JOHN DANTÉ is a full-time Cebuano fictionist from Consolacion, Cebu. He was born in Iligan City, Lanao Del Norte. He graduated from Sotero B. Cabahug FORUM for Literacy (2008), and Mandaue City Science High School (2012), finished a degree in Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation at the University of Cebu – Lapu-lapu and Mandaue (2016), and took up some courses in Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at Cebu Normal University (2017-2019). He has served as Editor-in-Chief to two different student publications: COME Nautilus (UCLM) and Ang Suga Publication (CNU). He is a published writer on Bisaya Magazine, Kabisdak, SunStar SuperBalita, Dagmay, the NCLA Sourcebook (Prose Narratives Volume 1) and various other publications, as well as a playwright whose one-act play “Panaad” was staged by the University of Cebu. He is affiliated with different literary organizations such as Bathalad-Sugbo, Sunday Club, and Hablon, and he served as an issue editor for Katitikan: Literary Journal of the Philippine South (Issue 6). Before he became a full-time writer, he served as a seafarer onboard international trading ships for fifteen months. Now, he is focusing on writing stories where he introduced high/epic fantasy to Cebuano Literature through the lore and tales of his created world called Balmaya. He became a writing fellow to Cebu Young Writers’ Studio (2018), Bathalad-Sugbo’s KAGIS Creative Writing Workshop (2018), Cornelio Faigao Memorial Annual Workshop in Drama and Production (2018), the Silliman University National Writers Workshop (2023) and the Iligan National Writers Workshop (2023). He is a recipient of the MUGNA Creative Writing Contest Award (2018) Cebuano Short Story category, First Prize; the Gawad Bienvenido Lumbera Award (2022) Cebuano Short Story category, First Prize; the Bathalad-Mindanao Tigi Sinulatay Award (2023), Cebuano Fiction, Second Prize; the Jimmy Y. Balacuit Award (2023) Fiction category, Third Prize; and a recipient of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (2023) Cebuano Short Story category, Second Prize. He launched his first short novel of Cebuano high fantasy titled “Surumawa” under PAWN Press last September 2023.