FOLLOWING THROUGH on last week’s update on Likhaan: The Journal of Contemporary Philippine Literature which the UP Institute of Creative Writing will be publishing, I’d like to announce that the deadline for submitting stories, poems, and essays (in English and Filipino, for our first issue) is August 31, 2006. Please take note that only original, unpublished work will be considered.

For the story and the essay, we will consider work in the range of 12-30 pages double-spaced; for poetry, we will consider only suites or small collections of about four to seven poems, from which the editors will select at least three for publication. The essay could be a work of literary scholarship or criticism or creative nonfiction, formal or informal. We will consider short graphic novels or excerpts from longer work; what we actually publish will depend on the range and quality of the submissions.

All submissions will undergo a process of pre-screening by the editors, and shortlisted pieces will be reviewed by expert referees. I should probably forewarn our potential contributors that, as space is limited and as we will be putting the highest premium on quality through the refereeing process, getting in will be very difficult for all but the best work, and winning or having won a Palanca or a similar award will offer no guarantee of acceptance. For those accepted, however, Likhaan will pay commensurately high rates.

Kindly submit all contributions to us at likhaanjournal@gmail.com, accompanied by a brief self-introduction. Again, please don’t ask or expect me to provide an instant response to or a critique of your work; I have neither the time nor the inclination for this, and as the editor of the inaugural issue, I cannot be saying anything to influence our referees’ decisions. But I’ll be sure to acknowledge receipt of your work, also by e-mail.