Alejandro Varela (he/him) is a writer based in New York. His debut novel, The Town of Babylon, was published by Astra House and was a finalist for the National Book Award, as well as a nominee for the PEN America Open Book Award and the Aspen Literary Prize. His work has appeared in The Point Magazine, Georgia Review, Boston Review, Harper’s, The New Republic, and The Offing, among others outlets. Varela is an editor-at-large of Apogee Journal. He has a master’s degree in public health from the University of Washington. The People who Report More Stress, his story collection, was published in April 2023 by Astra House.