Hic sunt dracones

After Dean's anthology, here's one more on the Philippine speculative fiction front.

Vincent Simbulan-- writer, comic-book afficionado, and comic shop owner-- is coming out with an anthology dedicated to local writers and is calling for submissions. Moreover, unlike Dean's work, Vin's anthology has a theme. Specifically, Vin wants work (poetry or prose) on dragons.

Say what?

To quote:

In the realms of fantasy, no other mythic creature inspires the same sense of awe and wonder, menace and majesty as the Dragon. Crossing cultural boundaries, the dragon is represented in a myriad of forms, in many tales from across the globe, spanning centuries of art and literature. Perhaps the fascination stems from what the dragon represents- a creature of unbridled power, a primeval force of nature that challenges the mettle of anyone who crosses its path.

...Show me something new, something fresh, something that presents the dragon in a new light and restores a sense of awe and wonder. I'll accept tales from across genres: classic fantasy, science fiction, horror, slipstream, children's fiction/juvenilia, as well as poetry - whatever strikes your fancy. Show me new dragons that have never been seen before, make it grand or small, just keep in mind that we are dealing with a creature that has fascinated humanity's collective imagination for centuries.

The Philippines? Dragons? Is there a link between the two?

Who knows. Does it matter? After all, the writer's imagination is supposed to transcend such limitations-- if ever there are such limitations. (And Vin has mentioned to anansi girl that there may have been dragons in Philippine history.)

Dragons also signify the unknown: that blank portion of the ancient traveler's map with the warning "Here be dragons" or Hic sunt dracones etched on the side. And it's appropriate indeed that this territory is so marked as we enter the unexplored land of Philippine speculative fiction.

In published form, dammit. Of course I'm excited.

Stay tuned...