Multi-award winning writer and poet Peter Solis Nery and independent artist and illustrator Kerby Rosanes will be taking part in this year’s Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) taking place from November 4 -14 at the Expo Centre.Nery has won the Palanca gold medal for his writing six times, the Palanca being the Philippine equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize, and a standard by which all Filipino writers are measured. In 2012 after his fifth win for “Punctuation”, a collection of Poetry for Children in English, he was elevated to the Palanca Awards Hall of Fame. Another Gold Palanca followed in 2013, his sixth, for a short story about a priest, his faith, church politics, and the problem of drought.Nery’s first screenplay, “Buyong”, about the Katipunero revolutionary from Aklan won third prize at the Centennial Literary Prize, one of the Philippines biggest and most coveted awards. The win came with half a million Pesos which Nery’s used to visit America where he later registered as a nurse, passing the license exam. A celebrity columnist for The News Today and the Panay News, Nery’s was assigned the King of Hiligaynon Poetry mantle from 1993-1998. He also teaches philosophy at the University of the Philippines and has authored 20 books.Kerby Rosanes is a Philippines-based illustrator who works with black fine liners to magically illustrate his “doodle” world. His work has turned him into an Internet sensation with his Sketchy Stories Facebook page having over a million and a half subscribers and it was through social media that Rosanes was found and commissioned by huge brands such as Ford and Nike. He has been commissioned by UK publisher LOM Art to do an adult coloring book called “Animorphia: An Extreme Colouring and Search Challenge” and his first book, “Doodle Invasion,” was produced by an independent publisher in Finland.
Despite the artistic and intricate nature of Rosanes’ work he received no formal training and has only recently started to focus on his artwork fulltime, travelling the world taking part in book shows and exhibiting his work. Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), and Director of the Sharjah International Book fair, said, “We are delighted to be able to bring these talented and revered artists to Sharjah. We have a strong Filipino contingent who visit the fair every year and we hope they will be excited to mix with their countrymen of such high reputation.”Kerby Rosanes will join a panel session called, “Drawing a story: illustrators discuss their art and impact of the new colouring book phenomenon” on November 10, Book Forum, at 19:15pm, which will discuss the new global adult colouring book phenomenon and how to bring a story to life through pictures. Peter Solis Nery will be taking part in, “Poetry Friday at SIBF” on 6 November, Book Forum, at 18:00pm.The Sharjah International Book Fair was first launched in 1982 under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah to manifest his vision to make the Emirate of Sharjah a beacon of culture and literature at both the Arab and global levels. SIBF aims to encourage everyone to read and fosters a love of books so that reading becomes a daily habit, by offering access to books in various disciplines of knowledge.