Paolo Manalo teaches at the College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines Diliman. For a time he served as the literary editor of the Philippines Free Press. Jolography, his first book of poems, received the 1st prize in poetry from the 2002 Palanca Awards and the 2004 U.P. Gawad Chancellor Para sa Natatanging Likha ng Sining (Outstanding Literary Work). He released his second book of poems, Happily Ever Ek-ek (Gacha Press), in 2019. He earned his Ph.D. creative writing at the University of St Andrews.

Michael Balili is a literary worker, book designer, translator, & author of the chapbook Velocirupture and the poetry collections Kaiju & The Brute Choir (forthcoming from UP Press). He teaches literature & creative writing at UP Diliman. His recent works can be found at michaelbalili.carrd.co.

Isabela Banzon's recent poetry collection is Maybe Something (University of the Philippines Press, 2015). She taught English, literature, and creative writing at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Jaime Jesus Uy Borlagdan is a Bicolano writer, musician, graphic artist, teacher & cultural worker. He is an awardee of several Premio Tomas Arejola for Bicol Literature both for his poetry and fiction: his collections “Karangahan” and “Ini, an mga buhay ta” won first prize for poetry in 2006 and 2007. “Hamot kan Narumdom” a collection of prose poems and the short story “Pagsarado” both won the grand prizes in the same literary contest in 2009. In that year he was also named by the Tomas Arejola Foundation as Parasurat kan Taon (Writer of the Year) for 2009. 

Aldus Santos is the author of three books published by three different indies: the poetry collection Vocalese (Likhanan, Inc., 2006); the music journalism anthology Repeat While Fading (Poppy & Plume, 2009); and Alternate Endings (Offshore Music, 2020), a behind-the-scenes account of the Eraserheads’ The Final Set. He writes about music for the NME. 

Pauline Lacanilao Arnould received her Masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Her poems have appeared in Kritika Kultura, Alchemy, & elsewhere. She teaches literature at Ateneo de Manila University.

Aylli Cortez is a transmasc Filipino poet and creative writing graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, where he received a DALISAYAN Award in the Arts for Poetry in 2024. When he isn’t working as a copywriter for a magazine, he reads poetry submissions for the international literary journal ANMLY. This is his first chapbook. Find him online @1159cowboy.

Palanca Award-winning poet Jan Dennis Destajo is an architect from Daet, Camarines Norte, Philippines. His work can be found in several literary journals, including 5x5, Consequence Forum, Hoxie Gorge Review, Poetry, & TLDTD. He works and resides in Quezon City.

Si Ella Hermonio ay isang mamamahayag at manunulat. Dati siyang researcher sa CNN Philippines at kasalukuyang nasa empleyo ng isang banyagang pahayagan. Ang ilan sa kanyang mga akda ay nailathala ng UP Institute of Creative Writing, Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, at Surian ng Sining. Nagwagi siya ng Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature noong 2023 para sa maikling kuwento. Nagtapos siya sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas-Diliman. Mahal niya ang kanyang mga magulang at lalo na ang kanyang mga pusa: sina Melon, Aki, Moonchi, Sunny, Mingming, at Kaaway.