Life has been a whirlwind since I got back from the AFCC, as preparations for the 2nd Filipino ReaderCon (Filipino ReaderCon) were in full swing. It was all hands on deck for members of the Filipino Book Bloggers group, and it has been great to see volunteers from different book clubs banding together to make this happen.
Last year, the ReaderCon was a half-day event that coincided with the Manila International Book Fair, and this year, we’ve gotten bigger. United We Read: The 2nd Filipino ReaderCon is happening tomorrow, August 18, 2012 (Saturday), 8:00am to 6:00pm at the Filipinas Heritage Library. Registration fee is Php150, and you can pre-register for the event here. This event is held in partnership with Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) and National Book Development Board (NBDB), and sponsored by Scholastic, Lampara Books, McDonald’s, Flipreads, Anvil Publishing, Hachette Philippines, Amici Philippines, OMF Literature and Adarna House.
So I’ve been on the committee for the 1st Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards (with Tarie and Tina) and while it was a tremendous undertaking, we were overwhelmed by the response we received. Reading through the nominations, tallying up over 2500 votes, and watching the judges deliberate over the finalists has been an amazing experience. We’re finally awarding the Readers’ Choice Awards tomorrow at the ReaderCon, and we’ve definitely learned a lot to make the awards bigger and better next year.
I haven’t been able to participate in the ongoing Filipino Fridays, but I did join The Great Book Swap, leaving books in public for new owners (and readers!) to find:
That is me, leaving a copy of Ambeth Ocampo’s “Dirty Dancing” in a dressing room of a clothing store on a massive sale.
I also left a book in a food court, another one in a tea shop, and one at McDonald’s. I hope they go to good homes!
I have to finish preparing for my panel at ReaderCon, so I direct you to the ReaderCon site for more details on the event and some final reminders.
See you tomorrow, and I’ll catch up with you guys over the long weekend!