Dean Francis Alfar (born 2 January 1969), is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

playwright, novelist and writer of

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...

. His plays have been performed in venues across the country, while his articles and fiction have been published both in his native

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and abroad, such as in

Strange Horizons ''Strange Horizons'' is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry and nonfiction in every issue, including reviews, essays, interviews, and roundtables. History and profile It was launched in September 2000, and ...

, Rabid Transit,

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror ''Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'' was a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press from 1987 to 2008. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition included a number of retrospective e ...

and the

Exotic Gothic ''Exotic Gothic'' is an anthology series of original short fiction and novel excerpts in the gothic, horror and fantasy genres. A recipient of the World Fantasy Award and Shirley Jackson Awards, it is conceptualized and edited by Danel Olson, a pr ...

series. He is the author of the novel ''Salamanca'' (Ateneo Press, 2006), as well as three collections of short fiction - ''The Kite of Stars and other stories'' (Anvil Publishing, 2007), ''How to Traverse Terra Incognita'' (Visprint, 2014), and ''A Field Guide to the Roads of Manila'' (Anvil Publishing, 2015). His literary awards include ten Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (Palanca Awards) — including the Grand Prize for

Novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

— as well as the

Manila Critics' Circle National Book Awards The Philippine National Book Awards, or simply the National Book Awards, is a Philippine literary award sponsored by the National Book Development Board The National Book Development Board, abbreviated as NBDB, is an agency of the Philippine gove ...

for the graphic novels Siglo: Freedom and Siglo: Passion, and the Philippines Free Press Literary Award. He was a fellow at the 1992 Dumaguete National Writers Workshop as well as the 20th and 48th UP National Writers Workshop. He is the Chair of the Manila Critics Circle. He is an advocate of the literature of the fantastic, editing the ''Philippine Speculative Fiction'' series, as well as a comic book creator. Alfar is also an

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

— running several businesses. He lives in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

with his wife, fictionist Nikki Alfar and their two daughters.

Awards

Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards *2010 - Prose (''Remembrance'') Gintong Aklat Awards *2008 - Literature (''Salamanca'') FRanklin (batikol) Garcia Memorial Awards for Literature *

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

- for short story for Children (''Poor, Poor Luisa'') *

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

- for short story for Children (''How Rosang Taba Won the Race'') *

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

- for the novel (''Salamanca'') *

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

- for futuristic fiction (''Hollow Girl'') *

- for one-act play (''The Kite of Stars'') *

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

- for one-act play (''The Onan Circle'') *

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

- for full-length play (''Island'') *

- for one-act play (''Loving Toto'') *

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

- for one-act play (''Short Time'') *

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

- for one-act play (''Fragments of Memory'')

*2006- Best Comic Book (''Siglo: Passion'') *2004- Best Comic Book (''Siglo: Freedom'') Philippines Free Press Literary Awards *2007 - for short story (''Six from Downtown'') Fellowships *31st National Writers' Workshop, Dumaguete (1992) - Writing Fellow *20th U.P. National Writers' Workshop (1992) - Writing Fellow *48th U.P. National Writers' Workshop (2009) - Writing Fellow

Works

Books

* ''Salamanca'',

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_aff ...

Press, April 2006. Grand Prize Winner for Novel, Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, 2005. * ''The Kite of Stars and Other Stories'', Anvil Publishing, 2007. (Collection of short fiction) * ''How to Traverse Terra Incognita'', Visprint, 2014. (Collection of short fiction) * ''A Field Guide to the Roads of Manila'', Anvil Publishing, 2015. (Collection of short fiction) * ''How Rosang Taba Won A Race'', Lampara Books, 2012. (Children's Book) * ''Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 1'', Kestrel, December 2005. (Anthology of short fiction) * ''Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 2'', Kestrel, December 2006. (Anthology of short fiction) * ''Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 3'', Kestrel, December 2007. (with Nikki Alfar, Anthology of short fiction) * ''Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 4'', Kestrel, February, 2009. (with Nikki Alfar, Anthology of short fiction) * ''Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 8'', Flipside Books, July 2013. (with Nikki Alfar, Anthology of short fiction) * ''The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction 2005 - 2010'', UP Press, February 2013. (with Nikki Alfar, Anthology of short fiction); ebook, Flipside, July 2013 * ''The Farthest Shore: An Anthology of Fantasy Fiction from the Philippines'', UP Press, August 2013. (with Joseph Nacino, Anthology of short fiction) * ''VOLUME One'', Anvil, 2013. (with Sarge Lacuesta, Anthology of short fiction, forthcoming) * ''Horror: Filipino Fiction for Young Adults'', UP Press, 2013. (with Kenneth Yu, Anthology of short fiction, forthcoming)

