THE XAVIER University-Ateneo de Cagayan Press won four publications grant from the National Book Development Board during the Philippine Book Festival held at the World Trade Center last week.

The winning titles are Bride Price and Other Stories, Sikwateng Uwan, Lasang sa mga Pasumbingay: Sixteen Southern Writers, and Lanao Boy: A Life: The Writings of Manuel E. Buenafe (1916-1963).

XU said that the university press took home a total grant of P480,000.

The books will come out this year and will be available to the public at the XU Bookstore and online through the XU Press social media.

Bride Price and Other Stories is a short story collection written by Dr. Calbi Asian.
Sikwateng Uwan, Lasang sa mga Pasumbingay: Sixteen Southern Writers is a multi-genre collection of post-Sendong literary works by Dr. Maria Elena Paulma and Dr. Jeena Rani Marquez-Manaois.

It was edited by Merlie Alunan, Aivee Badulid and Lemuel Zalradarriaga.

Lanao Boy: A Life: The Writings of Manuel E. Buenafe is a collection of literary works and memoirs edited by Dr. Maria Corazon Buenafe.

XU Press director Dr. Elio Garcia expressed hope that more university presses and independent publishers from the south will venture into properly vetted publications and tap grant initiatives such as those of the NBDB “to intensify publishing in Mindanao since there are still so many writers and materials that are yet to be published from the island.”

The NBDB received 118 grant applications but only 22 publishing houses were chosen as recipients.

The titles were evaluated in terms of the quality of manuscript, cost study and marketing plan.