WHY "WAR PHOTOS"? | WHAT'S "INDIE"?
THIS site cum 'museum' title of ours is also the title of this website's subject's third e-volume of poems, War Photos.
That poetry volume, like this website, does photograph certain situations of and for conflict. Yet, though not meaning offense to those who've experienced big wars (who might be offended, that is, by our 'peacetime' light use of the word), our reason for using the word to refer to certain points of everyday conflict -- much like the reason Vicente used it for his e-book -- could by itself be regarded as a hidden statement. Large wars, after all, are quite often the result of small ones, as Vicente would put it in his introduction to the e-book in question. For it's the handiwork of small perspectives that he would here and there be pointing at, or the produce of quite the large ambitions of small hearts -- as in certain of the grundyist attitudes he here (directly or indirectly) attack. Some say Hitler's big war actually started with the small dream of being accepted as a worthy individual -- for the same view continues that he was actually worthless, either as an artist, soldier, or politician. Hitler, they say, is probably history's biggest lie so far. It's the Hitler in all of us therefore (including Vicente's own dream of being accepted as a worthy man of letters, with his own truths and lies, his individualism and socialism) that our website title (as does Vicente's e-book) is vaguely pointing at and aiming for a peace-loving, self-critical repudiation.
We also feel this title must be forgiven for the other reason that we must acknowledge the little struggles that individuals are forced to bear in a society full of all sorts of subliminal but large oppressions. This title inspiration would then hope to signal those struggles for our society's furtherances into progress via little awarenesses, however these awarenesses may be theoretical or paranoid.
For, after all, once attracted to the texts of the indie poet inside the webpages here, we can at least guarantee a tone of hope, as it were. Hoping indeed that the reader hears the complaints as pleas for enlightenment within the vexations. Pleas, seeking either sheer justice or otherwise immediate correction -- for the benefit of many -- instead of the annihilation of any enemy.
For after all, too, this is what a war photograph often inspires in us -- a charity that is demanded by any depiction of horror. Is it not? Charity, even upon mundane panic in our ordinary little struggles.
COROLLARILY, what is an indie? A quite popular word in the '90s cinema and recording industries, meaning independent, here is our own disclaimer on the tag upon our subject.
For, after all, every established (or "establishment") writer in the Philippines can be considered indie 75% of the time. Because there are, as everywhere, two ways by which a writer can get published -- one through the establishment way, one via the indie way -- and probably all of our officially-established writers have used both. And the heroics in those ways can be appreciated by the knowledge that literary writing in this country is largely a non-profit activity, excepting perhaps with publishers whose secrets in profit-making remain secrets.
For a writer to go the establishment way, one simply has to remain in contact with friends (make friends before that) who may have found access to the taste-making privilege of editorship in one of the very few publishing venues of our land. This establishment way is part and parcel of trying to win in the annual Palanca literary contest much valued by all publishers and publishing editors. And considering that these "cliques" of influence would usually belong to an older generation, waiting time for a young writer would not only involve the gap before submission calls but likewise the taste or standards gap between the elder guy's editorship and his young writing efforts, etc. This last reality would make it almost impossible to produce rebellious Mozarts or, horror of horrors, Rimbauds. A young writer can only hope for the patronage of an elder with a similar dissenting view as his. Can you imagine what John Lennon might have said if Kurt Cobain asked the former about the latter's songs?
The indie way, on the other hand, is quite standard. One simply shares the publishing and printing cost, if not take care of it completely. All publishers accept such arrangements. This is an indie act, however, which many in literary society would rather deny or hide -- almost part and parcel of the Palanca contest's propensity to hide the contest factor, hyping up the Awards tag on it. Almost in the direction of vanity presses. The difference with vanity presses, however, is that treading this second route (own capital) with publishers like Anvil does not free one from the requirements of the first (academic Readers' standards), although the publisher could actually overturn an editor's or Reader's opinion in the interest of profit.THIS website's subject has allowed himself to proudly carry the tag "indie". For one, it freed him from the necessity of kowtowing to the manners of the first way (although he remains friends with a few in literary society). And by using the Web as his medium, lately releasing his previously only-downloadable e-books as now the first online books of creative writing by a Filipino author (that is, now in html format "browsable" while online), he likewise freed himself from the necessity of spending much on paper to create a book. That, apart from the depressing reality bite that the expense of creating books today has virtually made literature in this country an activity for the wealthy, both in the book-buying act and in the writing-publishing.
This doesn't mean though that our indie poet has spent nothing more than ample time doing his own thing. For ample time wasted on a non-profit venture is ample time that could have been used in profit-making directions, say -- for example -- screenwriting (the non-ample recompense notwithstanding).TWO more things about this website's indie subject's efforts.
Honor. True, endorsement by Readers or publishing editors gives one a sort of committee opinion on the quality standard of your work before it is released. Then again, for ultra-indie poetry such as here, there is actually finally the opinion of a more democratized committee called readers, which may number more than five. Access is key. What good is a committee endorsement (along with your friends' backcover blurbs) if no one ends up reading your stuff?
Success. Profit, that can't be expected, especially if one gives everybody free access and reading of his works. But we could perhaps say that -- by virtue of the accessibility -- our indie poet's works may have garnered a wider readership than the authors of the books that remain in line at National Bookstore shelves, books waiting for a teacher to require students of their reading. Meanwhile that these wait, a student may be asking his/her teacher -- "as we speak" -- if he/she can write a paper on our subject's work or two.
Copyright © 2000 War Photos Museum. All rights reserved. Readers are welcome to view, save, file and print out single copies of this webpage for their personal use. No reproduction, display, performance, multiple copy, transmission, or distribution of the work herein, or any excerpt, adaptation, abridgment or translation of same, may be made without written permission from the author. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this work will be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
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