09 September 2022 – H.E. Ma. Hellen De La Vega hosted the book launch of “The Shadowed Garden,” a collection of poetry by Ms. Luwalhati Alvero Kendrick on 08 September 2022. Ms. Kendrick won the prestigious Don Carlos Palanca Award for poetry in 1975 before migrating to Australia.

In her remarks, Ambassador De La Vega said that bilateral cultural cooperation between the Philippines and Australia in expanding the role of culture and the arts was highlighted earlier this year with the signing of the Executive Program of the 1977 Cultural Agreement of the two countries. The book launch supports the Executive Program and the shared objective of the Philippines and Australia to broaden cultural exchanges and strengthen cooperation on culture and the arts, including Philippine Literature.

During the book launch, Ms. Kendrick read one of her poems and led a discussion on her experience as a poetry writer. Representatives from the ACT government, the National Library of Australia and the media participated in the event. -- END