to the…

With the beginning of a new year comes the dreams of “Better.” We all desire this picture of a better this or better that. Most want it to fall into our lap, myself included. What dawns on me is that…

VISUAL ARTS     Sorsogon is a city in the Bicol Region located in the southern part of Luzon island, Philippines. Starting out as a mural artists’ group and joining several contests in the city, the group coined the term…

THREE HAIKUS AND A BACKSTORY       #1. all-embracing sky under your protective dome seas breath, mountains rise.   #2. there on an empty lot on a lone brown hilltop— tall, tall sunflowers.     #3. the dew on…

A call for bugkos — Bicolano term for unity in the upcoming elections through choosing better governance was depicted through symbols of a pink rose, ribbon, and different sectors in the community, in a recently unveiled citizen-led mural in Sorsogon City.…

Part Three of the Ayuweng Series to celebrate the International Decade of Indigenous Languages by Estella Wanden and Genevieve Balance Kupang On Celebrating the UN Decade of Indigenous Languages and Healing from the Virulent Covid-19 Virus Ahey, Ahoooy, Ahoooy, Aho-eeey! Greetings…

Song by Trudi Richards   Hopeful blues. Happy, upbeat, and free. The way she was told life was supposed to be! Look around and see a whole new world of possibility… “We’re here for each other, me for you and…