Lourd de Veyra, Jose Victor Torres headline UST writers’ forum
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Department of Creative Writing will launch “IlumiNasyon: Panayam ng Tomasinong Manunulat” (Forum of Thomasian Writers) on Feb. 28, 2 p.m., at the UST Albertus Magnus Auditorium. This inaugural event celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Faculty of Arts and Letters (AB).
Esteemed writers and Palanca Award winners Lourd de Veyra and Jose Victor Z. Torres will headline the forum. De Veyra studied journalism at UST, while Torres pursued his graduate studies in history at the university.
De Veyra, a multifaceted writer, poet, journalist, TV host, and musician, has authored eight books: a novel, essays, and poetry collections including “Insectissimo!” (2011) and “Marka Demonyo” (2020). Awarded as the Best Culture-Based Documentary Host by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, De Veyra serves as the host of modernized radio drama series, “Sana, Lourd”; the lead guitarist of Kapitan Kulam; and the president of “Dakila,” an NGO he founded to unite the youth through arts and culture.
Torres, a full professor and associate director for Drama and History at the Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center at De La Salle University Manila, has published 14 books, including “A Wartime Legacy: The University of Santo Tomas During the Second World War (1941-1945)” (2013) which had earned him a Special Jury Prize at the Premio Tomas: The UST Quadricentennial Literary Prize–Essay Category (Premio Mabini). Torres reaped the National Book Award (2017) for another piece on history, a collection of essays titled “To the People Sitting in Darkness… And Other Footnotes of Our Past.”
The lecture-forum will explore topics ranging from the speakers’ creative processes and challenges in the creative industry to their upcoming projects. The event is open to the public. For registration and other inquiries, contact iluminasyon2025@gmail.com.
