By NG Seruela
The National Book Development Board (NBDB) will be launching the 12th Philippine International Literary Festival (PILF) this April in celebration of National Literature month.
The PILF, a virtual festival, is set to livestream a series of conversations on the creative process, publishing, storytelling, and history featuring creatives worldwide with the theme “Reclaiming Our Narrative: 500 years of Filipino Storytelling.”
The NBDB also said it will take readers on bookshop tours and present interpretative performances.
The festival will run from April to December 2021.
“The festival re-examines our narratives and celebrates our great storytelling traditions. Although this pandemic has caused uncertainty, we endeavor to provide an avenue for our creatives and the wider public to connect, dialogue, and continue the creative process,” newly-appointed Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade pointed out.
To be featured at PILF are live-stream events such as “Author on Author” and “Post-Pandemic Futures,” a series of lively conversations with writers worldwide. The virtual bookstore tour, “My Book, My City” starts this April and will feature independent bookstores around the country.
In July, the NBDB will launch “Book Nook,” a library-building program for indigenous communities that will allow more Filipinos the opportunity to read Filipino-authored publications. In August, a grant-giving program called “Book and Buy” will provide regional micro-entrepreneurs the resources to create their own Filipiniana sections
