Authors & Books

Patricio N. Abinales retired as professor from the Department of Asian Studies, University of Hawai’i-Manoa in 2025. He is author and co-author of the following books: Presidents and Pests, Cosmopolitans and Communists (Ateneo de Manila University Press; Modern Philippines. 2022. Santa Barbara, CA. ABC-Clio Greenwood Press (which was one of Choice Outstanding Academic Titles (OAT) Winners in 2023); Making Mindanao: Cotabato and Davao in the Formation of the Philippine Nation-State. (2020 20th anniversary and expanded edition. Ateneo de Manila University Press); State and Society in the Philippines (co-authored with Donna J. Amoroso). 2005 and 2017. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield (was judged one of the Outstanding Academic Titles in Comparative Politics 2006, by Choice, the publication of the American Library Association in 2006); The Contemporary World, (co-authored with Lisandro Claudio). 2021. Quezon City: C&E Publishing Inc.; Orthodoxy and History in the Muslim Mindanao Narrative. 2010. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press; Fellow Traveler: Essays on Filipino Communism. 2001. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press (which won the National Book Award, Social Science Category, Manila Critics’ Circle, 2002); Making Mindanao: Cotabato and Davao in the Formation of the Philippine State, 1900-1972. 2000. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press; Images of State Power: Essays on Philippine Politics from the Margins. 1998. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press; and Transnationalization, the State and the People in Southeast Asia, Parts I-III, with Randolf S. David, Temario C. Rivera, Procopio Resabal, Jr., and Oliver Teves. 1984-1986. Quezon City: University of the Philippines-United Nations University Southeast Asian Perspectives Project.

Abinales is currently working on two books. The first is on fraternity violence and the making of a new Filipino elite, and a handbook on Filipino cuisines.

Aldy is a Filipino visual artist, illustrator, and educator. Some of his works have been awarded and recognized by the Philippine Board on Books for the Young People, National Book Development Board, and abroad by ILUSTRARTE in Castelo Branco, Portugal and Sharjah Exhibition for Children’s Book Illustrations. His book with CANVAS, “Hanapin ang Sagot: Ano ang Batas Militar?” won as one of the Best Reads at the 8th National Children’s Books Award, and the 2025 Gintong Aklat Award. His illustrations for the book, “Papuntang Community Pantry” were chosen as a finalist in the 2022 Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators competition; and the book “Si Kian” has been included in the White Ravens Catalog by the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.

Mike Alcazaren is a freelance director/writer/ideator with 30 years experience in advertising, film, television, and digital media. He began his career heading the award-winning animation group Alcazaren Bros. in 1989. The group specialized in stop-motion, the first in Southeast Asia, then shifted to live-action directing (advertisements) in 1995 and continues till the present, creating content for different media platforms (concept & direction). In between advertising jobs, he has written three screenplays, one of which, “Prisoner Alpha”, won First Place in the the 2007 Carlos Palanca Awards. Alcazaren has directed two films “Puti” (2013), an art-house thriller and the documentary (co-director/2022) “11,103,” about survivors of human rights violations during the Marcos dictatorship. The film was recognized as the Best Documentary at the 46th Gawad Urian Awards. “Patay Kung Patay” is his first venture into the comic book scene in collaboration with writer and artist Noel Pascual and AJ Bernardo. The comic book series has recently been translated into an English compilation book, “Death Be Damned,” which won a 2023 National Book Award for Best English Graphic Novel. He is completing another documentary entitled, “Children of the War,” which follows the stories of survivors of the Battle of Manila 1945 where an estimated 100,000 civilians perished from both the Japanese atrocities and the American advance to liberate the city.

Dean is an internationally published author, playwright, and advocate of speculative fiction. His books include the novel Salamanca; short fiction collections The Kite of Stars and Other Stories, How to Traverse Terra Incognita, A Field Guide to the Roads of Manila and Other Stories, and Stars in Jars; and the children’s book How Rosang Taba Won A Race. As an editor and anthologist, he is the founder of the Philippine Speculative Fiction annuals, and the editor of anthologies including Fantasy: Filipino Fiction for Young Adults, Horror: Filipino Fiction for Young Adults, Science Fiction: Filipino Fiction for Young Adults, Maximum Volume: Best New Philippine Fiction 1 & 2, and Ang Manggagaway at iba pang Kathang-Agham at Pantasya mula sa Gitnang Europa at Pilipinas, and New Philippine Speculative Fiction, among others.

