The Philippine Online Chronicles

As we mentioned at the start of the month, Filipino author Elyss Punsalan recently launched a podcast for fiction by Filipino authors called "Pakinggan Pilipinas." Pakinggan Pilipinas is a monthly podcast site which features short fiction by Filipino authors, which may either be downloaded as free mp3s, or streamed from the website. The first episode featured an urban fantasy from renowned Filipino author Dean Alfar. Recently, Pinoy Pop sat down to speak with Elyss about Pakinggan Pilipinas and her plans for the site. In this first part of our interview, Elyss speaks about why she decided to launch something that had never (to our knowledge) been tried before, what makes podcasting an exciting new medium, and what her favorite fiction podcasts are.

At last, a regular Filipino fiction podcast! Why do you think it's taken so long for this to happen?

It puzzles me still.  I mean, we have lots of well-written fiction, and podcasting isn’t that difficult, and I’m speaking as a non-techie.  Maybe it was just a matter of confidence? Getting permission from the authors?  I can’t say for sure.

What made you decide to be the one to blaze the trail in this neglected field?

It was exciting to think that no one has ever done it – a regular podcast site dedicated to Filipino fiction. I had a few resources, it felt right, so I just went for it. Wala nang isip-isip pa. The only thing I had to worry about was studying the technicalities of sound editing. Thank God for YouTube. It made things easier.

What's the feedback been so far?

People who’ve been to Pakinggan Pilipinas were supportive and positive to the idea of audio fiction. The number of unique and first time visitors was higher than I expected, and some people have already signified interest in helping out in the next episodes. It’s quite encouraging.

What do you think makes audio fiction, and podcasts in general, a worthwhile medium of story distribution to explore?

At the risk of sounding like a marketer, I’ve got 3 P’s for you: Portable, Personable, and Potential to be viral. Portable because you can load it into your iPod or mp3 player, then take it anywhere with you. Personable because of the intimacy which the human voice provides.  Potentially-viral because it’s easy to spread around – just pass the audio file, or the link, and there you have it.

For fiction writers and publishers, podcasts offer a refreshing way of tapping a certain demographic -- people who aren’t aware of Pinoy fiction, and even those who are averse to the act of reading itself. The good news is, depending on the quality, length and frequency you want to go with, it can all be done quickly and cost-effectively.

Are you a fan of podcast fiction? Any favorite podcasts?

Sobrang addict, medyo late bloomer lang – I only started listening to fiction podcasts two years ago. My usual haunts until now are the audio fiction sections of The New Yorker magazine and The Paris Review. Lately I’ve begun tuning in to Escape Pod and Clarkesworld for sci-fi.  When it comes to my all-time favorite podcast site, This American Life wins, hands down. It’s actually a weekly radio show turned into podcast form, and I’m awed by the quality that goes with the breadth of themes they cover.

What about particular stories/episodes?

For fiction, I always seem to go back to “You Must Know Everything” (Isaac Babel) and “Bullet in the Brain” (Tobias Wolff), both from The New Yorker, and Neil Gaiman’s “A Study in Emerald” from his website. The stories were superb in their written form already, but when heard as podcasts, the readings somehow became more accessible, heartfelt. Even fun.

For non-fiction, any episode of This American Life that has David Sedaris in it. He’s hilarious.

I know you're an avid reader. Does a story affect you differently when you read it, and when you hear it?

In reading and hearing stories, I feel there are some aspects that differ, and some that stay the same.

Reading offers me a visual understanding of the story. The author might have played with format, say, italicized words, to indicate that a certain section is all mindscape or a flashback.

On the other hand, the benefit of hearing a story is that narration, when well-made, breathes life into dialogue, especially when you’re at a crucial part of the story. As a listener though, you have to be very attentive. Unless you don’t mind rewinding from time to time, you might end up not knowing what happened.

In both, as a reader and listener I am still free to see how the story moves in my mind’s eye. The way I pictured the characters in Gaiman’s “A Study in Emerald” when I read it, is still the same as when I heard it, except that when they spoke, the dialogue, though much more entertaining in an accent, became somewhat vague.

Click here for part 2 of our interview.