Benj Gabun Sumabat, a non-binary PWD (Psychosocial Disability) Ilokano poet and essayist from Cagayan Valley and Ifugao, is currently pursuing a BA in Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines Diliman. They have been actively involved in cultural works in the promotion of indigenous and regional literature and languages.
They have actively participated in various workshops such as the Maningning Miclat Poetry Workshop, Bienvenido N. Santos Workshop for Young Writers, PASNAAN 12 Workshop for Ilokano Writers, ka-17 na Palihang Rogelio Sicat, Ika-4 Saling-Panitik Palihang Bienvenido Lumbera, and the Sunday Club National Writers Workshop, among others. Their works have also been widely published in literary journals, anthologies, and magazines, including Dagmay Literary Journal, Issue 7 of TLDTD Biannual Journal for Filipino Poets, Polyglot Magazine, Paper Trail Projects, Sunstar Davao, DLSU Luntian Journal, Polyglot Magazine, and Bannawag Magazine.
Their works mainly explore and work on belonging/unbelonging, departures, remaindered life, and ephemerality of liminal spaces. Benj’s works navigate and interrogate the complex intersections of culture, language, diaspora, and personal history through their writing. They adeptly weave together the fragmented realities of their experience, creating poetic narratives that defy categorization and invite readers to contemplate the fluidity and plurality of identity.