Gémino H. Abad is a National Artist for Literature well-known for his work as a poet, critic, editor, and essayist. Born on February 5, 1939 in Santa Ana, Manila to noted playwright and novelist Antonio M. Abad and Spanish professor Jesusa H. Abad, “Jimmy,” as he is affectionately known, pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of the Philippines (UP), finishing his bachelor’s degree in English with the distinction magna cum laude in 1963. While he obtained his master’s and doctorate degrees in English from the University of Chicago in 1966 and 1970, respectively, he continued to teach English literature and creative writing courses in UP’s Department of English and Comparative Literature even after he retired in 2004. Throughout his career, Abad contributed to the world of letters not only his acclaimed works in poetry, fiction, and literary criticism but also in his work of editing several landmark anthologies of Philippine poetry in English — among them Man of Earth, A Native Clearing, and A Habit of Shores. He is a member of the UP Writers Club and is also among the writers who founded the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC) in 1981; the PLAC published the poetry journal Caracoa. At UP, he served as Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents from 1977 to 1982, and as Vice President for Academic Affairs from 1987 to 1990. He became the director of the Likhaan: UP Creative Writing Center from 1995 to 1998 and is currently among its resident fellows. An awarded writer, Abad’s work has been recognized several times in the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature and the National Book Awards. In 1996, the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas awarded Abad with the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for lifetime achievement in poetry and literary criticism. He is also the first Filipino to receive the coveted Premio Feronia in Rome, Italy under the foreign author category. In 2022, Abad was awarded with the distinction National Artist for Literature.