Ubod

The publication of this Ubod volume took a long period of waiting: a slow trek through various detours, including the search for an NCCA fund conduit, the minimal responses to the initial call for submission of literary pieces, etc. though having a kind a vain expectation, the editors from the different regions finally agreed to perform the rituals of the book production. Ubod (literally "bamboo shoots") usually features the life of local languages energized by budding writers who have started to create a new poetic age. However, this Ubod has less unity of constitution than the previous volumes. Contributions were solicited from established writers Jaime Agpalo, Jr. and Roy Aragon of North Luzon as well as Cesar Aquino (Chabacano and Cebuano speaker), who now resides in Dumaguete. Good reasons why sustained literary creation should grace an anthology of fresh attempts are not hard to find. First, the inevitable comparison aids objective criticism. Moreover, the variety of themes and subjects, which a literary inceptus creates, assures that criticism does not remain in the domain of academic discussion. Lastly, the interrogative aspect that works will have on the writers themselves is possibly where the fun-the literary fun-begins.--Preface of the book