Originally established in March 1948 by student editors Cesar J. Amigo and Aida Rivera to promote elite literary standards on campus, Sands and Coral serves as the widely respected student-led literary organ of Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Philippines. The October 1954 issue marks a unique historical milestone for the periodical as it transitioned to being published twice a year, reflecting a period of intense productivity and institutional maturation among the "Silliman Writers." The volume is highly relevant to mid-20th-century national and local literary histories, documenting the active formation of modern Philippine literary theory and regional expression. Culturally, pieces like Alfredo Cafe's "The Yellow Roots of Yecyec" draw directly on the regional traditions and indigenous folkways of Cotabato's primitive peoples. Crucially, the issue acts as a critical battleground for postwar academic debates; it contains a landmark essay by National Artist Edith L. Tiempo urging writers to utilize indigenous myths to create enduring national masterpieces, alongside a sharp critique by Edilberto K. Tiempo aimed at "the irresponsible critics" and local authors who rejected formal guidance. It also features Ricaredo Demetillo's extensive poem "Sand and the Lolling City," structurally conceived and revised across New York, Boston, Iowa City, and Dumaguete. As an archival item, this volume preserves the creative output of a pivotal postwar generation that defined the trajectory of Philippine literature written in English.
Sands and Coral, (October 1954)