My Copy of “Remembering Rizal: Voices from the Diaspora” Book Finally Arrives

Due to work schedule, I had to leave to my sister the registry notice from the post office informing me of a package sent to me. I was wondering what package it might be for I have not requested any catalog from the internet in the past few weeks. It was with excitement that I learned that it was the complimentary copy of the “Remembering Rizal: Voices from the Diaspora” book in which two of my poems have been included for publication.

* the package sent by the editor himself, Mr. Edwin Lozada

* view of the book cover

* the title page

* part of the table of contents

Published by the Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc. (or PAWA, Inc.), the book is mainly a collection of writings on and/or about Rizal by Filipinos either studying or living abroad. The introduction part made me realize how fortunate I was to have this chance to share two works on Rizal: only two poets from the Philippines were included in the collection.

Content wise, the book is definitely a rich source of new thoughts about Rizal, ranging from re-imagining parts of Rizal’s novels to translating some of his works from their original Spanish forms into English. One interesting write up is the analysis of an alleged photo of Jose Rizal in a Masonic garb. The position of the writer is that the man was not Rizal based on the analysis of the man’s facial and body features.

* “Ode to Usman” poem

* “Stove Flames” poem

* a short bionote

The book has a total of 320 pages and can be ordered online (see pawainc.com/rizal.html for purchase details). My hope is that copies of the book can be readily available here in the country. After all, the book is all about a Filipino. It should be read by fellow Filipinos.