The literary and youth volunteer group Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), in partnership with the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), will hold the 24th edition of its nationwide outreach program, “Sining ng Tugma, Sukat, at Talinghaga” (STST; Art of Rhyme, Meter, and Metaphor) at the Capiz Provincial Capitol, Roxas City, Capiz on August 10-12, 2013.
STST Roxas will be held in partnership with the local hosts, namely the Provincial Government of Capiz and the Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion, with support from the Cuñada Law Office.
Started in 2008, the STST is a nationwide seminar-workshop series that has toured 23 towns and has served 1,440 people, mostly public school teachers and students. It aims to help advance literature, language, patriotism, and the beneficiaries’ communication skills through the teaching of native literary works and forms.
For 2013, the STST program is part of the larger project titled “Sulong: Dangal ng Filipino,” which includes day-long seminar-workshops on the “Sagisag Kultura” (cultural icons of the Philippines) and the National Orthography. Legazpi City in Albay was the first beneficiary for 2013, and Roxas will be followed by Galas in Quezon City, Tarlac City, and Naga City in Camarines Sur. More towns in Visayas and Mindanao are slated for STST visits.
Founded in 1985, LIRA is a nationally recognized, volunteer-run, education NGO; the oldest organization of poets in Filipino; and one of the country’s premier literary groups. In pursuance of its mission of advancing literature, language, and patriotism, the organization holds a yearly five-month-long poetry clinic held for the most part in UP Diliman. The STST is an effort to bring part of this clinic outside of Metro Manila.
In 2011, LIRA was declared as one of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) in Malacañang Palace by President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, making LIRA the first literary group in the TAYO Awards’ nine-year history. In 2012, LIRA was named by the National Outstanding Volunteer Awards as the National Capital Region’s outstanding volunteer organization.
Heading the STST Roxas team as its lecturers are the award-winning poets Dr. Michael M. Coroza and Dr. Edgar C. Samar of the Ateneo de Manila University. The program is directed by Phillip Kimpo Jr., LIRA president, with the help of Beverly W. Siy, immediate former president and creator of the STS.
Kimpo and Atty. JP Anthony D. Cuñada are the local coordinators for STST Roxas. Parties interested in helping or participating in the program can contact the STST team at pykimpo@gmail.com.
Kalatas: Philippine Literature, Culture, and Ideas 