4 local anthologies you should be reading right now

MANILA, Philippines – If you need to take the edge off a particularly stressful day, try diving into a good anthology – whether its short stories, non-fiction, or poetry. With a variety of tales that can take you from one world to a completely different one in just a few pages, you may just find yourself going from cover to cover in just one sitting.

Bookmark this reading list for the next time you need to escape and destress – or if you’re simply  craving for a good yarn or a dose of poetry.

People in Panic by Marguerite Alcazaren de Leon

Marguerite Alcazaren de Leon’s People in Panic is a collection of short stories about people in, well, panic. Among them are handsome floating heads that linger in women’s closets, a woman planning the death of her expat husband, and a gel ice pack that contemplates the arrival of a new resident in the freezer. Copies are available on Facebook.com/peopleinpanic and in indie bookstores like Uno Morato in Maginhawa street and Studio Soup in Cubao X.

A Waiting Room Companion by Angelo R. Lacuesta

Sarge Lacuesta is known for his award-winning fiction, but this compilation brings together the writer’s non-fiction works, including essays, explorations, and profiles that have been published in titles like Rogue, Uno, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Preview, and, of course, Esquire Philippines, where he serves as Editor-at-Large. The book also features photographs by Jake Versoza, Shaira Luna, Lawrence Del Mundo, Gabby Lacuesta, and the author himself. Copies are available through the Ateneo de Manila University Press website.

Coral Cove and Other Stories by Angelo R. Lacuesta

This book is Lacuesta’s fourth collection of fiction, The title piece, “Coral Cove,” which won the Nick Joaquin Literary Award in 2016, has the narrator ruminating on loss as he details the rise of his tech start-up to a woman he once lost a baby with. The story is one of 11 tales filled with nostalgia and ennui, all written in Lacuesta’s signature prose. Copies are available through the University of Sto. Tomas Press.

Hush Harbor by Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta

Hush Harbor, whose title comes from her Palanca Award-winning piece, is the renowned poet’s fourth collection. In it, Katigbak-Lacuesta displays her mastery of the lyric poem, with verses that are heartbreaking, candid, and filled with astute observations on people and the world. The book is available through the University of Sto. Tomas Press. – Rappler.com