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PilipinxPages Book Club: Double Melancholy
May 7, 2021 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
PilipinxPages is reading DOUBLE MELANCHOLY by C.E. Gatchalian. Our first ever session will be hosted by Archie from Filipino Fridays!
About this Event
Zoom Sessions: May 7 & 21 at 6pm.
How to attend Zoom Sessions: *Registration Mandatory* Register here: https://bit.ly/329l7X0
Discussion: All month in IG group – please message us on IG at @pilipinxpages to be added to group!
Hosted by Archie from Filipino Fridays Podcast
Book: Double Melancholy by C.E. Gatchalian
PilipinxPages wants to bring awareness of the diverse writing by Filipino authors. Often, mainstream conversations do not include the writing of this community. Without discounting the existing conversations around Filipino literature, which have established symbolic ideas and generated lively debate, PilipinxPages wishes to expand these ongoing narratives by opening a dialogue into the less obvious aspects of Filipino culture as captured by the wider author diaspora.
We thank Neighbourhood Small Grants for their funding and support of our book club!
Double Melancholy by C.E. Gatchalian
According to Didier Eribon, melancholy is where it all starts and where it also ends: the lifelong process of mourning that each homosexual experiences, and through which they construct their own identity. In this beguiling book, an introverted, anxious, ambitious, artistically gifted queer Filipino-Canadian boy finds solace, inspiration, and a “syllabus for living” in art — works of literature and music, from the children’s literary classic Anne of Green Gables to the music of Maria Callas. But their contribution to his intellectual, emotional, and spiritual edification belies the fact that they were largely heteronormative and white, which had the effect of invisibilizing him as a queer person of colour. Part memoir, part cultural commentary, and a hybrid of besotted aesthetic appreciation and unsparing critique, Double Melancholy is by turns a passionate love letter to art and an embattled examination of its oppressive complicity with the society that produces it, and the depths to which art both enriches and colonizes us.
Filipino Fridays Podcast
Filipino Fridays is a podcast for the Filipinx millennial.
Hosted by Archie, Ojay and Archia – the trio sets out to bridge the gap between cultural identity and the younger Filipino generation in the diaspora. Filipino Fridays aims to break down language barriers by explaining aspects of the Filipino culture in English to foster connections in the Filipino community.
Their core values are passion for Filipino culture, radical love, inclusivity, understanding and bayanihan (community spirit). Addressing cultural issues head on, they aim to empower and inspire to push the Filipino story forward.
With a balance of humor, sass and perspective, the podcast also conducts guest interviews that focus on telling Filipino stories. You can find weekly episodes of their show on Spotify, Apple and other streaming platforms. Don’t miss out on the episode drop every (Filipino) Friday!
Where do I get the book?!
Are you looking to get a copy of the book? Try requesting it at your local library. Massy Books and Iron Dog Books are also two great independently owned bookshops based in Vancouver BC that carry C.E. Gatchalian’s book. You can also purchase it directly from Arsenal Pulp Press!
Let’s have a book party!
Stay tuned – we’ll send you some fun food/drink pairings for the sessions!