Leoncio Deriada: Book Launch

SATURDAY . FEBRUARY 27 . 4 PM THE MANGO TREE RESTAURANT 28 Guzman St., Mandurriao, 5000 Iloilo City Presented by Kasingkasing Press and Hubon Manunulat

In cooperation with Produkto Lokal Weekend Fair and Youth First Initiative Philippines, Inc.

About the Author
Leoncio P. Deriada is Professor Emeritus of UP in the Visayas. He has a Ph.D. in English and Literature (Creative Writing) from Silliman University (1981), an M.A. in English from Xavier University (1970), and an A.B. major in English from the Ateneo de Davao (1959). He finished high school at the Davao City High School (1955).
A noted teacher and writer, he has been chosen Metrobank Outstanding Teacher (2002) and elevated to the Palanca Hall of Fame (2001). His latest awards are Gawad CCP sa Sining (Literature) (2015), Kampeon ng Wika from the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (2014) and Lifetime Achievement Award in Literature from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (2013).
He has written and edited more than twenty books since 1984. His first novel, People on Guerrero Street, was co-winner of the National Book Award for the Novel in English (2004).

Leoncio Deriada to Publish Four Titles This Year

The region’s most celebrated literary figure and language educator is set to publish four books this year under the home-grown publishing label Kasingkasing Press.
Among Dr. Leoncio P. Deriada’s new titles is Eerie, a collection of fourteen (14) English short stories in the horror genre which the author himself relates to real-life experiences while the other three releases will be in Hiligaynon: Mga Tinuga sang Kangitngit revisits the terminologies of Panay’s traditional folk tales, myths and legends; Praktikal Hiligaynon para sa mga Brodkaster kag mga Manunudlo is a language usage and grammar manual for professionals using Hiligaynon in the workplace, especially broadcast journalists and teachers; and Panimalay Ilonggo, a basic children’s language manual in Hiligaynon (partly with English explanations) for parents, primary school teachers and young readers.
“His publications are sought after by many in the academe and literary circles not just in the region but throughout the country,” disclosed Noel G. de Leon, founder and publisher of Kasingkasing Press. “These are much anticipated titles that will surely have a big impact on how Ilonggos treasure their linguistic and literary heritage, and how Hiligaynon is being taught and used as a regional language.”
Often regarded as the ‘Father of Contemporary West Visayan Literature’, the vast majority of young writers in the region have gone through his tutelage in the many writing workshops and seminars he has either co-organized or participated in over the years. A seventeen-time recipient of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, many of his works have been published in literary anthologies and magazines both locally and internationally.
Throughout his teaching career, Deriada has been a staunch advocate for the use of local language inspiring many of his protégées to become distinguished writers in Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a and Aklanon apart from Filipino and English. Also touted as the region’s brightest hope for a National Artist Award for Literature, he received the prestigious Gawad CCP Para sa Sining (Panitikan) from the Cultural Center of the Philippines last year showing little sign of slowing down or retiring from his craft. 

NEWS BY: PIETROS VAL R. PATRICIO