MANILA, Philippines — The University of Santo Tomas’s Department of Literature extends its call for entries for the Premio Tomas: the UST Quadricentennial Literary Prize.

Premio Tomas is a national contest open to all writers in four categories: Epic Poetry (Premio Recto); novel (Premio Jose); full-length drama or three-acts play (Premio Tinio) and expanded creative nonfiction or essay collection (Premio Mabini). Entries in English, Filipino and Spanish are accepted.

Interested contestants must submit an entry form secured from the General Education Office, UST Main Building or through www.ust.edu.ph. Submit entries in three hard copies and a soft copy in a CD encoded double space, 12 font in Times New Roman or Arial and printed in short bond, in a sealed brown envelope bearing title of entry. Manuscript proper should not bear the name of the author.

Grand prize for each category is P100,000. Deadline is on Aug. 31. Inerested parties may call Dr. Joyce L. Arriola, chair of the Literature Department at 7499779 loc 8428.

New chick-lit out

Marla Miniano, author of the Every Girl’s Guide series and Table For Two, is back to delight readers with her new book entitled Fan Girl.

Fan Girl tells the story of Summer as she takes a full-on adventure towards love, celebrity stalking, and chasing after the crush of her dreams, Scott Carlton, front man of the hot local band Violent Reaction.

When Scott singles her out, it’s a dream come true for any fan girl! But what happens when Scott leaves the country to pursue his music career? Is Summer ready to follow Scott to the ends of the earth?

Miniano, also assistant lifestyle editor of Candy magazine, says of her protagonist, “Summer is someone who will remind you of that friend who keeps falling for the wrong guys, or of yourself, several love mistakes ago. You’ll probably want to reach into the pages to grab her and shake some sense into her. But in the end, you’ll find yourself hoping her adventures lead her to something better, because it’s exactly what she deserves.”