Tentative date for a French salon and English pub-themed writing and writers’ tete-a-tete is last week of April. Venue: Prima City, Dumangas, Iloilo.

Prima City is a three-story commercial building with a pool that’s owned by transgressive Ilonggo writer, Peter Solis Nery. Nery is now based in Los Angeles, California.

This is not your run-of-the-mill workshop where participants’ works are discussed by a dogmatic panel. We reverse the process: When you come to the workshop you come ready with your own writing method. You talk about how this method applies to your own writing experience. For proof, you site your pieces (poetry, essay, play, blog, art work, etc) as examples. We react to your pieces using our own writing process so we learn from one another. We don’t believe nor subscribe to any school of writing.

We have invited two English language specialists to take up issues on usage: Randolph Graydon, from Baltimore, USA, and Brian Daily, a British- Canadian. Their job is to react to how you work with the English language and offer points for improvement. If you write in Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a and Filipino, we have other invited writers to help you with that: Mel F. Turao, Roger Rueda, among others.

Prospect attendees are college students, fresh graduates, young professionals, bloggers, musicians, artists, book worms, nerds, mad scientists, couch potatoes, movie junkies, journalists and English/literature teachers, who want to have a hands-on experience with how writing is produced by writers themselves. The discussions aren’t strictly academic as there are readings and performances in between the sessions. Wine, beer and cocktails will be served.

How to join

Send your softcopy originals (poetry, essay/blog entry, short story, play and a combination of these) in Arial 14, double space to archprankster@yahoo.com. Please include a 4-paragraph bio. We accept applications until 19 April.

Your works will be pre-screened. Discounts will be given to applicants whose works show promise.

Admission fee is PhP 600 for students and PhP 1000 for fresh graduates and professionals. Your fee covers drinks, food and reading materials.

For more details, drop a word for Mel on twitter (baconbriefs) and melturao.tumblr.com