Merlie M. Alunan-Wenceslao is a scholar of Waray literature.
Born in Dingle, Iloilo, Alunan finished her basic education in Negros Occidental, Iligan City, and Leyte before she pursued her Bachelor of Science in Education degree, major in English, from the University of the Visayas, which she finished in 1965. She then obtained her Master of Arts in English degree, major in Literature and Creative Writing, at Silliman University in 1975.
She has been a fellow in the Silliman University National Writers Workshop in 1982 and the University of the Philippines (UP) National Writers Workshop in 1984.
Alunan’s poems are collected in several volumes and have been recognized by the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature — including the collection Tales of the Spiderwoman, which won the first prize for poetry in English in 2010. Four of her books have won also the National Book Award in three consecutive years: Sa Atong Dila: Introduction to Visayan Literature in 2016, Susumaton: Oral Narratives of Leyte in 2017, and the Waray literature anthology Tinalunay, Hinugpong nga Panurat ha Waray as well as the poetry collection Running with Ghosts in 2018.
She has taught at Divine Word College in Tagbilaran City, Silliman University, UP Cebu, and UP Tacloban. She was awarded the distinction Professor Emerita upon her retirement from UP Tacloban in 2008. She currently lives in Tacloban City.
Born in Dingle, Iloilo, Alunan finished her basic education in Negros Occidental, Iligan City, and Leyte before she pursued her Bachelor of Science in Education degree, major in English, from the University of the Visayas, which she finished in 1965. She then obtained her Master of Arts in English degree, major in Literature and Creative Writing, at Silliman University in 1975.
She has been a fellow in the Silliman University National Writers Workshop in 1982 and the University of the Philippines (UP) National Writers Workshop in 1984.
Alunan’s poems are collected in several volumes and have been recognized by the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature — including the collection Tales of the Spiderwoman, which won the first prize for poetry in English in 2010. Four of her books have won also the National Book Award in three consecutive years: Sa Atong Dila: Introduction to Visayan Literature in 2016, Susumaton: Oral Narratives of Leyte in 2017, and the Waray literature anthology Tinalunay, Hinugpong nga Panurat ha Waray as well as the poetry collection Running with Ghosts in 2018.
She has taught at Divine Word College in Tagbilaran City, Silliman University, UP Cebu, and UP Tacloban. She was awarded the distinction Professor Emerita upon her retirement from UP Tacloban in 2008. She currently lives in Tacloban City.