Contributor Interview: Alfred Luarca

Alfred Luarca's "Red Commas" appears in the Winter 2026 issue of Broad Ripple Review.

What is your favorite punctuation and a literary hot take you have?

Favorite punctuation: The semicolon. It’s a pause with backbone; part stop, part breath, part insistence. It refuses closure and holds two truths at once: this mattered; we continue.

Hot take: Sometimes the push for “relatable” stories can make books feel the same. I’m more interested in fiction that surprises me and changes how I see the world.

What inspired you to write “Red Commas?"

 “Red Commas” started with my first nanny, who left when I was very young. I don’t remember her in full scenes—I remember pieces: her voice, small gestures, the feeling she brought into a room. I was drawn to her, and I think I sensed a kind of strength even then. Writing this was a way to honor her, and to make sense of a goodbye I never really got to understand.

What’s one change you wish to see in the writing/publishing industry for 2026? 

I want publishing to reward work that doesn’t optimize for speed; stories that trust complexity, silence, and aftermath. Not everything needs to be instantly digestible; some writing is meant to stay with you.

I saw that you’re based in Copenhagen. Has the city’s culture influenced your writing in any way? Is its literary scene vastly different from America’s?

Copenhagen has shaped my writing through pace and light. The dark months pull me inward; then spring hits and the city becomes social and alive again. That shift has changed how I think about energy and rhythm on the page.

The literary culture here also feels structurally supported: libraries are central, translation is visible, and reading feels woven into daily life. And yes—there’s a Danish preference for restraint that I admire: work that’s clean on the surface but emotionally loaded underneath.

What unique experiences/obstacles have you faced as a Filipino writer? How do you go about facing them?

Being a queer Filipino writer means I’m always writing across registers—between languages, between cultural logics, between what can be said plainly and what’s carried indirectly. Some Filipino words and beliefs don’t translate cleanly without losing heat or nuance. There’s also the pressure to be “legible” to a Western gaze—either flattened into familiarity or exoticized into spectacle.

I try to meet that by being exact: keeping what needs to remain untranslated, and making the emotional stakes clear enough that meaning doesn’t depend on cultural tourism.

Now that “Red Commas” has wrapped up, what’s next on the writing docket?

I’m working on several short stories at different stages, and I’m shaping them toward a collection. Alongside that, I’ve been working on my first novel for the past three years. The next stretch is about finishing—revision, structure, and making the work as strong as it can be.

Do you have any advice for upcoming writers looking to get their work published?

Write more than one strong story. Revise until the work has a spine, not just a vibe. Read the journals you submit to, follow the guidelines, and track your submissions. Rejection is normal; silence is normal. Keep going anyway. The goal isn’t to be discovered—it’s to be ready when the door opens.

---

About the Author

Alfred Luarca is a Filipino writer and art director based in Copenhagen. His fiction explores family, diaspora, and Philippine folklore, examining how myth and memory shape identity across generations and geographies. He is completing a short story collection.

---

About the Interviewer

Ollie Sikes (they/them) is an evolving queer writer, editor, and creator based in Dallas, TX. They completed a double BA in Creative Writing and Theatre at Butler University. Besides volunteering with Broad Ripple Review, they also serve as Content Creator for the little things literary magazine. Their poetry has been published with Synchronized Chaos. You can follow them on Instagram @ollie.sikes.