, translated by Jethro Soutar and published by Unnamed Press, arrived to me at the perfect time, because I had been learning about extraordinary historical figures from the African diaspora, such as the grammarian Juan Latino, Madame Priscilla, Postmaster Charles Graves, and Sister Mary Wilhemina, when I read about the illustrious João de Sá Panasco in the pages of this book. Depicted in a Lisbon street scene by an anonymous sixteenth-century Flemish painter in the portrait I like to say that Joaquim Arena’s memoir/travel narrative ..read more

century discourse and media. Movies and television use the traumatic past as a major plot revelation ( “Trauma” and “grief,” or rather such shallow incarnations of serious psychological phenomena that they merit air quotes, have become trendy concepts in recent 21 ), or the antagonist becomes a walking, talking metaphor for PTSD and unresolved issues (the recent ). Then, through the wonders of narrative, the troubled protagonist finds an unusually easy solution to their problems, often ..read more

In the time since we posted the call for our special issue, “   –  Devin Atallah and Sarah Ihmoud, “ ,” which will be guest-edited by Michel Moushabeck, we’ve received a number of queries, and criticism as well as support. Rather than reply individually, I thought it might be helpful to outline publicly my own reasons for supporting this project. Though I have ..read more

Tell us about one of the first pieces you wrote.  My first poem was essentially poetic... When I close my eyes, I can still see our kitchen skin and half a lemon left there, turning in on itself like the fists our mothers made in every cardinal direction, and how late it was in the afternoon. You were rinsing out the soup pot. The sun had already lost track of its day but all these kids were still out there, hurtling past on past year's bikes. A season simply became another season, a year another year, back then.  —from "Epithalament," Volume 65, Issue 1 (Spring 2024 ..read more

What writer(s) or works have influenced the way you write now? from "Things She Wouldn't Tell," Volume 65, Issue 1 (Spring 2024) In my teens, I read lots ..read more

Tell us about one of the first pieces you wrote. In my last year in the MFA program at the University of Arkansas, I dressed up as the Greek demi-god Pan for Halloween. It was quite the costume, involving both mud and makeup, a leather jacket with no shirt underneath, and red maple leaves crushed into... swirling across Route One, a new Delphi, fires burn green as pine trees, then flare out. from "In Another Life," Volume 65, Issue 1 (Spring 2024 ..read more

Tell us about one of the first pieces you wrote. It’s so hard to remember! I started writing at 13 or so, and wrote terribly... and the chin too jutty. The hair too thin and white, the thighs too big, the walk               so lumbering. from "Quiet Part Out Loud," Volume 65, Issue 1 (Spring 2024 ..read more

, brings us to the heart of the Ironbound, an immigrant neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. These stories explore race, colorism, Blackness, identity, sex, and gentrification, among other topics. López gives us gritty and complex characters with their vulnerability on full display; her stories are often devastating, yet empowering. Through López’s expressive and captivating writing, these characters and their hardships feel tangible. Her pages are a portal: readers fall into them and walk the streets of Newark. We feel... Annell López’ short story collection ..read more

Tell us about one of the first pieces you wrote. I began writing short lyrical poems in my early teens. I had no idea where they came from or what inspired them. All I remember is that they both mystified and frightened me. But I kept writing them. They were often self-instructional as well. Here’s an example of some juvenilia I remember: this side of you and speak to the river that flows and stays, stays and flows. from "This Side of You," Volume 65, Issue 1 (Spring 2024 ..read more

Gaza is asking all of us: what do we want our world to be? Gaza offers us a choice: will we move our world towards liberation and justice for all, or will we allow it to slip ever further into genocidal violence? The , under the guidance of guest editor Michel ..read more