Sillimanian writers win in 2023 Nick Joaquin Literary Awards

(L-R) Ian Rosales Casocot, SU Edilberto and Edith Tiempo Creative Writing Center associate for fiction, and F. Jordan Carnice, SU alumnus. (Photo from the Facebook profile of F. Jordan Carnice)

Silliman University (SU) Edilberto and Edith Tiempo Creative Writing Center Associate for Fiction Ian Rosales Casocot and SU alumnus F. Jordan Carnice bagged major awards in the 2023 Nick Joaquin Literary Awards (NJLA) last May 4, 2023.

Casocot won the first prize for his short story entry, “Ceferina in Apt. 2G,” while Carnice won “Poet of the Year” for his entry, “Four Poems for the Future.”

Casocot and Carnice’s entries were chosen among 48 entries in each of their categories.

They received the awards in a ceremony at the Winford Manila Resort and Casino.

Casocot and Carnice were fellows for the SU National Writers Workshop (SUNWW) in 2000 for Fiction and 2008 for Poetry, respectively.

Casocot earned his Master of Arts in English from SU in 2012 while Carnice graduated with a degree in Creative Writing in 2007.

Hosted by the magazine Philippines Graphic, the NJLA recognizes the best short fiction and poetry published in the magazine’s literary section. It is given every May 4 during the birthday of the late National Artist for Literature and former Philippines Graphic editor-in-chief Nick Joaquin. 

For 2023, the NJLA selected three of the best short stories and one poem that were published between February 2022 and January 2023 in the Philippines Graphic Reader, a companion magazine of the Philippines Graphic.

Multi-awarded writers Jose “Butch” Dalisay and Susan Lara; and Marra PL. Lanot, Philippines Graphic Reader editor, led the board of judges composed of respected fictionists and poets of the Philippine literary community.

(With reports from the SU Edilberto and Edith Tiempo Creative Writing Center)