COTABATO CITY — Five writers from the Soccsksargen region are among the 12 fellows selected for the inaugural Bangsamoro Writers Workshop (BWW).
The regional fellows are Guian Dayang of Malapatan, Sarangani; Ralph Jade Tampal of Kiamba, Sarangani; Sandrah Maas Saudagal of Kabacan, Cotabato; Al-Jhamier Mosib of Banisilan, Cotabato; and Razul Ariz of Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat.
Organized by the Bangsamoro Literary Review, the milestone literary event will run from June 4 to 7 in Cotabato City to foster emerging voices within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and its diaspora.
Completing the list of selected fellows are Nawirah Abdullah, Moirah Athena Abpi, Hasmeyya Lao Tiboron, Bryan Alexander Open, Jasser Magomnang Esmael, Jamil Mabandis, and Norsalim Haron. Organizers said the cohort's selected manuscripts address themes of memory, displacement, faith, violence, and the contemporary realities of Moro life.
The workshop will feature intensive manuscript critiques alongside panel sessions covering the regional literary landscape, translation, orthography, and creative writing in the age of artificial intelligence.
BWW will also host a public open mic reading and performance night to connect fellows with the local literary community.
Filmmaker and writer Teng Mangansakan is the workshop director. The panel of mentors includes international author Kristine Ong Muslim, alongside Mindanao writers Sigrid Marianne Gayangos, Mubarak Tahir, and Diandra Ditma Macarambon.
"As the first initiative of its kind devoted to creative writing in the Bangsamoro and Mindanao, the Workshop stands as a monumental step toward building a sustained literary tradition rooted in the complexity, plurality, and brilliance of Bangsamoro experience," Mangansakan said.
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