Dr. Dinah T. Roma
Conferred AY 2018-2019
Professional Profile:
I am Dinah Roma, a University Fellow and Full Professor in Literature and Creative Writing at De La Salle University. I have published four books of poetry—A Feast of Origins (USTPH, 2004, National Book Award for Poetry in English), Geographies of Light (USTPH, 2011), Naming the Ruins (Vagabond Sydney, 2014), and We Shall Write Love Poems Again (USTPH, 2021, National Book Award for Poetry in English). My recent foray into editing yielded the award-winning anthology Beyond Bordered Lives No More: The Humanities and the Post-Covid-19 Recovery (DLSU Publishing House, 2024, National Book Award for Best Anthology in Essay), further cementing my versatility as both poet and scholar. Most recently, I released Weaving Basey: A Poet’s History of Home (2024, KATIG Writers’ Network Inc.), a poignant blend of memoir and cultural history, funded by the National Book Development Board Writing Trust Fund for Local History and Culture (2015). In 2019, my contributions to Philippine literature were recognized by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas (UMPIL) with the Gawad Francisco Balagtas for Poetry in English—a lifetime achievement award.
I also served as Director-in-Residence for two years (2022–2023) at the Silliman University National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City, the longest-running writers’ workshop in Asia, where I contributed to fostering a community of writers and nurturing the country’s literary tradition. I currently serve as editor-in-chief of the De La Salle University’s College of Liberal Arts academic journal, AKDA: The Asian Journal of Literature, Culture, and Performance, championing interdisciplinary dialogue in the arts and humanities.
My literary voice has resonated on the global stage, representing the Philippines in prestigious events such as the Frankfurt International Book Fair (2024), the Medellin International Poetry Festival (2015), Sydney Writers’ Festival (2014), the First Irrawaddy Literary Festival (2013), and the Ubud Literary Festival (2004). As a scholar, I have received numerous grants and fellowships, including the NUS Asia Research Fellowship, the Asia Leadership Fellow Program, and the Sumitomo Foundation, reflecting the depth and rigor of my research on the humanities and cultural studies.
The mix of the creative and the scholarly has been a hallmark of my career, bridging seemingly disparate worlds to illuminate the ways art and intellect intersect. My poetry draws inspiration from the landscapes of memory, home, and history, while my academic work probes the profound questions of identity, belonging, and resilience in times of change. Through my dual commitments, I invite readers and scholars alike to see how creativity and critical inquiry enrich and sustain one another, offering new perspectives on how we understand the self and the world. Whether crafting a poem, editing a journal, or writing cultural histories, I remain steadfast in my belief that the humanities—through their blend of the personal and the universal—are indispensable to navigating the complexities of modern life.