In what ways did independent publishing aid in your
artistic growth?
Megan Flores (MF): It introduced me to the ever-
growing independent publishing community. It has helped
me recognize that if you’re involved in any kind of art, you
can’t remain in a vacuum, and that art-making is senseless
without community. Because of this, I’m always challenged
to look outside the self, in terms of what I produce.
Gantala Press (GP): I (Faye Cura) write poetry, and since
with my work in Gantala I had met peasant women who also
write poetry, I have become increasingly skeptical of my work
which, although written in Tagalog, is still so far from the
reality that surrounds most Filipinos. I wish I had read more
poetry in the vernacular, poetry written by ordinary nameless
people, when I was a student of Creative Writing. I am
challenged to produce poetry that is meaningful, that fellow
poets like Ka Tess and Ka Miriam, who are farmers, would be
pleased to read; poetry that would move them in the same way
that I was moved when reading their poems.
I think I can speak for the others when I say that our
work in Gantala has truly widened our perspective of the
world because that world has also grown and widened,
that our own "artistic growth" is not anymore as much of
a concern as it was when we were younger and thought
that the world revolved around us and our “art”. What
is important for us now is to enable as many women as
possible to contribute to memory-making and history-
setting through writing and publishing.
there’s no one way to do it. In fact, it’s an exciting thing to
see the different ways zines have been evolving these last
few years. It’s even a little harder to describe to people now,
because there’s no way to strictly define a zine. Anything
can be a zine, and anyone can make a zine.
GP: As an independent press, we can afford to engage
with and publish “political” issues, especially current issues.
This is because we can move faster than commercial
publishers—all we need is a word processor. Some small
presses are even more old-school and just have their
handwritten zines photocopied. We are realistic enough to
know that we cannot compete with commercial publishers
(and we do not, in fact, and we never will) in terms of
having a streamlined production process, their volume of
publications, their selling capacity, their big-name authors,
etc. But by not making our books available in large
commercial spaces like National Bookstore (not that we can
afford it), by having to sell the books ourselves, we are able
to cultivate a relationship with our readers and followers. We
are also forced to find more creative ways of making and
selling our books, and so we get to meet more people and
project partners in the process.
Last month, Visprint, Inc. officially announced that
they will be closing the company in 2021 and will
stop publishing new material beginning this year.
While this is not the first indicator of developments in
the state of local mainstream publishing, it certainly
was a major index which opened several discussions
concerning its implications on contemporary
Philippine literature per se. What are your own
thoughts on this matter? What do you think does the
current state of local mainstream publishing say about
Philippine contemporary literature?
MF: It’s disheartening to hear about print publishers
folding up. With Visprint, it was particularly sad because
they’re responsible for putting so many alternative works in
the mainstream, and because they already had a substantial
following. I think it’s definitely telling of the landscape
in general. There are even fewer good options in the
mainstream available to a contemporary reader, with
publishers like Visprint closing shop. The lack of market is
a huge factor, but I really don’t believe that Filipinos aren’t
reading anymore. With a lot of content migrating to the
Internet, I think we’re just reading from alternative sources.
GP: Local mainstream publishing is actually alive and
well. It is still prolific, very healthily producing both books
by bourgeoise writers or academics and the more popular,
“low-brow” varieties.
What would you say is the downside to it?
MF: I think that the only downside to small press is
that, while you welcome its growth, it also becomes easier to
forget that it’s an alternative movement. But with more zine,
and more discussion and critique, I think it will be more
faithful to its roots.
GP: The lack of funds and a regular production staff can
get really frustrating and tiring. It means a small print run
of books and a nonexistent marketing infrastructure, which
also means that only a minuscule part of our population can
access our works. It also makes it challenging for us to keep
the price of our books low and affordable.
What does independent publishing offer that cannot
be provided by mainstream publishing?
MF: At the end of the day, mainstream publishing is
a business that relies on a market. It’s always going to be
geared toward making profit. Small press gives writers
and artists the space to make the work they want to make.
In that sense, independent publishing is inclusive because
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