Lament of the Most Wretched Woman

Allan N. Derain is the author of several books, including Iskrapbuk (UP Press), a finalist in the Madrigal Gonzalez Best First Book Award in 2006; Aswanglaut (Ateneo de Manila University Press) which won the 40th National Book Award for Best Novel in Filipino and the Gintong Aklat Award for the same category; Ang Banal na Aklat ng mga Kumag (Cacho and Anvil) which won the Carlos Palanca Memorial Grand Prize Award in 2011, The Reader’s Choice Award in 2014, and the National Book Award also in 2014; and The Next Great Tagalog Novel at Iba pang Kuwento which won the 39th National Book Award Best Short Fiction Collection in Filipino. He edited the aswang anthology May Tiktik sa Bubong, May Sigbin sa Silong which won the 37th National Book Award for Best Anthology in Filipino, and the Gintong Aklat Award. An Associate Professor both in the Kagawaran ng Filipino and Fine Arts Department of Ateneo de Manila University, he teaches Creative Writing and Philippine Literature and for three years served as the director of AILAP (Ateneo Institute of Literary Arts and Practices).

ROWENA P. FESTIN is a poet, fictionist, translator and editor. She is the author of the book of poetry Banayad which won the National Book Award for poetry in Filipino in 2017 and the book of short stories Ang Buang ng Bayan which won the National Book Award for fiction in Filipino in 2024. The two books are both published by the University of the Philippines Press. She was also the recipient of the 2023 Gawad SWF for her poems published in Agos Journal, a publication of UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino. She translated to Filipino the novel Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) and was published by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. She is also the co-translator of the novel Little Women (Louisa May Alcott). The translation was published by Southern Voices. Her poems, short stories and essays on Philippine literature and culture had been published in journals and anthologies. She is a professor of Filipino and Sociology courses in University of the Philippines Pampanga.

Camille is a reader, storyteller, and creative. She is currently the Marketing Head of the Ateneo de Manila University Press, one of the Philippines’ top publishers. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Communication and Theater Arts), Program Award, and Loyola Schools Award for the Arts in Theater Performance. Drawing from this background, she brings a multi-faceted approach to her work that combines the ethos of cultural work with the innovative strategy of brand development. She has had experience in both theater production, performance and art-making, as well as digital marketing and corporate communications for the large-scale Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), food and beverage, and telecommunications industries. Today, she brings this unique perspective and expertise to use in the world of publishing, fueled by her lifelong love of literature and reading.