DLSU The Department of Literature

We congratulate our faculty members, author Dr. Genevieve Asenjo and translator Dr. Ana Margarita Nuñez, on the publication of The Melancholy of the Tongue, a new English translation of Dr. Asenjo’s first novel, Lumbay ng Dila.

Published by Dutch publisher, Fidessa Literary, the book is set to be launched on June 27, 2026, at the Philippine Club in Plaza Reial, Barcelona, Spain. For more information about the event, visit https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1392970796184725&set=a.470379688443845.

To purchase a copy of the book, visit https://www.amazon.de/dp/1918778019.

We congratulate our faculty member and PhD student, Josephine V. Roque, on presenting her paper, “From China, with Love: Adapting the Micro-Drama Model in the Philippines,” at the Mechademia International Conference 2026, held at the National University of Singapore on May 29–30, 2026.

With the theme “Traversing Trans-Asian Imaginaries: Anime, Manga, and Media Cultures,” the conference brought together scholars exploring contemporary media, popular culture, and cultural formations across Asia.

We are proud of you, Joyce! Animo!

We congratulate Dr. Mary Harmony Guevarra on the publication of her article, “Men Doing Domestic Work: Exploring the Masculinities and Transnational Providership of Filipino Male Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong,” in the current issue of Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, Volume 74, Number 2 (2026).

For access to the article, please visit https://archium.ateneo.edu/phstudies/.

Dr. Ana Margarita Nuñez's interview with InTheMix Magazine on translating the Philippines.

"Philippine literature often reaches international readers through translation, but the journey begins long before a book crosses national borders. In this conversation, author, translator, and academic Ana Margarita Nuñez reflects on multilingualism, regional identity, cultural translation, and why the greatest challenge may not be translating Filipino literature into other languages, but translating the many Philippines that exist within the nation itself."

Dr. Nuñez is the author of Hanaw and the translator of Dr. Genevieve Asenjo's The Melancholy of the Tongue (Lumbay ng Dila).

Can a Nation Be Translated? The Many Philippines Hidden Inside Philippine Literature Ana Margarita Nuñez reflects on language, identity, regional narratives, and why understanding Philippine literature means understanding many Philippines.

We congratulate our MFA in Creative Writing (MFACREA) student, Joshua Lim So, whose short story, “Dwellings,” has been included in the forthcoming anthology Galleon Dreaming: An Anthology of Dark Fiction from the Philippine Diaspora, Volume 1, published by DILIM Press.

For more information about the anthology, visit https://www.dilimpress.com/galleon-dreaming.

We are proud of you, Joshua! Animo!

Dr. Genevieve Asenjo's interview with the Filipino Expat Magazine on The Melancholy of the Tongue, the new English translation of her debut novel, Lumbay ng Dila.

Genevieve Asenjo´s The Melancholy of the Tongue — The Filipino Expat In her masterful debut, The Melancholy of the Tongue (Fidessa Literary), Genevieve Asenjo stitches together a narrative set against the vibrant yet complex backdrop of Antique, Philippines. The novel follows its protagonist, Sadyah, on a journey of self-discovery that untangles the threads of histor...

We congratulate Dr. Ernesto Carandang II on his recent speaking engagements at various universities:

Keynote Speaker, Saliksikan 2026: PUP College of Communication Student Research Colloquium, with the theme “Habi at Saliksik: Reframing Media and Culture in an Era of Global Connectivity,” held at Bulwagang Bonifacio, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, on May 21, 2026.

Guest Speaker, LITALKS Podcast, held in celebration of Buwan ng Panitikan and titled “Beyond the Paper: Creative Approaches to Research,” organized by the Institute of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Language and Literature Studies at Far Eastern University on April 20, 2026.

Speaker, Tell Your Story: Literature Month Lecture Series, organized by the Society of Bedan Literati and Linguists and held at the Collaboration Room, 3rd Floor CAS Library, San Beda University, on April 8, 2026.

We congratulate our MFA in Creative Writing (MFACREA) student, Justine Renee Garcia, on being selected as a speaker at TEDxManila: Tagpi-Tagpi, to be held in Ermita, Manila, on August 2, 2026.

At the event, she will present “Translation as Alchemy: What We Exchange to Be Understood,” a theory of translation she developed in her Translation class with Dr. Mesándel Arguelles last term. 

ABOUT HER TALK
In this talk, I explore translation not as a clean transfer of meaning, but as alchemy: a transformation that alters everyone involved. Growing up between English, Tagalog, and Chavacano, I learned that language carries memory, power, and survival. To translate is to exchange parts of yourself so others may understand you. Through literature, colonial history, diaspora, and fantasy storytelling, I examine the hidden cost of being understood, and why Filipinos have long mastered the art of becoming legible across fractured worlds.

We are proud of you, Justine! Animo!

We congratulate our MA in Language and Literature major in Literature (MALL-LIT) student, Maria Penny A. Lumbera, on the publication of her paper, “Mandirigma and Babaylan: Deconstructing the Patriarchal Society of the Philippines,” in PRISMA: Gender and Education E-Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1 (2026).

We are proud of you, Penny! Animo!

To access the paper, visit https://ejournalprisma.com/index.php/ojs.