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Required Reading
A couple of weeks ago, Patch Buenaventura left a message on my comments board. He wanted to interview me about "And All Things Nice", a story I wrote that got included in the FAST FOOD FICTION anthology.
So, I emailed him and answers his questions. I then asked what made him decide to do a report on my story. Turns out "And All Things Nice" is part of their English class reading list.
I was able to track down and the email of his teacher to confirm it.
Here's Mrs. Cheekee's reply:
Dear Budjette,
Well, you are right -- and not-so-right at the same time. And yes, I heard how Patch Buenaventura emailed you and asked you all sorts of questions about the story for his literary critique. Actually, you are right: your story was read in the fourth year batch -- but forgive me if I say that the only reason we included it in the list was its length (or is that non-length?)
We wanted to have the students a feel of different short stories -- short, long, Filipino, non-Filipino, sentimental, romantic, weird, twisted-ending, etc.
Thanks for being kind to Patch and his interview. It's writers like you who give Filipino authors a good image.
Regards,
chingjchee kee
Well, at least I wasn't included in the "how-not-to-write" list.
I later got an email from Patch saying he got an A+ on his report. (Congratulations, Patch!)
It just feels weird that Ateneo high school students are now reading my story and writing reports about it. I remember how, back in high school, we were required to read short stories and novels and write reports about them. I loved some of them and loathed a lot of them.
There were those stories that just blew me away and somehow, I'm sure, nutured this love for reading and writing.
Makes me wonder how many students read my story and said, "Wow! This is so cool" (Or these days, kids would probably say, "Ooohh! That's hot!") And how many of them read it and said, "That's it? And then what happens? I have to write a report about this?"
Feels weird.
Feels nice.
Required Reading
A couple of weeks ago, Patch Buenaventura left a message on my comments board. He wanted to interview me about "And All Things Nice", a story I wrote that got included in the FAST FOOD FICTION anthology.
So, I emailed him and answers his questions. I then asked what made him decide to do a report on my story. Turns out "And All Things Nice" is part of their English class reading list.
I was able to track down and the email of his teacher to confirm it.
Here's Mrs. Cheekee's reply:
Dear Budjette,
Well, you are right -- and not-so-right at the same time. And yes, I heard how Patch Buenaventura emailed you and asked you all sorts of questions about the story for his literary critique. Actually, you are right: your story was read in the fourth year batch -- but forgive me if I say that the only reason we included it in the list was its length (or is that non-length?)
We wanted to have the students a feel of different short stories -- short, long, Filipino, non-Filipino, sentimental, romantic, weird, twisted-ending, etc.
Thanks for being kind to Patch and his interview. It's writers like you who give Filipino authors a good image.
Regards,
chingjchee kee
Well, at least I wasn't included in the "how-not-to-write" list.
I later got an email from Patch saying he got an A+ on his report. (Congratulations, Patch!)
It just feels weird that Ateneo high school students are now reading my story and writing reports about it. I remember how, back in high school, we were required to read short stories and novels and write reports about them. I loved some of them and loathed a lot of them.
There were those stories that just blew me away and somehow, I'm sure, nutured this love for reading and writing.
Makes me wonder how many students read my story and said, "Wow! This is so cool" (Or these days, kids would probably say, "Ooohh! That's hot!") And how many of them read it and said, "That's it? And then what happens? I have to write a report about this?"
Feels weird.
Feels nice.
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