Jude Ortega grew up and lives in the mountainous town of Senator Ninoy Aquino in the province of Sultan Kudarat. He has worked as a writer and editor in various industries.
He is the author of Seekers of Spirits, published by the
University of the Philippines Press in 2018 and winner of the Cirilo F. Bautista Prize for Best Book of Short Fiction in English at the 38th Philippine
National Book Awards. His fiction has appeared in online and print publications,
including Likhaan: The Journal of
Contemporary Philippine Literature, and in anthologies, including Mindanao Harvest 4, The Best of Dagmay 2, and Brown
Child: The Best of the Faigao Poetry and Fiction 1984–2012.
In 2015, his short story “Day of Mourning” received
honorable mention in the inaugural F. Sionil José Young Writers Awards and his short story “The Conversion of Mujedin
Dipatuan” received honorable mention in the Philippines
Graphic Nick Joaquin Literary Awards.
He has been a fellow for fiction in six writers
workshops, including the 55th University of the Philippines National Writers
Workshop (2016), the 53rd Silliman University National Writers Workshop (2014),
and the 20th Iligan National Writers Workshop (2013), where his manuscript won
first place in the Jimmy Y. Balacuit Literary Awards.
He writes mostly fiction now, but ten of his essays
appeared before in the Youngblood column of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He has also written a travel article on
a cave in his hometown for Smile, the
in-flight magazine of Cebu Pacific.
In 2016, he helped found Cotabato Literary Journal, a regional online publication, and served
as one of its editors for more than two years. While engaged in local literary
activities, including being an admin of the Facebook page Sulat SOX, he created the zines Mga
Kuwentong Peysbuk and Faded Jeans and
Old Shoes.
