Dom Blanco is the author of Querencia: An Autoethnography, winner of the 2026 Paul Nemser Prize (forthcoming from Lily Poetry Review Books in March 2027). He studied philosophy at DePaul University and holds an MFA from Randolph College—where he was selected as a Blackburn Fellow. His work has appeared in MĀNOA Journal (Architectures of FuturoPasados), Huizache, Latin@ Literatures, The Brooklyn Review, Rise Up Review and elsewhere. Originally from Miami, Florida, and now based in Bloomingdale, Illinois, on Potawatomi land, he likes to bask in the sun like a meerkat and embark on walks that lead nowhere through downtown Chicago.