Short fiction

* “Terminos” forthcoming in ''The Time Traveller's Almanac'', edited by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer, Tor/Head of Zeus * “Enkantong-bato” forthcoming in ''Bestiary'', edited by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer * “Jianghu” forthcoming in ''Lakeside Circus'' * “Glove & Goggles” in Philippines Graphic, July 2013 * “Things” in ''Querida: An Anthology'', edited by Caroline Hau, Katrina Tuvera and Isabelita O. Reyes, June 2013 * “Remembrance” in Manila Envelope 4, edited by Jessica Zafra, April 2013 * “The Kite of Stars (L'Aquilone du Estrellas)” in ''Hoard of Thunder: Philippine Short Stories in English Volume II 2001 to 2008'', edited by Gemino H Abad, U.P. Press, January 2013 * “Notes on an Ascent” in ''Thursday Never Looking Back'', edited by Adam David, Youth & Beauty Brigade, December 2012 * “Ohkti” in Philippines Graphic, November 2012 * “A Field Guide to the Streets of Manila” in ''Esquire Philippines'', November 2012 * �
The New Daughter
�� in Philippine Genre Stories, October 2012 * �
Simon's Replica
�� in

Apex Magazine ''Apex Magazine'', also previously known as ''Apex Digest'', is an American horror and science fiction magazine. This subscription webzine, ''Apex Magazine'', contains short fiction, reviews, and interviews. It has been nominated for several awa ...

41, October 2012 * �
Terminos
” in Expanded Horizons, September 2012 * “Azamgal” i
How to Traverse Terra Incognita
Flipside, August 2012 * “Securing Doors from Fathers” i
How to Traverse Terra Incognita
Flipside, August 2012 * “East of the Sun” in ''Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 7'', edited by Alexander Osias and Kate Osias * �
Brother & Sister
�� in Philippines Free Press, April 2012 * “The Girl with the Gun” in Philippines Graphic, March 26, 2012 * “The Malaya” in ''Diaspora Ad Astra'', edited by Joseph Nacino & Emil Flores, Estranghero Press, January 2012 * "A Door Opens: The Beginning of the Fall of the Ispancialo-in-Hinirang (Emprensa Press: 2007)” by Salahuddin Alonto, Annotated by Omar Jamad Maududi, MLS, HOL, JMS" in ''Alternative Alamat'', edited by Paolo Chikiamco, Rocket Kapre Books, 2011 * �
The Face
�� in Philippines Free Press, December 2011 * �
Escape
�� in Philippines Genre Stories, October 2011 * “The Fortune-teller's Beautiful Daughter” in Philippines Graphic, July 2011 * �
Packing for the Moon
�� in Philippines Free Press, June 2011 * “Simon's Replica” in Philippines Free Press, May 2010 * “Bruhita” in ''

III'', edited by Danel Olson,

Ash-Tree Press Ash-Tree Press is a Canadian company that publishes supernatural and horror literature. The press has reprinted notable collections of ghostly stories by such writers as R. H. Malden, A. N. L. Munby, L. T. C. Rolt, Margery Lawrence, and Elea ...

, 2009 * �
Ghosts of Wan Chai
�� in ''Connecting Flights: Nineteen Filipinos Report From Elsewhere'', edited by Ruel de Vera,

Anvil An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually forged or cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked"). Anvils are as massive as practical, because the higher th ...

, December 2009 * �
In the Dim Plane
�� in Bewildering Stories, issue 366, January 2010 * �
The Kite of Stars
” in ''The Apex Book of World SF'', edited by

Lavie Tidhar Lavie Tidhar ( he, לביא תדהר; born 16 November 1976) is an Israeli-born writer, working across multiple genres. He has lived in the United Kingdom and South Africa for long periods of time, as well as Laos and Vanuatu. As of 2013, Tid ...

Apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex ...

2009 * “Something Like That” in ''Growing Up Filipino II'', edited by

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is an author and editor of 20 books. She co-founded PAWWA or Philippine American Women Writers and Artists; and also founded Philippine American Literary House. Brainard's works include the World War II novel, ''When th ...

, December 2009 * “How My Mother Flew” in ''Growing Up Filipino II'', edited by

, December 2009 * “The Music Teacher” in ''Growing Up Filipino II'', edited by

, December 2009 * �
Strange Weather
�� in

The Farthest Shore ''The Farthest Shore'' is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, first published by Atheneum in 1972. It is the third book in the series commonly called the Earthsea Cycle. As the next Earthsea novel, ''Tehanu'', would not be ...

, edited by Joseph Nacino & Dean Francis Alfar, 2009; and in ''Philippine Speculative Fiction 5''. edited by Nikki Alfar and Vincent Michael Simbulan (Kestrel, 2010) * “Messiah” in ''Dark Blue Southern Seas 2009'', edited by F. Jordan Carnice, April 2009 * “Fallow's Flight” in ''A Time for Dragons'', edited by Vincent Michael Simbulan, Anvil Fantasy, March 2009 * “Report HC-IK017785A-0097B-006 de Ocampo: Survey of Artifacts Found in the Derelict Vessel The Malaya” in Philippines Free Press, November 2008. * “I, D.I." in ''Belonging: Stories of Relationships'', edited by Erlinda Panlilio, Anvil, October 2008 * “Remembrance” in ''

II'', edited by Danel Olson,

, September 2008 * “The Maiden and the Crocodile” ''reprint'' in Bewildering Stories, September 2008. * “The Many Loves of Ramil Alonzo” in Philippines Free Press, August 2008. * “Sunboy” in Philippines Free Press, May 2008. * “In the Dim Plane” in Digest of Philippine Genre Stories, April 2008. * “The Middle Prince” in ''Tales of Fantasy and Enchantment'', edited by

Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo (born Cristina Pantoja on 21 August 1944) is a Filipina fictionist, critic and pioneering writer of creative nonfiction. She is currently Professor Emeritus of English & Comparative Literature at the University of the Phil ...

