Three Silliman writers to be part of the Philippine delegation to the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair

Three writers from Silliman University are set to be part of the national delegation to the 2025 Frankfurter Buchmesse (FBM), or the Frankfurt Book Fair, scheduled on 15 to 19 October 2025 in Germany. The FBM is the world’s largest and oldest international publishing event.

Dumaguete fictionist Ian Rosales Casocot, Tacloban poet Merlie Alunan, and Tagbilaran poet Marjorie Evasco, all graduates of the creative writing program of Silliman University, will be among 500 delegates from the Philippines, which include creatives, authors, and illustrators, as well as publishing houses and literary organizations. The Philippines is the Guest of Honor of the renowned international book fair this year.

According to the National Book Development Board (NBDB) Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade, the country’s presence will place Filipino literature and culture “front and center of the world’s literary stage.” The NBDB is one of the national agencies tasked to bring the Philippine to the book fair.

Casocot, currently a creative writing faculty at the Department of English and Literature, said that he was tapped by the NBDB only last August to represent not just writers from the southern Philippines, but also to represent Dumaguete as a potential UNESCO City of Literature, as well as the Negros Island Region, since he is the current president of Buglas Writers Guild, the network of writers from Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Siquijor. He will also be representing the Silliman University National Writers Workshop, which is the oldest creative writing workshop in Asia.

In Germany, Casocot will be part of several panels which will discuss specific issues and topics about Philippine literature. He will also be part of a poetry reading cycle that will put a spotlight on peace and justice issues in the world.

The Frankfurt Book Fair, which traces its roots to the 15th century, annually gathers thousands of publishers, writers, literary agents, and readers from around the world. The Philippines’ participation as Guest of Honor is seen as a milestone in promoting its literature, languages, and creative industries to the world.

(Photos: Tyron Sanoy and Joseph Esmeralda of SUCC; Official FB page of Merlie Alunan)