Palanca winner Wilfredo Pascual Jr. to lead writing workshop in LA

Writer Wilfredo Pascual Jr. FAPCLA PHOTO

LOS ANGELES — A “Meet and Greet” seminar-workshop with internationally acclaimed essayist Wilfredo O. Pascual Jr. is being hosted by the Filipino American Press Club of Los Angeles (est. 1978)-FAPCLA on Saturday, April 27 at the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC aka Larry Itliong Village) from 9 a.m. at 153 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles.

Pascual is the winner of two Palanca Awards from the Philippines, the Curt Johnson Prose Award for Nonfiction and a runner-up to the Steinberg Essay Prize, among others. He will

also conduct a writing workshop on “Personal Essay,” from 1:00 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Pre-registration and reservations are required by calling (818) 203- 3137 or emailing [email protected].  Guidelines will be provided for those interested to join the writing workshop.

Pascual, Jr.is returning to the States this month after presenting a series of lectures and workshops on Personal Essay Writing at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Nueva Ecija, among others.

Wilfredo Pascual Jr. grew up in the Philippines where his personal essays have won several national awards and have been anthologized. For more than 20 years, he has worked in international development in Asia and Africa in the fields of education and culture.

He has to his credit three publications. One is ”Guns” Father Poems edited by Alfred Yuson and Gemino Abad. This was published and distributed by Anvil Publishing, Manila, Philippines in 2004. The other is ”Return to the Great Books,” SPAFA Journal, published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Archaeology and Fine Arts, Bangkok, Thailand in 2003.

He recently published “Kilometer Zero,” that depicts his journey through the many stages of his life from San Francisco, to Siem Reap in northwestern Cambodia, from Thailand to the Philippines.

The Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature, now on its 69^thyear is named after businessman and philanthropist Don Carlos Palanca Sr.   It continuously seeks to cultivate Philippine Literature by providing incentives for writers and serving as a treasury of these literary gems. It is considered the gold standard in writing excellence, highly-coveted by Filipino writers, young and old alike.

Pascual received a Creative Nonfiction scholarship to Breadloaf Writers Conference and attended Squaw Valley’s Community of Writers Workshop and New York University’s Summer Intensive Creative Writing Program. He moved to the United States in 2005 and lives in San Francisco’s Mission District. Pascual continues to be the Publications Officer of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) based in Bangkok, Thailand.

He was also a member of the Organizing Committee of 2004 SEAMEO-UNESCO Education Congress and Member of Panel in Selecting Students for the 2004 ASEAN Student Exchange Program.

Prior to his joining SEAMEO, in 1995 Pascual was Senior Research Analyst of Environmental Groups, Co. Ltd. Bangkok, Thailand. In 1994, he was Senior Researcher of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Archaeology and Fine Arts, Bangkok, Thailand.

Since its founding by immigrant journalists in 1978, the FAPCLA est. 1978 has pioneered continuing education seminars, writing workshops, and scholarships for journalism students, Essay Writing Contests, with the aim of celebrating Filipino writers’ excellence and imparting their skills and knowledge to aspirants in the field.  FAPCLA est. 1978 Workshop team:  Dr. Ludy A. Ongkeko, Cecile Ochoa, Muni Zano, Dante Ochoa, Carol O. Kimbrough.