fiction

'Smoke and Salvation'
'Smoke and Salvation' is a short story that won third place in the 2024 F. Sionil Jose Young Writers Awards in the English category.
31 October 202515 min read
The Shadow-Mirror Ritual
This piece is a work of fiction. However, if you are a spiritualist or you believe in the paranormal, the occult, or the demonic, please do not do this ritual.…
28 October 20253 min read
'The Coming'
“Beyond doubt the work of a powerful writer. Can make male writers red with envy in conveying the power of sex and loss.” —Timothy Montes. This story contains…
26 October 20259 min read
'Sa Ilalim ng Durian'
Nakita ni David si Lia na naglalaro sa ilalim ng puno ng durian. Hindi ito ang unang pagkakataon na kanyang pinanood ang batang babae. Matagal na ni David na…
26 October 20255 min read
'Trash Talk'
This short story was originally created for my Fiction Writing Techniques course as a third-year creative writing major at De La Salle University.
24 October 20255 min read
'When Death Arrives at My Door'
Trigger Warning: Mentions of death and blood.
21 October 202513 min read
'The End Came, And No One Knew Its Angel’s Name'
This is a revision of my story “Heaven Came, And No One Knew Its Angel’s Name” after subjecting the original to my Introduction to Creative Writing workshop at…
20 October 202524 min read
Booker Prize-winning, long-listed novels you need to read
The Booker Prize is one of the most celebrated literary awards in the world, shining a light on the best novels written in English and published in the United…
13 October 20252 min read
Escape into these pages
There’s nothing like a rainy day to set the mood for some cozy, uninterrupted reading. With the sound of raindrops dancing outside, a blanket thrown on your…
6 July 20252 min read
Like a holy Houdini
Touching, sure — but how logical is it to put a man fresh from Siberian exile in charge of the Catholic Church, only for him to do what no real pope has dared:…
3 May 20253 min read
Tales from the bookshop: Books set in bookstores
If you’re a book lover (which, we would like to think you are — you’re here, after all), then you might find a fictional book set in a bookstore to be…
21 April 20256 min read
To seethe is to be seen: Books that explore female rage
In celebration of National Women’s Month this March, here’s list of books about female rage so you can pick your favorite anti-heroine.
24 March 20254 min read
An Ikebana story
In honor of Shiro, the “bamboo child” in a work of Japanese fiction, members of Ikebana International Manila named their make-believe ryokan “TAKENOKO (bamboo…
4 October 20242 min read