We all are aware of how the present public health crisis has taken its toll on most of us – professionals, students, and even our home buddies and fur babies, specifically our personal spaces.
Business operations halted or permanently ceased operations due to economic losses brought about by the lockdown imposition in various key business districts, classes and other learning sessions have been disrupted and schools in the far-flung areas worry about getting along with flexible distance learning and transport and travel regulations have become stricter than ever.
To be more productive despite the difficult time and to mitigate the various community needs for learning, lifestyle, or simple entertainment, a group of friends from different cities of the metro gather to put up what is now called LIT Junction podcast, a podcast dedicated to Philippine Literature readings and discussions on a weekly basis.
LIT Junction podcast, founded in 2020 under the Escaping Chaos Productions, seeks to curate various Philippine literature texts and document the same in an audio format through the power of the podcasting platform. Recording every weekend through Anchor, the group uploads each new episode of LIT Junction and streams on Spotify and Apple podcasts on Sundays at 8:00 pm.
LIT Junction is a free podcast that features a discussion of the country’s contemporary literary landscape. The podcast reads and talks about Filipino authors’ literary works in Filipino and English as well as current events, issues, and trends in Philippine literature.
The podcast, which has produced 10 episodes since its founding in June, is hosted by Eugene Soyosa, a recipient of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature for his Filipino Fiction. Soyosa is also in-charge of the sound editing and audio engineering of the episodes. It is co-hosted by KC Victoria, who is also the producer of the podcast with Wilmor Pacay III, an educator, and editor, as associate producer and segment writer.
Its pilot episode aired in June in time for pride month, with Dr. Chuckberry Pascual’s short fiction in Filipino “Lorenzo†(Anvil, 2011) as the main text. The second installment came with Mayette Bayuga’s short fiction in Filipino “Lalaki, Sa Balumbalonan ni Hakob†(UST Publishing House, 2015). Its third episode is an essay in Filipino “Anim na Sabado ng Beyblade†(Visprint, 2013) by Prof. Ferdinand Pisigan Jarin, followed by a collection of flash fiction in Filipino “Aso, Pusa, Daga†by Stefani Alvarez. The last episode for the first set of reading series is Dr. Luis Gatmaitan’s short story for children in Filipino (though the story has an English translation) “Sandosenang Sapatos†(Hiyas, 2003) in time for the celebration of the National Children’s Book Month of July.
After the first set of its reading series, LIT Junction made a quick turn and launched its guesting series. First among its humble but powerful expert guest experts is educator and author KC Daniel Inventor who talked about “Ang Imahen ng Bidang Bata sa Mga Kuwentong Pambataâ€. The author also gave his short story for Children in Filipino “Ang Lumilipad na Perya ni Ginoong Pikpakbum†which originally appeared in the pages of Liwayway Magazine. It was then followed by “Ang Pagbaklas at Pagbuo ng Panitikan sa Antas SHS†master lecture by educator and editor Billy Joy Creus. She also shared her flash fiction “Hinila†which originally appeared in the Baclaran: Unang Biyahe anthology. Ian Harvey Claros, culture critic and editor, shared for episode 8 his master lecture “Politics of Forgetting: Preliminary Notes on Waray Poetry after the Balangiga Encounter of 1901â€. Jonathan Geronimo, a Philippine Studies scholar, talked about “Pagtatanghal ng Bayan sa Pagitan ng Piitan at Laya†for a discussion of prison literature. Closing the first five guesting episodes (10 including the reading set) is “Ang Pasukin ang Pamilyar ay Sobrang Hirap na Gawain†personal essay craft discussion by Ferdinand Pisigan Jarin.
Among the writers who will be featured when LIT Junction returns with its reading series for Episodes 11 to 16 are: fictionists Eros Atalia, Joselito Delos Reyes, and Jerry Gracio; children’s story writer Christine Bellen Ang, and essayist Beverly Wico Siy. Elmer Ordonez’ works as a writer, critic, editor, and literary scholar will also be featured in the reading series for various special episodes.
To know more about how LIT Junction works, email the group at lit.junction2020@gmail.com or follow them on Instagram: @litjunctionpodcast
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