Episode 9: Nikki Alfar's ADRIFT ON THE STREET FORMERLY KNOWN AS BUENDIA

If you’re one of the country’s commuting public, it’s likely that you’ve been stranded at least once in your life, and almost always the cause of your troubles is brought about by some form of flooding that cannot, or would not, be explained by public works officials.

Author Nikki Alfar offers a bizarre tale on being stranded, in this month’s featured story “ADRIFT ON THE STREET FORMERLY KNOWN AS BUENDIA”, narrated by marketer Karen Vigo. It first appeared in the Philippines Free Press (2007), and then again in Bewildering Stories. The Bewildering Stories editors loved it so much that it became one of the recipients of the site’s most signal honor, the 2010 Mariner Award.

Finally, fixed =) ENJOY!

Click here to stream FULL EPISODE.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NIKKI ALFAR is a fiction and comics writer, editor and resident grammar nazi of the Manila Lit Critters. Her fiction can be found in local publications like the Philippines Free Press, Philippine Genre Stories, and Story Philippines, and in online publications like Fantasy Magazine and Bewildering Stories. Nikki’s stories have received Palanca awards and citations in the Year’s Best Fantasy. She is wife to businessman/fictionist Dean Alfar, and is mother to daughters Sage and Rowan.

You can also listen to Nikki narrate a story by Yvette Tan: The Bridge.

ABOUT THE READER

KAREN VIGO is a full time campaign planner for a multinational cosmetics company. She loves food in all its glorious forms, and considers Coke Regular as the best beverage in the world.

Coming March 6th

Click on the PLAY button to stream teaser for Episode 9. All episodes come out every 1st Sunday of the month. Listen to the full story on March 6th, 2011, Manila Time. 

Music credits: "Investigations" performed by Kevin Macleod

Episode 8: THE SNIFFLES by Carljoe Javier

For the cold month of February, we’re featuring THE SNIFFLES by Carljoe Javier, narrated by Joel Macaventa.  The Sniffles first appeared in the collection Tales of Fantasy and Enchantment, edited by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, published by Milflores. It will be republished in the author's book of short stories, Geek Tragedies, to be published by UP Press in late 2011.

Link to FULL EPISODE
Running Time: 14m 10s

Additional Music Credit: "Happy Boy End Theme" performed by Kevin Macleod

Press PLAY to stream full episode.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CARLJOE JAVIER studied Creative Writing in UP Diliman. He has two books, “And the Geek Shall Inherit the Earth”and “The Kobayashi Maru of Love”. His third book, “Geek Tragedies” is forthcoming later this year. He likes movies, books, TV, and comics, and probably spends too much time with his Xbox. He works as the business manager of the UST Publishing House.

ABOUT THE READER

JOEL "MCVIE" MACAVENTA loves to act. In times he can't, he works as a marketing exec in one of the country's TV channels, helping people sell the next major sports event. Joel blogs at "The McVie Show"  (http://mcvie5.blogspot.com/ ) now on its eleventh season, and also produces the fabulous podcasts of The Fabcasters.



Coming February 6th

Click on the PLAY button to stream teaser for Episode 8. Starting February, all our episodes will come out every 1st Sunday of the month. Listen to the full story on February 6th, 2011, Manila Time. 

Music credits: "Happy Boy End Theme" performed by Kevin Macleod

Episode 7: KEEPING TIME by FH Batacan

For the year's first podcast, we're featuring "Keeping Time" by FH Batacan, with narration by fictionist Alex Osias. The story first appeared in the Philippines Free Press (2007), and then was reprinted in Philippine Speculative Fiction Volume 3 (edited by Dean and Nikki Alfar; Kestrel), and the online e-book 2009 Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction edited by Charles Tan. In 2008, “Keeping Time” won first prize in Free Press Literary Awards, short story category. The story will be translated into German, and soon printed in the German science fiction magazine, Nova.

Link to FULL EPISODE
Running Time: 36m 17s
Additional Music Credit: "Unaswered Questions" performed by Kevin Macleod

Press play to stream full episode.

[EDIT: "Keeping Time" appears in the Philipine Speculative Fiction Sampler edited by Charles Tan and Mia Tijam, not in the 2009 Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction, also edited by Charles Tan. Apologies for the error... although if you've gone to the latter link, no harm in reading the stories there. They're pretty good. :-) Thanks to Eliza Victoria for pointing this out.  ]

2010 had been a great year. We've produced seven great stories, have featured nine voices, have reached out to a lot of new listeners to Filipino fiction podcasts.

Now, it's the first day of the year: 1.1.11. What could be more symbolic for beginnings than a row of ones?

Maybe this will be the year we'll feature stories in Filipino? Or celebrities doing narration? Or we get 500 million fans on facebook? Who knows? (Which reminds me, do LIKE our facebook page: Pakinggan Pilipinas. We'll be putting up the author's inspiration for the story.)

I am hopeful and positive. Anything is possible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: FH Batacan is a journalist based in Singapore. Her stories have appeared in various local and foreign magazines. Her first novel, “Smaller and Smaller Circles” (UP Press 2002), was received with much acclaim, and went on to win the Palanca Grand Prize Novel in English and the Manila Critics Circle National Book Award.

ABOUT THE READER: Computer whiz and fictionist Alexander M. Osias has an uncanny ability to detect even the slightest noise at recording, be it doors closing, drills drilling, or a rooster crowing from some kilometers away. He is married to writer/editor Kate Aton-Osias. They have, as of this writing, one son.

Coming in January

Click on the PLAY button to stream teaser for Episode 7.Listen to the full story on January 1st, 2011, Manila Time. 

Music credits: "Unaswered Questions" performed by Kevin Macleod

Episde 6 Double Issue: "TWILIGHT OF THE MAGI" by Dominique Cimafranca, and "GOD IS THE SPACE BETWEEN" by Maryanne Moll

Christmas is a'coming! Here at Pakinggan Pilipinas, we'd like to celebrate the season by giving you, not just one, but two! stories to enjoy! Both are from the little fiction magazine that could, Philippine Genre Stories, published by Kenneth Yu.

Our first story is Dominique Cimafranca's "Twilight of the Magi", which was published in Philippine Genre Stories (2007). Two narrators teamed up to bring life to this piece -- and we have Zack Bulatao and Epok Claravall, both from Creativoices Productions, to be thankful for.
 The second story is from the forthcoming PGS Crime Issue, guest-edited by F.H. Batacan. It's called "God is the Space Between", and is written by Maryanne Moll. Dulce Amor Fortunado narrates the character's harrowing ordeal.



LINK to FULL DOUBLE EPISODE  Total Running Time: Part 1 at 27m 57s, Part 2 at 18m 25s

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

E :-)