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December 10, 2025 | 8:00am
MANILA, Philippines — At a time when most people would rather scroll through their phones than read an actual book, it’s surprising to find a local publishing house adamant on bringing lost classics back to the forefront. Mara Coson is the writer and visionary behind Exploding Galaxies who has made this her goal.
A published author herself — her first novel “Aliasing” (Book Works, 2018) has a magic realism vibe and is situated in a town peopled with unique characters — Coson’s realized her mission during her stint as a part of the editorial staff of Rogue Magazine more than a decade ago.
“We once did a story on weeklies like The Philippines Free Press and Mr. And Ms. That’s where I first encountered the stories of Greg Brillantes, Resil Mojares, Wilfrido Nolledo, and many other writers,” she told this writer in an email interview.
Moved to locate these writers’ published works, she met with twin roadblocks: they were either hard to find in bookstores or she needed to arrange a visit to a library. “It was always a matter of going to libraries, or finding a rare copy, but during the pandemic, libraries were closed! That’s when I decided it was time to start a press focused on just that.”
In 2023, Exploding Galaxies published its first book, Nolledo’s “But for the Lovers” (1970) described as the author’s magnum opus that challenges the idea of liberation in World War II Manila.
Important work
“I wanted to share Nolledo’s writing with more people because it’s such an important work of Philippine literature. It’s crazy to think that [the novel] had not had an edition people could really easily access in over 50 years,” Coson said.
This was followed by Linda Ty Casper’s “The Three-Cornered Sun” (1979) that tells the story of the Philippines on the brink of Revolution against Spain in 1896; and Erwin E. Castillo’s “The Firewalkers” (1992) that is set in Cavite in 1913 after the Philippine-American War.
“With the novels, I found readers who were also struggling to find these rare titles. I hope they’re no longer considered rare these days,” Coson quipped.
Last month, Exploding Galaxies published two books containing essays on food and Philippine culture by Doreen G. Fernandez and Edilberto Alegre, “Sarap” (1988) and “Palayok” (2000).
“With ‘Sarap’ and ‘Palayok,’ the interest seems far broader because people love connecting with and through food. We have been getting readers across different generations, people who were readers of Fernandez or Alegre’s newspaper columns, or who have been wanting a copy of ‘Sarap,’ or who knew them in some way. [There are also those] who love food and are discovering these two voices for the first time.”
The two books (sold on the Exploding Galaxies' website and at select National Book Stores and Fully Booked branches) can be purchased separately or as a set in a slipcover case. The second option clicked with collectors who have since added the books to their respective libraries. Exploding Galaxies’ managing editor Sam Marcelo told this writer that the slipcased books have since sold out online although there are plans to make them available again.
Grand launch
Coson is buoyed by the interest in their latest publications. A grand launch was recently held at Karrivin Plaza in Makati that included a live book reading, merch sale, and pop-up exhibits. Refreshments were also available, which was only fair given the the books’ theme.
“Food books like ‘Sarap’ and ‘Palayok’ are by nature so welcoming: they give you a seat at the table, scoop food on your plate, and invite you to eat. Food takes the place of character and plot and motivation, and I think that just makes for an instant connection for many readers,” Coson explained.
“I think we Filipinos love reading and being excited about new books along with other people, too. What I think we may need more of is more prominent shelf space for Filipino books and more book-dedicated places for readers to discover them. I think distribution needs to be easier too as far as logistics and overall support for presses of various sizes to access that readership.”
Reference for writers, researchers
When “Palayok” was first published in 2000, it was done in a huge format and made to look like a coffee table book. It became a reference book for this writer when I wrote food stories for the lifestyle section of BusinessWorld. This time around, it is handier and features beautfully composed photos of food and produce by photojournalist Jilson Tiu.
Exploding Galaxies is just warming up and it is exciting to look forward to what Coson and her team have planned in the coming years.
“With fiction, our readers are mostly either longtime readers of literary fiction or people who want to start reading more Philippine literature,” she said. “For ‘Sarap’ and ‘Palayok,’ these [readers] are people who just love food. A lot of them have been looking for ‘Sarap’ or have never seen a physical copy of ‘Sarap’ until this edition.