, February 2008 * “An Excerpt from 'Princes of the Sultanate' (Ghazali: 1902); Annotated by Omar Jamad Maududi, MLS, HOL, JMS” in Story Philippines, February 2008 * “Chasing Aurora" in

Sunday Inquirer Magazine The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded broa ...

of the

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...

, November 2007. * “Ever, After” in Philippines Free Press, August 2007. * �
Into the Morning
�� in Bewildering Stories, July 2007. * “The Dragon in the Bell” in Philippines Free Press, June 2007. * “Sabados con Fray Villalobos” in ''A la Carte; Food and Fiction'', edited by

and Marily Orosa (February 2007). * �
The Middle Prince
�� in Bewildering Stories, September 2006; Digest of Philippine Genre Stories, December 2006 * “How Rosang Taba Won A Race” in Philippines Free Press, July 2006. * “Six From Downtown” in Philippines Free Press, June 2006; ''Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol.2'' (Kestrel, December 2006) * “The Maiden and the Crocodile” in Story Philippines, March 2006. * “Hollow Girl: A Romance” in ''Latitude: Writing from the Philippines and Scotland'', edited by Angelo Rodriguez Lacuesta and Toni Davidson (

Anvil Publishing Anvil Publishing, Inc., is the publishing arm of National Book Store. It publishes print books, e-books, and audiobooks. Anvil is a nationwide book dealer to network servicing dealers in the Philippines which includes National Book Store (Anvil's ...

, March 2006; Futuristic Fiction, Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, 2004). * “Four-letter Words” in Manual, January 2006. * “Terminos” in ''Rabid Transit : Menagerie'', (Velocity Press, U.S.A., May 2005). * �
L'Aquilone du Estrellas (The Kite of Stars)
” in ''Strange Horizons'', January 2003; in ''The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror Seventeenth Annual Collection'', edited by

Ellen Datlow Ellen Datlow (born December 31, 1949) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award (Horror Writers Association). Career Datlow began her career ...

Kelly Link Kelly Link (born July 19, 1969) is an American editor and author of short stories. While some of her fiction falls more clearly within genre categories, many of her stories might be described as slipstream or magic realism: a combination of sci ...

& Gavin Grant (St. Martin's Press, U.S.A., August 2004); and in ''Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 1'', edited by Dean Francis Alfar (Kestrel, December 2005). * “Gumamela” in ab ovo 2 (Kestrel Studios, January 2003). * “Ser Clessidrana Acerca Tiempo (Mr. Clessidrana Thinks About Time)” in ''Hinirang.com'', 2002. * “(push)” in

Stuff Magazine ''Stuff'' is a British consumer electronics magazine published by Kelsey Media. History ''Stuff'' was first published in Britain in November 1996 by Dennis Publishing. A bimonthly title, it followed the success of magazines such as ''FHM'' ...

, May 2001. * “Spark: The Sad and Strange Tale of Sister Maria Dolores, the Nun who Exploded” in National Midweek, 1992. * “The Last Mermaid Story” in National Midweek, 1992. * “The Secret Measure” in National Midweek, 1992. * “Magan & Balo” in Mr. & Ms. Magazine, 1991.

Comic Books

* ''Siglo: Passion'', edited by Dean Francis Alfar & Vincent Michael Simbulan (Kestrel/Nautilus Books, 2005). *''The Craft Century'' in Project: Hero, edited by Elbert Or & Andrew Drilon (Questventures, 2005). *''Invitation in K.I.A.,'' edited by Marco Dimaano (Alamat Comics, 2005). *''Quad in Hey Comics!,'' edited by Ramon de Veyra, 2004. * ''Siglo: Freedom'', edited by Dean Francis Alfar & Vincent Michael Simbulan (Kestrel/Nautilus Books, 2003). * ''Ab Ovo 1, 2'', edited by Dean Francis Alfar (Kestrel, 2002). * ''The Lost 1, 2''. Kestrel, 2001.

External links

Notes from the Peanut Gallery
- Dean Francis Alfar's blog.

(

Dumaguete Dumaguete, officially the City of Dumaguete ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dumaguete; fil, Lungsod ng Dumaguete), is a 3rd income class component city and the capital of the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a p ...

)
20th U.P. National Writers Workshop

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfar, Dean Francis Filipino writers Filipino speculative fiction writers Living people 1969 births Writers from Manila