Ngayong Women in Translation Month (Agosto), pakinggan ang pagbabahagi ng makata at bilanggong politikal na si Amanda Socorro Lacaba Echanis hinggil sa pagsasalin niya sa makata at pulang mandirigma na si Kerima Lorena Tariman na nasawi sa isang engkuwentro sa Negros noong Agosto 20, 2021. Alamin ang pakikipagkuwentuhang nabibigyang-daan ng pagsasalin, kung bakit ito sinuong ni Amanda at kung paano siya nagsimula, gayundin ang mga balakid at posibilidad nito sa pagpapalaya hindi lamang ng diwa kundi ng buong lipunan.
Unang pinakinggan ang recording na ito sa talakayang "Sali't Salin" na inorganisa ng Gantala Press at ginanap sa Chapterhouse, Sikatuna Village noong Agosto 23, 2025.
At this point of its prolonged occupation of Palestine, Israel has only continued its attacks on Gaza despite the ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, as part of its BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) strategy, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) calls for a boycott of the Frankfurt Book Fair, where the Philippines is Guest of Honor this year.
On International Book Day (April 2), publishers in the Philippines and abroad discuss the Frankfurt Book Fair in the Philippine context, BDS and PACBI principles as applied to the call for boycotting the Fair, and how publishers and bookmakers worldwide can contribute to the struggle for justice and liberation in Palestine. The Philippines' export-oriented/import-dependent book industry is critiqued, the Fair's complicity in the genocide is scrutinized, and the need for building a critical mass is discussed.
With Paper Trail Projects and Publishers for Palestine.
We interview Teia Contreras and Nathania Kuy, actor and dramaturg of Tanghalang Ateneo's NINGNING SA SILANGAN, translated by Jerry Respeto from the play by Jo Clifford, on the art of theater, defending land, and how to find light in these dark times.
Follow Tanghalang Ateneo on Facebook and Instagram for more details on the play, and showdates.
Panayam ni Faye Cura sa klase ni MJ Tumamac, CL 185 Literary Translation, Department of Humanities, UP Mindanao. Tinalakay ang proseso ng pagsasalin sa Red Love ni Alexandra Kollontai (Pulang Pag-ibig, Gantala Press, 2024), ang kontekstong ginagalawan ng salin, ang Frankfurt Book Fair at henosidyo sa Palestine, ang poesiya ng Filipino, at marami pang iba! Maraming salamat, MJ at mga estudyante mong Creative Writing major <3
In this episode, we speak with cultural workers China de Vera, Michael Beltran, and Tey Lopez about writer and activist Amanda Socorro Lacaba Echanis whose collected works, BINHI NG PAGLAYA, is forthcoming from Gantala Press. We talk about "redundancy" in writing, writing about fascism in children's books, writing and resistance, and many more.
"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears."
Happy National Literature Month! This episode is Part 1 of the webinar organized by the class of MMS 198 Special Topics (Introduction to Publishing) of the BA Multimedia Studies Program under the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies of the University of the Philippines Open University. Women writers and small press publishers Rowena Festin (Aklat Mirasol), Mina Esguerra (#RomanceClass), and Faye Cura (Gantala Press) discuss the challenges in writing and publishing as, for, and by women, working with mainstream publishing, and building a community of readers and writers. Facilitated by Roda Tajon, the webinar was held on Zoom on March 29, 2023. Part 2 will include the open forum.
This episode is based on the monthly book discussion organized by the Education Committee of Gantala Press. For the month of February, It features all about love: new visions by bell hooks, which discusses the aspects of love and its role not only in our daily lives but also in the context of our communities and society.
‘Ika nga ni Zenaida Seva, "Hindi hawak ng mga bituin ang ating kapalaran. Gabay lamang sila. Meron tayong free will. Gamitin natin ito." Sa karamihan, ang astrolohiya ay tinitingnan bilang pampalipas-oras lamang at kakatwang gabay sa ating araw-araw na buhay. Ngunit sa kasalukuyan, mapapansin natin ang nagbabagong pagtanggap dito ng mga tao bilang higit pa sa mga prediksyon at simpleng sabi-sabi.
Sa episode na ito, kasama natin si Bridgette Diaz, ang founding president ng UP Esoterica at manunulat at mananaliksik tungkol sa astrolohiya at esotericism.
Calendars have always showcased women in sexy outfits, often endorsing cars and liquors. Businesses and political candidates give away calendars as marketing materials.
In this episode, Roma, Faye, and Marian discuss the creation of Gantala Press' 2022 Calendar -- how the featured women were selected; some important dates and commemorations, and some tips on illustrating women's portraits.
Bilang pakikiisa sa 16 Days of Activism, nais ng Gantala Press na maglunsad ng mga usapan na magbibigay-linaw sa usapin ng sexual harassment at gender-based violence sa mga bata, kababaihan, at mamamayang Pilipino. Makakasama si Atty Twyla Rubin ng CHR Gender Office.
Ito ay inedit at pinaikling bersiyon ng isang talakayan sa Zoom tungkol sa Eleksiyong 2022 na pinangasiwaan nina Justine Siscar at Shar Soledad ng Center for Women's Resources (CWR) at BaBaE Network (Babae, Bantayan ang Eleksiyon!), at linahukan ng mga kasaping organisasyon ng Southeast Asia Feminist Action Movement (SEAFAM). Tinalakay ang kasalukuyang kalagayang pampulitika, ang kalagayan ng kababaihan sa ilalim ng Gobyernong Duterte, ang halalan o pagboto bilang demokratikong karapatan ng mamamayan, ang Pulitika ng Pagbabago, at ang Eleksyong 2022 at ano ang ating kailangang gawin?
