Literature lovers around the globe have plenty of material to explore from Mindanao! Whether you’re an avid reader or just getting into books, literature lovers from every corner of the globe can take a journey to Mindanao. With books that come from many different backgrounds and cultures, you’ll never get bored when exploring stories from this magnificent island. From local folk tales about mythical creatures to books about the region’s vibrant history and culture, there’s something for everyone in Mindanao. So grab your passport – and your bookshelf – because there’s plenty of literature out there waiting to be discovered!

In 2022, fifty books written by authors either living in or related to this region were published. Going beyond history and peacebuilding topics as previously done for many years, these works range from literature classics translated into English all the way up to Persian novels – giving readers a rare foray into remote corners of culture. 30 out of 50 titles came directly from cities across Mindanao such as Davao City (17), Cotabato City (9) Digos City(1), Iligan city(2), and Zamboanga City (1).

Even during 2020’s pandemic lockdowns with international travel suspended at least 20 new releases found their way onto our shelves – showing that book production has not been deterred once again maintaining 2021s number 31 publications made available overall.

Mindanao Books

With words standing in for weapons, books are proving to be much more powerful agents of change than ever before. As the dominant topics of previous years—history and peacebuilding—give way to literature in Mindanao, books are being brought out from dusty bookshelves and used to encourage dialogue and understanding between different groups. What’s more, these books have been highly successful; participants in dialogues facilitated by books have expressed an increased sense of empathy towards each other. Who knows? Maybe paperbacks will soon replace firearms as the powerhouses of conflict resolution around the world.

Check out this incredible compilation of at least 50 books for finding the latest and greatest in university, NGO publications, publishing houses – even some great independent publishers!