Dean’s short stories have been anthologized internationally, in books such as The Big Book of Modern Fantasy, The Time Traveler’s Almanac, and The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, as well as in many other books, magazines, and online publications. His stories have been adapted into plays, musicals, and film.

His literary awards include 10 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature — including the Grand Prize for Novel for Salamanca — as well as National Book Awards, the Philippines Free Press Literary Award, and the Gintong Aklat Award. He is also the Chair of the Filipino Critics Circle.This year, his upcoming books include his fourth collection of fiction, as well as a volume of selected stories from his first 25 years of speculative fiction.

Merlie Alunan writes creative nonfiction and poetry in both English and Cebuano. Her poetry is collected under six titles, namely: Hearthstone, Sacred Tree (Anvil, 1993), Amina among the Angels (UP Press, 1997), Selected Poems (UP Press, 2004), Tales of the Spider Woman (UST Publishing House, 2010), Pagdakop sa Bulalakaw ug uban pang mga Balak (AdMU Press, 2013), Running with Ghosts (AdNU Press, 2017) and Tigom Collected Poems of Merlie M. Alunan (UP Press 2024). She was awarded the National Book Award in the 35th, 36th, 37th and 42nd NBDB-Manila Critics Circle for the following titles: Sa Atong Dila Introduction to Visayan Literature (UP Press 2015); Susumaton Oral Narratives of Leyte (AdMU Press 2016); Tinalunay Hinugpong nga Panurat ha Winaray (UP Press 2017); Running with Ghosts and other Poems (AdNU Press, 2017), and Hubad Ester Tapia (UP Press 2024). She taught literature at UP Tacloban College and retired as Professor Emeritus of the University of the Philippines in 2008. She worked for most of her life as a teacher of literature and creative writing. She is also known for her work in promoting writing and reading in the Visayan mother tongues.

Bambi Eloriaga-Amago is a Philippines-based comic book writer and children’s book author. Her graphic novel Doobiedoo Asks is an Official Selection of the first-ever Philippine International Comics Festival, a Finalist at the 39th National Book Awards, and a Readers’ Choice Award Recipient at the 7th National Children’s Book Awards, while her children’s book is titled Too Loud! Soothing Sensory Overload With Music. Both books are nominees for the 2025 International Board on Books for Young People’s Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. Bambi also currently acts as Managing Editor for a USA-based publisher.

Ardie Aquino is a Filipino komiks creator and illustrator known for crafting engaging and innovative stories since 2011. With a passion for pushing the boundaries of storytelling, Ardie has published numerous works that experiment with format, presentation, and narrative techniques.

Among his most recognized titles is School Run, a suspense-adventure comic following a group of students navigating a zombie-infested city. He also created Balik Tanaw, a deeply personal work exploring memory and nostalgia. His groundbreaking comic Nandito Lang Ako uses tracing paper to enhance its narrative, while Ang Manguulam blends Filipino cuisine with elements of Pinoy mythology, further showcasing his ability to merge cultural storytelling with thrilling narratives.

Ardie’s dedication to the medium has led to significant achievements, including being selected as a co-exhibitor for the prestigious Frankfurt Book Fair 2025, a milestone that highlights his growing international presence. He has also participated in major local and international events, such as the Philippine International Comics Festival and Komikon Grande, where he continues to engage with readers and fellow creators.

With over a decade in the industry, Ardie remains committed to crafting compelling stories that captivate audiences. Whether through heart-pounding adventures, introspective narratives, or experimental formats, his work continues to redefine the komiks landscape.

Yasmin Arquiza is the author and editor of more than 20 books about environmental issues and indigenous peoples in the Philippines. She has worked as an international news reporter for Agence France-Presse and Associated Press, as a community journalist for Bandillo ng Palawan, and as managing editor for GMA News Online. A graduate of the University of the Philippines and the New School for Social Research in New York, she was awarded a Bellagio fellowship for the Reuters Foundation Programme at Oxford University and a Ford Foundation-International Fellowship Program scholarship at the Asian Institute of Management. She is the founder of Pawikan Press, an independent publishing house that specializes in books about the culture and environment of Mindanao and Palawan.