Benjamin Swett is a writer and photographer whose books include Route 22 (Quantuck Lane Press, 2007) and New York City of Trees (Quantuck Lane, 2013), winner of the New York City Book Award for Photography. His recent essays have appeared in Salmagundi, Orion, AGNI, Arnoldia, Prism International, and Fiction. His photographs are in private and public collections, including The Museum of the City of New York. “The Beauty of the Camera,” in AGNI 97, will appear in Swett’s forthcoming collection The Picture Not Taken, to be published by New York Review Books in Fall 2024. He teaches undergraduate creative writing at The City College of New York. (updated 1/2024)