To be daring is one thing most people are afraid of being. They are afraid of taking risks, afraid of failing, afraid of the unknown. But without the proverbial mantra of “No Guts, No Glory”, man would be as stagnant as a rock.
Last October 14, at the façade of The Gallery of the Peninsula and the Archipelago of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, 24 students of Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU), dared to make history and a difference. Guided by their instructor Marco Alfino “Kiko” Miranda, the students of ADZU Creative Writing and Playwriting of the Department of Mass Communication launched the first-ever all-student publication in the city entitled “Binurong Lapis”.
It is an anthology of 10 short stories and 10 one-act plays originally written by Kiko’s students in COMM324 (Creative Writing) and COMM425 (Writing for Stage). The concept of Binurong Lapis was actually taken from the native delicacy, atchara or pickled papaya. No wonder they gave bottles of atchara as give-aways to the guests - an artistic way to symbolize the title of the book.
The students of Creative Writing and Playwriting with Kiko Miranda
The stories and plays, like the papaya, were given more flavors through series of writing workshops where the student’s works were sifted, edited, criticized, and dissected. Given time and the countless “ingredients” added from the workshops, their stories and plays are now ready to be served to the public, proving that to be daring, is to succeed; and to believe is to achieve, Kiko said.
Kiko always believed that Zamboanga is a melting pot of talents that are just waiting to be brewed and eventually be served. This book launch was his way of showing the Zamboangueño’s talents are now ready for the picking. All they, the talents, need is a little push, a little pinch in the butt, and a stampede of talents will definitely happen, he said.
Those who graced the events were Dr. Aireen Barrios, ADZU Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, Ed Baños, ADZU Department Chair of the Department of Mass Communication, and Cheng Ordoñez, Editor-in-Chief of Sunstar Zamboanga Online.
“Writing transforms not only the ink, not only the paper, nor the syllables, letters, norwords. It also transforms people. It changes souls,” Kiko proudly announced.
From humble lowly seemingly useless pieces of wood, the students under Kiko Miranda’s tutelage, are now transformed into links to the divine. They have made history. They have made a difference. They have created change.
(For your copies of the Binurong Lapis, you can contact Joseph Roger Subong cellphone
number; 0927-666-4828.)
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