As both a nonfiction writer and poet, I've always been interested in writing into the intersection of culture and familial ties. For many of us, writing helps make sense of what we don't understand and I am no different. I also tend to write very associatively, so when I first read Jericho Brown's duplex poems, I immediately felt inspired to borrow his form!

Matti Ben-Lev is a queer nonfiction writer and poet whose work has appeared in McSweeney's, Rumpus, CRAFT, X-R-A-Y, Ekphrastic Review, Jake, and elsewhere. He’s the assistant nonfiction editor for the intersectional feminist lit mag, So To Speak.

W: mattibenbenlev.com X: @MattiBL6 B: @mattibl