art by Ashley Inguanta
Born and raised in the Philippines, Benito Vergara is the author of two academic monographs, Displaying Filipinos: Photography and Colonialism in Early 20th-Century Philippines, and Pinoy Capital: The Filipino Nation in Daly City. His work has appeared in The Open Bar at Tin House, Entropy, and the anthology Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 7. His SmokeLong Quarterly story “Stone, Well, Girl” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He has also received a fellowship from the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley.
In September 2022 SmokeLong launched a workshop environment/community christened SmokeLong Fitness. This community workshop is happening right now on our dedicated workshop site. If you choose to join us, you will work in a small group of around 15-20 participants to give and receive feedback on flash narratives—one new writing task each week.