Previously on Happy Mondays...
It was on the second of April last year, the first monday of the month, that the Happy Mondays Poetry Nights was successfully launched @ Mag:net Cafe in Katipunan. Tomorrow, March 17, marks the 24th installment of the bi-monthly reading -- a rare feat in consistency and the completion of a year-round series of Poetry Reading that featured veteran and multi-awarded pillars of the Philippine poetry scene, as well as some of the brightest and most promising young poets in the country today.
The idea of having a regular poetry reading in the cafe was conceived by Mag:Net owner Rock Drilon and young poet from the Ateneo Andrea "Drey" Teran sometime in March of last year. The goal was to establish the cafe as a regular venue for reading poems. The project was commendable since public readings of this type are hard to come by; the opportunity to read literary works is often dependent on (and limited to) literary festivals and workshops.
The Happy Mondays Poetry Nights project has brought on stage some of the most revered and respected young and established poets in the country: from Marc Gaba, Angelo Suarez, Mookie Katigbak, and Conchitina Cruz to Marne Kilates, Marjorie Evasco, Krip Yuson, and Gemino Abad. Frontrunners in Poetry in Filipino like Benilda Santos, Mike Coroza, Egay Samar, Jospeh Saguid, and Caloy Piocos have also graced the readings.
Visiting Fil-am poets Patrick Rosal and Joseph Legaspi have joined the celebration of the word and have read from their acclaimed collections. Rising poets like Mikael De Lara Co, Arkaye Kierulf, Allan Pastrana, and Emong De Borja have become regular Happy Monday readers, alongside upcoming and talented younger voices from nearby colleges and universities who are now part of the Happy Mondays reading family.
And the family is still increasing, twenty-four happy mondays after, a testament to the power of the written and spoken word, and the sublime negotiations in between.
The anniversary reading tomorrow will run from 7 to 10pm and will feature the following poets:
1. Rebecca Anonuevo
2. Teo Antonio
3. Gemino Abad
4. Edgar Samar
5. Alfred Yuson
6. Marne Kilates
7. Victor Penaranda
8. Lourd De Veyra
9. Angelo Suarez
10. Mike Coroza
11. Kris Lanot Lacaba
12. Joseph Saguid
13. Mikael Co
14. Eric Melendez
15. Karen Kapco
16. Pocholo Goitia
17. Adam David
18. Keith Cortez
19. Khavn Dela Cruz
20. Sasha Martinez
21. Celine Martelino
22. Pancho Villanueva
23. Ria Torrente
24. Kash Avena
25. John Torres
26. Mia Tijam
27. Kristian Abe Dalao
28. Carlos Piocos
29. Ken Ishikawa
30. Corin Arenas
plus other readers still to confirm. Admission is free. Genuine Moleskine Notebooks will be raffled off, courtesy of Avalon.ph. Kitakits at makiwasak!