Para sumali sa BaBaE Network, sumulat sa BaBaENet@gmail.com o sagutin ang Google form sa https://forms.gle/98p8n5A5z4xRspbEA
In recognition of the International Day to End Violence Against Women and 16 Days of Activism, we spoke with Sharon Cabusao-Silva, Executive Director of Liga ng mga Lolang Pilipina or LILA Pilipina, on the legacy of our former comfort women, their fdemands for acknowledgment, compensation and justice, and the responsibility of our youth in continuing the fight of/for our Lolas.
LILA Pilipina is a partner of Gantala Press in producing MY MOTHER IS MORE THAN A COMFORT WOMAN, a storybook in three languages (Filipino, English, and Japanese) put together by Friends of LILA Pilipina. The book is available on shopee.ph/gantala_press. Part of the proceeds will be turned over to LILA Pilipina to support their work.
In this episode, we celebrate World Mental Health Day (October 10) with Meg Yarcia, the Marxist psychologist and development worker behind the "Dear Meg" advice column in Facebook and Pinoy Weekly. We speak of alternative, accessible ways of caring for one's mental health and that of the collective; using the right language in talking about mental health; what activists need to recognize when dealing with mental health; how to balance motherhood and activism; what it means to be mentally healthy, and others. Faye Cura hosts.
In this episode we speak with China de Vera of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Jandeil Roperos of the National Union of Students of the Philippines, and Kathleen Obille of the University of the Philippines School of Library and Information Studies about the recent purging of books on the people’s protracted war and the National Democratic Front from universities and libraries in Northern Philippines by the reactionary government through its state forces. We talk of the dangers of censorship, the consequences of the book-purging in education, and what we can do to resist this yet another fascist form of state oppression. Roma Estrada hosts.
Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) through its representative, Prof. Lisa Ito-Tapang, expounds on the Position Paper of cultural organizations and formations and individuals in response to Substitute House Bill (HB) 8101, currently lodged for Third and Final reading in Congress. CAP assesses the merits and gaps in the bill, and expounds on the points of the Position Paper, covering Labor Standards and Welfare, Building Local Market and mSMEs Support, Education and Capacity Building, Intellectual Property Rights, and Accountability, Transparency, and Grassroots Participation. The idea of the artist as worker is also discussed. Roma Estrada hosts.
Read the Position Paper here: https://www.facebook.com/artistangbayan/posts/400388501457619
For our Martial Law episode, we are featuring poems by Aida Santos, Lorena Barros and Mila Aguilar.
1. Jessica De Borja reads “Memories” by Aida Santos (in Mangled Mornings: Collected Poems, Gantala Press: 2019)
2. Rae Rival reads an excerpt from Lorena: Isang Tulambuhay (UP Press, 2018) by Pauline Mari Hernando, and two poems by Lorena Barros
3. Angelica Takashima reads an excerpt from an introduction to Mila Aguilar by Carolyn Forché
4. Kezia Lao reads “Pigeons for My Son” by Mila Aguilar
5. Ka Rosario sings “Bayan Ko,” a popular song during Martial Law
This episode is based on the monthly book club discussion organized by the Education Committee of Gantala Press. It features one of our latest publications, LUTONG GIPIT: Mga Recipe sa Panahon ng Krisis, a cookbook of common dishes prepared by peasant women in Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Iloilo. The cookbook was published by Amihan National Federation of Peasant Wome, Rural Women Advocates, and Gantala Press. Proceeds from the sales of this book will go towards securing subsidy and farm/production tools for peasant communities.
This book is available at shopee.ph/gantala_press.
Si Kgg. Eufemia “Ka Femia” C. Cullamat ay lider at organisador ng mga Lumad mula pa noong dekada 1980 at kinatawan ng masa sa Kongreso. Kabilang sa kanyang mga adbokasiya ang karapatan ng mga katutubo at minoridad, kaunlaran ng mga magbubukid at manggagawa, at pambansang soberanya. Tampok ang aming panayam sa kanya bilang pagdiriwang sa Pandaigdigang Araw ng mga Katutubo sa Mundo (International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples) noong Agosto 9 at kaarawan ni Ka Femia noong Agosto 13. Sa panayam na ito, tinatalakay ang halaga ng pagkakaisa ng mga katutubo; ang mga hamon sa pag-organisa at pagpapaunawa sa mga pamayanan ukol sa kanilang mga karapatan; at ang hindi mapapatahimik na tinig at pagbangon ng sambayanan.
Carmen “Nanay Mameng” Deunida was a beloved mass leader of the urban poor sector for many decades until her death at 93 on July 19. In this episode, we speak with filmmaker Adjani Arumpac, director of the film NANAY MAMENG (Kodao Productions, 2012) on what she remembers about the veteran activist, the challenges and joys of translating her life into film, and Nanay Mameng’s larger-than-life legacy. A snippet of Ms Arumpac’s interview with Nanay Mameng in 2010 is included in the end. Faye Cura hosts.