WILA celebrates 29 years of sisterhood and literary arts in Cebu
It is no secret that I was hesitant to join the Women in Literary Arts, Inc.-Cebu (WILA) when I was encouraged to do so, more than six years ago. Each member of the group is successful in their own way—their literary works are published in journals and magazines, they have received awards and highest merits, they have published several books, and they are very learned and passionate in their craft. I thought at the time, “How can I possibly catch up?”
But I found that
I had the wrong perspective. Although I felt awkward in the first few WILA
activities I joined in as a non-member observer and participant, I relish the
sincere display of the members’ devotion to the group, their literary genius,
and their unique individual personalities. Things snowballed eventually and I
found myself submitting my own works as part of my membership application.
In September 2020, I joined in the preparation and celebration of WILA’s 29th anniversary, my second official participation after I was inducted as a member last year. Due to the pandemic and poor Internet connection, WILA held a virtual celebration on Oct. 3 via Zoom and Facebook Live with the theme, Fast Forward. You can watch it here:
https://www.facebook.com/299374040168002/videos/1119428148453122
It is around this
time of the year when I would miss Ma’am Erma terribly. The late Ma’am Erma
Cuizon is one of the founders of WILA. I adored her when I was working with her
at SunStar Cebu, she was an editor and columnist and I was a rookie reporter
just a wall away at the office. I was a loyal fan of her Sunday essays.
When I worked at
another company, I received calls from her, asking me to relay messages to my
supervisor who was president of WILA at the time. I kept reminding Ma’am Erma
that I was not a member yet and politely shared with her my supervisor’s
contact details a couple of times. Looking back, I should have indulged her
more.
What is inspiring
about WILA is their unquestionable love of the literary arts. Members support
each others’ events and projects outside the group. They encourage new members
to participate more and write more. They cultivate the culture of courage and
pave roads for more works by women writers to be formally published.
“Every year on a
day in September, WILA comes together to celebrate its anniversary and pay
homage to our founding mothers’ vision of a group that supports and nurtures
each other. It is also a day when we reflect on the progress we have made
together, to call for ideas, to celebrate our colleagues who have played
extraordinary roles in their careers, and to revel in the joy that we have yet
added another year to this togetherness,” said Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu, director
of the Cebuano Studies Center at the University of San Carlos and author of
many nonfiction and scholarly books, in her opening remarks during the virtual
celebration.
To WILA, happy
29th anniversary! Cheers!
Welcome to WILA-Cebu Nance! <3
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