My awesome day at Philippine Normal University

This week I was invited to speak about literature for teenagers to an audience of future English and Lit teachers at the Philippine Normal University, and I realized something.

Every author should get to spend time with future English and Lit teachers.

Haven't tried it? You should. It's awesome. Imagine being in the company of people who don't just read, but love it enough to embark on a career that will have them share this love to kids, fully aware that it's probably going to be thankless and financially unsatisfying.

Anyway, so this is apparently what happens when you hang out with future Lit teachers:
- The 9 copies of your books that you bring along are sold out in minutes. (Am used to bringing books along just for participants to leaf through, seriously. Didn't think teenagers would actually pay for them.)
- Someone says "...where I found a Nick Joaquin book for 1 peso" and people are like "whoa!"
- The introduction to you is so well-researched that you don't have to talk about yourself.
- You mention the books you grew up reading and people nod and say "yeah!"
- You show a slide of the top ten books from last year and they know and have read probably eight out of ten.
- You say "the first chapter's title would have been Absentation" and they nod.
- You retrieve that smile you last used for the gazillion pictures taken on your wedding day.
- You reschedule a lunch meeting so you can hang out with them some more.
- They have to tell people to stop lining up for book signing and photos already because lunch is coming up.

So of course I had a great time. Even though I kept telling them, I don't think they realize how fun this was for me. Seriously, every author should try it!

The bouquet from the students that I had to bring with me to the mall, and my next meeting. Ha!

First speaker was children's book author Rhandee Garlitos.