J. Neil Garcia

J. Neil Carmelo Garcia is a Filipino writer, professor, and cultural critic. He is currently a professor of English, Creative Writing, and Comparative Literature at the University of the Philippines Diliman and is known for his works on queer studies and gay culture in the Philippines.

Education
Garcia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Santo Tomas in 1990, graduating magna cum laude. He then earned a Master of Arts in Comparative literature in 1995 and a Doctor of Philosophy in English Studies: Creative Writing in 2003 from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Writing career
Garcia has authored several poetry collections and works in literary and cultural criticism.

In 1996, Garcia was the recipient of a Philippine National Book Award, winning Best in Literary Criticism for his work on Philippine Gay Culture: The Last Thirty Years (1996).

He is currently a professor of English, Creative Writing and Comparative Literature at the College of Arts and Letters at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he also serves as a fellow for poetry of Likhaan, also known as the UP Institute of Creative Writing. He has also previously served as the director of the University of the Philippines Press.

Personal life
Garcia identifies as gay.

Poetry

 * Closet Quivers, 1992
 * Our Lady of the Carnival, 1996
 * Sorrows of Water, 2000;
 * Kaluluwa: New and Selected Poems, 2001
 * The Garden of Wordlessness, 2005
 * Misterios and Other Poems, 2005

Cultural Criticism

 * Philippine Gay Culture: The Last Thirty Years, 1996
 * Slip/pages: Essays in Philippine Gay Criticism, 1998
 * Postcolonialism and Filipino Poetics: Essays and Critiques, 2004

Creative Non-Fiction

 * Closet Queeries, 1997
 * Myths and Metaphors, 2002
 * ''Performing the Self: Occasional Prose, 2003

Anthologies (as editor)

 * Ladlad, 1994;
 * Ladlad 2, 1996;
 * The Likhaan Book of Philippine Criticism, 1992–1997
 * The Likhaan Book of Poetry and Fiction, 1998 & 2000
 * Bongga Ka 'Day: Gay Quotes to Live by, 2002
 * Ladlad 3, 2007

Honors and awards

 * British Council Fellowship Grant to Cambridge
 * British Academy Fellowship
 * Taipei International Artist-in-Residence
 * Visiting ICOPHIL Fellow at the International Institute of Asian Studies, Leiden, the Netherlands
 * Procyon Poetry Prize
 * National Book Awards from the Manila Critics Circle
 * Palanca Awards for Literature
 * Philippines Free Press Literary Awards for Poetry
 * U.P. Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Literary Artist,
 * U.P. Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Literary Work,
 * U.P. Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Research
 * U.P. Gawad Chancellor as Artist of the Year
 * Outstanding Thomasian Writers Award
 * 29th National Writers' Workshop, Dumaguete
 * U.P. National Writers' Workshop