Link: Pinoy-Culture Official Reference List

Pinoy-Culture on Tumblr is dedicated to showcasing the diversity of the Philippines. This post is a reference links list that is broken down according to four sections. It's a thorough read, and extremely educational.

Check out the rest of Pinoy-Culture.com!

Roundtable Questions: Pear Nuallak on "The Insects And Women Sing Together"

Pear Nuallak's story finishes off the anthology, a fine, crisp, clear, queer wine. They write to us from the seat of steampunk, England, and from there deliver this finely-crafted story of chittering clockwork bugs, lady spies, and ambitious village girls caught in the whirl of political upheaval.

Roundtable Questions: Ivanna Mendels on "Petrified"

Editrix Jaymee got really excited over Ivanna's story, which brings to life (well, kind of) an old familiar legend--Indonesians call him Malin Kundang, Malaysians call him Si Tenggang, but it is essentially the same story: a rich man passes through his home village, where his mother recognizes him. Ashamed of his past, he refuses to acknowledge her, and she curses him.

Roundtable Questions: zm quynh on "The Chamber of Souls"

Editrix Jaymee first met zn quynh at WisCon, tapping away at her laptop during downtimes between panels. She was working on a larger project, she said. This is her first ever short story sale, and we are pleased to introduce you to her work.

Roundtable Questions: Robert Liow on "Spider Here"

Robert Liow hails from Malaysia, and like editrix Jaymee, doesn't live there either. He writes to us from Singapore, where editrix Joyce is, with a story featuring a childhood game of FIGHTING SPIDERS. It's hard not to be aware that this is a thing. Combining this game with the technofantasy of steampunk, "Spider Here" has got the makings of a dramatic movie!

Roundtable Questions: Olivia Ho on "Working Woman"

Olivia Ho hails from Singapore, and writes to us from Scotland (ah, we fine expatriates) a story that rather fits the theme that informs many other stories in this anthology: COMPLETE LADY-FEST. Cranky ladies, angry ladies, confused ladies, curious ladies, smart, smart-mouthed, ladies ladies ladies. Also, an anecdote of explaining steampunk to her father.

Roundtable Questions: Kate Osias on "The Unmaking of the Cuadro Amoroso"

Kate Osias sent in a reprint from one of the famous Philippine Speculative Fiction Annuals, and as soon as we finished it, we were breathless. "We need this story," Editrix Jaymee shouted over the Internet at Editrix Joyce. "Yes," Joyce shouted back. "The Unmaking of the Cuadro Amoroso" infuses mathematics and the arts with a passion!

Roundtable Questions: Paolo Chikiamco on "Between Severed Souls"

We am so so so so pleased to be able to say that we are going to publish Paolo! We first came to know of him through his work at Rocket Kapre, and then at Usok. He told us about his steampunk comic, set in Spanish-era Philippines, High Society (purchasable on Kindle!), and the prequel, "On Wooden Wings," which has since been published in Steampunk III: Steampunk Revolution. The story he has written for us, "Between Severed Souls," takes place between these two works.

Roundtable Questions: Alessa Hinlo on "The Last Aswang"

Alessa Hinlo is one of those small and fierce women that we Asians should be famed for. Editrix Jaymee had the joy of meeting her, after a long time being aware of each other through social networks, at WisCon last year.  Her story, "The Last Aswang," feels like a knife cutting in, and twisting. It is also a very strong example of steampunk that moves away from the materials we commonly associate with it to more nature-based materials--an indigenous steampunk form!

Roundtable Questions: L. L. Hill on "Ordained"

L. L. Hill is a woman of few words. So few, we actually don't know that much about her! We will call her a woman of economical words, since she is also a poetess. Her story in this anthology has that same quiet air about it, as all her emails do:

Roundtable Questions: Marilag Angway on "Chasing Volcanoes"

Marilag Angway's story, "Chasing Volcanoes," is a high-flying (literally) adventure (we have a few of these) filled with different kinds of women, moral grays, principles, politics, and compassion. She coined a neologism, "malambaso," for this story, which is a combination of two Tagalog words, to name flexible glass!

Roundtable Questions: Timothy Dimacali on "On The Consequence of Sound"

Timothy Dimacali is no stranger to science fiction fantasy. You can find him in Alternative Alamat, with "Keeper of My Sky," a retelling of a love story between an earth goddess and a god who holds up the sky.

We jokingly refer to this story as "the flying whale story." You can see them on the final cover of the anthology, floating in the distance.