Atang

Poems and Photograph Zine

Page 1

“Atang” is a collection of poems and photographs that investigates the essence of queerness as we navigate our individualities, experiences, and narratives. Some poems in this collection talk about grief, abandonment, and changing times, and some also talk about tenderness, love, and care. Perhaps, it is that we love that is why we have grief and it is in the existence of love that we have the urge to be brave and to change the world. “Atang” is an Ilokano term for offerings for the dead. In this collection we exhume the bodies that were forcibly buried, the dreams killed by societal systems, and aim to offer a collection of pride, celebration, and resistance. Each artwork is a proclamation of “queerness” as we own, retell, and claim our narrative. It tells stories that resist the binaries.

Artist

Benj Gabun Sumabat

The Philippines

Benj Gabun Sumabat is a non-binary PWD (Psychosocial Disability) trilingual Ilokano poet and essayist hailing from Cagayan Valley and Ifugao. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Benj is actively engaged in promoting regional literature, as well as advocating for linguistic diversity within and beyond the academic sphere. Benj has participated in some writing workshops, including but not limited to the Maningning Miclat Poetry Workshop, the De La Salle University Bienvenido N. Santos Workshop for Young Writers, Palihang Rogelio Sikat, PASNAAN Workshop for Ilokano Writers, the Bienvenido Lumbera Workshop for Translation, and the Sunday Club National Writers' Workshop.

Their literary works have been featured in various esteemed publications such as Dagmay Literary Journal, Sunstar Davao, Polyglot Magazine, Bannawag Magazine, and TÍTÍ Journal for Filipino Poets. In addition to their creative writing, Benj's intellectual pursuits extend into cultural studies and translingual practice. Furthermore, Benj is collaborating with interdisciplinary regional artists to develop a multi-perspective approach to art that resists binary frameworks and counters centralization by imperial institutions. Their writing is deeply rooted in themes of belonging, colonial/personal/historical trauma, departure, indigenization, and the transient nature of liminal spaces, skillfully weaving together culture, language, and personal history to challenge conventional narratives and provoke thoughtful reflection on the complexities of identity.

Support them by following their Instagram @benjbookreads for poetry and book reviews, and you can email them through bgsumabat@up.edu.ph for anything.