Let’s meet the panelists for “Humanity in Stories”, a written panel scheduled for upload sometime mid-May 2026. A brief introduction on how this came about can be found here.

Carl Javier started writing for broadsheets and magazines in the Philippines over 25 years ago. In the time since, he has worked in literature, comics, publishing, academe, nonprofits and social enterprise, film and television, and entrepreneurship. At present,alongside his work as a media consultant and freelance writer, he is the Executive Director of Data and AI Ethics, where he works to advance Responsible AI and human-centered tech policy. He teaches Creative Writing at the Fine Arts Department of the Ateneo de Manila University and serves on the Board of Advisors of the De La Salle University’s AB Philosophy & Artificial Intelligence program.

Let’s meet the panelists for “Humanity in Stories”, a written panel scheduled for upload sometime mid-May 2026. A brief introduction on how this came about can be found here.

Gabi Francisco is a classically trained soprano who now performs in the English / Music / Drama classroom of her alma mater, Regina Maria Montessori. She has taught every level from preschool to college over the course of nearly two decades. A lifelong reader, she was a founding member of Ex Libris Philippines, and writes book, music, and theatre reviews. On weekends she soaks in as much art and literature as she can, so she can pass her love for the arts on to her students. She passionately believes in the transformative role of arts education in nation-building.

Let’s meet the panelists for “Humanity in Stories”, a written panel scheduled for upload sometime mid-May 2026. A brief introduction on how this came about can be found here.

Vida Cruz-Borja is a fantasy and science fiction writer and editor. Her short stories and essays have been published in F&SF, Fantasy, Strange Horizons, PodCastle, and various anthologies. She won the 2022 IGNYTE Award for Best Creative Nonfiction for “We are the Mountain: A Look at the Inactive Protagonist” and the Philippine National Book Award for Best Fiction in English for her illustrated short story collection Song of the Mango and Other New Myths (2022). Her latest book is the fantasy and horror novella Mirror Marked (2025). She is affiliated with the editorial groups Tessera Creatives and The Darling Axe, and she is the owner of Arcane Oblong Editorial and Design. Vida lives in Manila with her husband, daughter, and their dogs.

by Kenneth Yu

A few weeks ago, a friend, Carljoe Javier, messaged me. Carljoe is a writer and creative but also an AI ethicist who is deep into the latest technological advances in AI, especially concerned with how AI is affecting not just the creative field, but society in general. 

He told me that there were two social media posts by mutual friends about AI that garnered his attention precisely because they, too, echoed somewhat his own concerns about the direction we are all being taken in. These posts were by mutual friends Vida Cruz-Borja, a writer and editor; and Gabi Francisco, an educator, book reviewer, and theater lover. 

From left to right: Horror writer Yvette Tan, Carljoe Javier, and me, having coffee one afternoon sometime last year. 

by Mayumi Cruz

You started it all, Serena.

The moment your dainty little feet stepped on the creamy white sand, I felt the moon’s invisible, magnetic pull tug at my heartstrings, spinning them into an infinite dance of tides. 

You sat upon the old stone, born of the salt of my tears, and unknowingly marked it as your own—-your dark tresses dancing with the wind. Your eyes wandered with awe, and my breath was caught in their beauty. You loved the sun as it touched your pink cheeks. Your gentle smile and your naiveté held me prisoner. And when you sang, your dulcet voice brought me unimaginable joy, and my heart burst into rainbows.

Lovingly, I singed your skin with my saltwater, leaving a faint mark on your ankle that would not fade. You became my child.