Edith L. Tiempo
Edith Lopez Tiempo was a Filipino poet, fiction writer, teacher, and literary critic closely associated with Silliman University in Dumaguete City. She was named National Artist for Literature in 1999 for her contributions to Philippine literature.
Together with her husband, Edilberto K. Tiempo, she founded the Silliman University National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete, which became the oldest creative writing workshop of its kind in Asia and helped shape generations of Filipino writers.
Biography
Name: Edith Lopez Tiempo
Born: April 22, 1919, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
Died: August 21, 2011, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
Location / connection: Dumaguete City and Sibulan, Negros Oriental
Field: Literature / creative writing
Literary work: Poetry, fiction, literary criticism, and creative writing
Education: Silliman University; State University of Iowa; University of Denver
Institution: Silliman University
Former roles: Professor; Director of the Silliman University National Writers Workshop
National recognition: National Artist for Literature
Based in: Philippines
Edith L. Tiempo — Significant Contributions
Silliman University
Edith L. Tiempo spent much of her academic and literary career at Silliman University in Dumaguete City.
She graduated from Silliman University magna cum laude in 1947 and later became an important figure in the university’s literary and creative writing tradition.
Silliman University National Writers Workshop
Together with her husband, writer and educator Edilberto K. Tiempo, she founded the Silliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete in 1962.
The workshop became the oldest creative writing workshop of its kind in Asia and has trained several generations of Filipino poets, fiction writers, essayists, and dramatists. Many of its fellows later became prominent figures in Philippine literature.
National Artist for Literature
In 1999, Edith L. Tiempo was declared a National Artist of the Philippines for Literature.
The recognition acknowledged the importance of her literary work and her contribution to Philippine cultural heritage and literature in English.
Literary Works
Tiempo wrote poetry, novels, short stories, literary criticism, and works on creative writing.
Her published works include A Blade of Fern, His Native Coast, The Alien Corn, One, Tilting Leaves, The Builder, The Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems, The Charmer’s Box and Other Poems, and Abide, Joshua, and Other Stories.
Literary Awards
Tiempo received several major Philippine literary awards during her career.
Her honors included multiple Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, the Cultural Center of the Philippines Award for the Novel, and the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas.
Teaching and Mentorship
Tiempo was also known for her work as a teacher and mentor to younger writers.
Through the Silliman University National Writers Workshop, she helped develop generations of writers from across the Philippines and contributed to Dumaguete’s long-standing reputation as an important center of Philippine literary life.
Legacy in Negros Oriental
Tiempo settled in Dumaguete City in 1940 and spent much of her life in Negros Oriental, including at her home in Sibulan.
Her writing, teaching, and work with the Silliman University National Writers Workshop helped establish Dumaguete as one of the country’s most important centers for creative writing and made her one of the most significant literary figures associated with Negros Oriental.