All writers dream of penning and publishing their own book. These writers can work with a major publishing house, take the self-publishing route, participate in yearly events like NaNoWriMo, crank out their book at their own pace, and even veer away from publication and mass distribution altogether (like what my grandfather did when he wrote his own autobiography in the late ’70s and gave copies to his kids − my brother scanned each page and turned it into a DVD book).

What all these things have in common are that the produced books can take years to materialize, and they require the use of computers (well, except for the aforementioned autobiography, anyway). But what if you’re given only 48 hours to produce a book − and a handmade one, at that? Oh, and do it while traveling?

That’s the concept behind the One Weekend Book Series, which is now in Manila and about to come up with its 11th volume. I had no idea something like this (a.k.a. “graphic tourism”) existed until a few days ago; while channel-surfing, I saw the interview that Clara Balaguer of the Office of Culture and Design did on an ANC morning talk show.

If you’re free this weekend, you should head to The Collective, Malugay St., Makati City! Today’s the last day of the book-making workshop, and a conference and concert will be held at the same venue tomorrow. For more details, check out this update from the Office of Culture and Design, and the press release posted on the GMA Network’s website.