PASAY CITY, September 18, 2023 – Climate anthology Harvest Moon: Poems and Stories from the Edge of the Climate Crisis has won the “Poetry in English” and “Excellence in Book Design” categories in the Gintong Aklat (Golden Book) Awards 2022.
The book, co-published by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) and Milflores Publishing, featured more than 30 images alongside over 30 poems, stories, and essays about the climate crisis from writers, photographers, and artists in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America.
Harvest Moon succeeds ICSC’s first climate anthology, Agam: Filipino Narratives on Uncertainty and Climate Change, a powerful collection of 24 narratives and 26 images, presented using eight Philippine languages. Agam received three book awards: A National Book Award for Best Anthology, and two Gintong Aklat Awards for Design and English Literature, respectively.
ICSC’s Director for Communications Joseph Manalo, Manager for Urban Development Arielle Celine Tabinga, and Manager for External Communications Ira Dominique Guerrero received the awards on behalf of the organization in the awarding ceremony of Gintong Aklat Awards 2022, held last September 14, 2023 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. In the same event, Dr. Joti Tabula, one of Harvest Moon’s contributors who is based in San Antonio, Zambales, gave a video reading of his contribution to the book entitled Awit sa Dibdib ng Mamang May Covid.
In response to the recognitions Harvest Moon has received, ICSC Executive Director Angelo Kairos dela Cruz said:
“We thank the Gintong Aklat Awards for this recognition and for providing us with an opportunity to highlight the importance and urgency of acting on the climate crisis.
“We likewise take this opportunity to thank the creative women and men who have brought Harvest Moon to fruition: to Padmapani Perez, Rehana Rossouw, Alexandra Walter, and Red Constantino for bringing the idea of Harvest Moon to life; to Felix Mago Miguel for the book design; to Milflores Publishing for co-publishing this book with us; to Rebecca Solnit for her afterword; to our collaborators and contributors; and to the team who helped to amplify the compelling stories of people and communities at the frontlines of the climate crisis through this book.
“Harvest Moon, among other campaigns established through ICSC’s culture work, embodies how climate action should not be limited to government chambers and international boardrooms. Humanities and culture play a crucial role in amplifying the stories and experiences of those at the frontlines of the climate crisis to the national and international level; at the same time, they can help humanize science and policy at the local level.
“Harvest Moon is solid proof that we can contribute to climate action in our own innovative ways. We at ICSC will continue strengthening our work integrating culture and humanities in climate action, and we hope you can join us on this journey. Everything counts and everyone matters in the fight against climate change, and we look forward to working with more artists and cultural practitioners in fighting for a world where people and communities can survive and thrive amid the climate crisis.”
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