Filipino American International Book Festival

The Filipino American International Book Festival, alias FilBookFest, was envisioned and created by Gemma Nemenzo back in 2011 through Literacy Initiatives International Foundation (LIIF) in partnership with the San Francisco Public Library, the Philippine Consulate General of San Francisco, and Philippine American Writers and Artists (PAWA), The Asian Art Museum, and the Philippine Department of

Tourism. First of its kind, on October 1-2, 2011, it gathered Filipino writers and artists from the Philippines and around the United States to participate in a variety of panel discussions, presentations, and readings at the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library and at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Well-attended, it was a resounding succes. The second festival took place in October 18-20, 2013 again at the San Francisco Main Library. Officially presented by PAWA, the San Francisco Public Library, and the Philippine Consulate General of San Francisco, the festival’s theme was “Likhâ ng Lahi—Writing Out Way Home: Shaping Tradition, History and Culture. That year, the festival was extended to three days to feature on that Friday films and publications by Richie Quirino and Nick Decampo. Saturday and Sunday featured authors from the Philippines and the United States. The third was in October 2015. Visit for more details. The next festival: October 14-16, 2022.