Coming Soon: Chronicles of E

Taken from the foreword of the book:

It was winter two years ago when I started reading blogs written by Filipinos. I was traveling back and forth between Malaysia and San Francisco while working for an NGO, and reading these people's stories kept me sane.

I felt like I knew them, their adventures, their joys, their sorrows. Every writer tells a different story and I learned about bathhouses, Bed, and Filipino gay terminologies such as "bet" and "booking".

Once in a while I come across a writer I get hooked on. One of them is The Chronicles of E. I read his stories in his blog unfold like an R-rated telenovela that I did not want to miss watching. Lost loves, sex, substance abuse, prostitution, relapse, deceit, hate and joy are staples in his every entry.

I went back to Manila and I was looking for something to do that would encourage me to stay here for a while, if not for good. Little did I know that one day, I would bump into E through a common friend. And suddenly, I realized what I wanted to do. I wanted to publish his blog.

Putting this book together was a journey in itself. I came to know E and his friends and reaffirmed that indeed the blogger is a little different from his blog. I found a co-publisher along the way, Dennis Longid, who gamely joined the trip. I also learned a few things about publishing, reconnected with old friends who walked us through the publishing process, and also got acquainted with new ones who generously offered help.


The journey didn’t end with this book. We have taken a detour and dared to be more ambitious. The Chronicles of E is actually one of the three books that we plan to simultaneously publish as part of our first project. As of this writing, the two other books are already in the pipeline and we are hoping to see them all in one bookshelf in bookstores nationwide.


E’s book project is a very personal one. It took me home, literally and figuratively. It made me happy. I hope E's stories will move you—either to amaze you, or repulse you, or inspire you. Because if they do, then it means it's worth it.


Gilbert Sape
Co-publisher
Grey Matter Publishing