AGNI 94
Contents
Editor's Note
A Few Thoughts on Truth and Fiction
Poetry
The Burning of Athena’s Temple by Xerxes
by Amy Beeder
Apparatus #519
Nomad Palindrome
Winter Pillow Book #3
Summers in Biddle City, 1999
The Shape of Biddle City
Meditation on an Authentic China
Red Sea
As a Woman
by K. Henderson
Mixed Girl Graves
by K. Henderson
She Saw She Was (a Ghost)
by K. Henderson
Mona
First Gun
by Colin Pope
Called Back
by Bruce Smith
Rob or something, or Of course the sitter had to have a son
Old Skin
Hawk Hymn
Futures: A Portfolio of Work in Translation
Editor's Note
Fiction
Essays
Poetry
Mandelstam Street and Other Apocryphal Territories
Translated from the Spanish by Cynthia Steele
Kozukata (The Road Never to Be Taken)
by Shuri Kido
Translated from the Japanese by Tomoyuki Endo and Forrest Gander
Bread, Hashish, and the Moon
Translated from the Arabic by Rana Bitar and Robert Bensen
The Solitary Cinerary Flower Ignites
Translated from the Spanish by Luciana Erregue
Crossing thresholds. Nearly two years in the making, “Futures: An AGNI Portfolio of Work in Translation” is the largest folio in our five decades of publication, showcasing 35 translators and 37 writers of prose and poetry, from 21 languages. From homelands as far-flung as Martinique, Malta, and Thailand, from eras spanning a century and a half, these voices demand a reconsideration of the past as we collectively contemplate our future. The issue also features poetry by Ishion Hutchinson, Daniel Borzutzky, and Amy Beeder; fiction by Barbara Sutton and Che Yuen; essays by Isaac Yuen and Melissa Chadburn—and a call to conscience by Sámi visual artist Máret Ánne Sara.
Editors
William Pierce
Sven Birkerts
William Pierce, Sven Birkerts
Assistant Editor
Shuchi Saraswat
Shuchi Saraswat
Nonfiction Editors
Jennifer Alise Drew
Shuchi Saraswat
Jennifer Alise Drew, Shuchi Saraswat
Poetry Editors
Jennifer Kwon Dobbs
Jessica Q. Stark
Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, Jessica Q. Stark
Fiction Editor
Mary O'Donoghue
Mary O'Donoghue
Editor at Large
Julia Brown
Julia Brown
Reviews Editor
Rachel Mennies
Rachel Mennies
Blog Editor
Grace Singh Smith
Grace Singh Smith
Assoc. Poetry Editor
Esteban Rodriguez
Esteban Rodriguez
Asst. Poetry Editors
Dorsey Craft
Jenny George
Dorsey Craft, Jenny George
Asst. Fiction Editors
Ben Black
Amber Caron
Ariel Courage
Ben Black, Amber Caron, Ariel Courage
Newsletter Director
Alison Lanier
Alison Lanier
Social (Facebook)
Effie Sapuridis
Effie Sapuridis
Blog Assistant
Cynthia Ayeza
Cynthia Ayeza
Social (Twitter)
Ari Kaplan
Ari Kaplan
Social (Instagram)
Ariel Courage
Ariel Courage
Editorial Assistants
Annaka Saari
David Brinson
Julia Pike
James Brookes
Nayereh Doosti
Melkon Charchoglyan
Zoe Stonetree
Taylor Arnette
Ari Kaplan
Annaka Saari, David Brinson, Julia Pike, James Brookes, Nayereh Doosti, Melkon Charchoglyan, Zoe Stonetree, Taylor Arnette, Ari Kaplan
Founding Editor
Askold Melnyczuk
Askold Melnyczuk
Advisory Board
Leslie Epstein
Ha Jin
Robert Pinsky
Rosanna Warren
Leslie Epstein, Ha Jin, Robert Pinsky, Rosanna Warren
Contributing Editors
Sumita Chakraborty
John J. Clayton
Stuart Dischell
Sharon Dunn, ed. Emerita
Anne Germanacos
Marie Howe
Alex Johnson
Dana Levin
Fred Marchant
Fiona McCrae
Gail Mazur
Dzvinia Orlowsky
E.C. Osondu
Lia Purpura
George Scialabba
Tom Sleigh
Sue Standing
Oksana Zabuzhko
Sumita Chakraborty, John J. Clayton, Stuart Dischell, Sharon Dunn, ed. Emerita, Anne Germanacos, Marie Howe, Alex Johnson, Dana Levin, Fred Marchant, Fiona McCrae, Gail Mazur, Dzvinia Orlowsky, E.C. Osondu, Lia Purpura, George Scialabba, Tom Sleigh, Sue Standing, Oksana Zabuzhko