Place and displacement. Essayists Eileen Myles and Jessie van Eerden give visions of terra firma, exploring the space between fixity and mutability, while Teju Cole’s flash stories sketch liminal scenarios that locate the ways mystery attends us. Fiction by Emmelie Prophète (in Aidan Rooney’s translation) and an essay by Sofia Oumhani Benbahmed use settings of conflict and crisis to support a vexing search for identity; poets Michael Torres, Preeti Kaur Rajpal, and Diane Seuss return to moments that promise yet challenge belonging. Then founding editor Askold Melnyczuk and coeditor Sven Birkerts look back on 50 years of AGNI—from conception to full maturity. For a unique and celebratory art feature, we invited inspirations from a roster of former portfolio artists. Their theme: agni, which is to say, fire. The principle of combustion. (Cover art: Anne Neely)

Editors

Sven Birkerts

William Pierce

Sven Birkerts, William Pierce

Associate Editor

Shuchi Saraswat

Senior Fiction Editor

Mary O'Donoghue

Senior Poetry Editor

Jennifer Kwon Dobbs

Poetry Editor

Jessica Q. Stark

Nonfiction Editors

Kelle Groom

Shuchi Saraswat

Kelle Groom, Shuchi Saraswat

Editors at Large

Julia Brown

Jennifer Alise Drew

Julia Brown, Jennifer Alise Drew

Reviews Editor

Rachel Mennies

Blog Editor

Grace Singh Smith

Asst. Fiction Editors

Ben Black

Amber Caron

Ariel Courage

Ben Black, Amber Caron, Ariel Courage

Assoc. Poetry Editor

Esteban Rodriguez

Asst. Poetry Editors

Dorsey Craft

Jenny George

Dorsey Craft, Jenny George

Newsletter Director

Alison Lanier

Newsletter Introductions

James Brookes

Arielle Kaplan

James Brookes, Arielle Kaplan

Social (Facebook)

Effie Sapuridis

Blog Assistant

Cynthia Ayeza

Social (Twitter)

Esteban Rodriguez

Arielle Kaplan

Esteban Rodriguez, Arielle Kaplan

Social (Instagram)

Ariel Courage

Editorial Assistants

Taylor Arnette

Ella Schroeder

Rachel M. Dillon

Val Otarod

Peter Fray-Witzer

Iris Zheng

Numertha Geisinger

Taylor Arnette, Ella Schroeder, Rachel M. Dillon, Val Otarod, Peter Fray-Witzer, Iris Zheng, Numertha Geisinger

Founding Editor

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

AGNI 96

Contents

Editor's Note

Fictions

Essays

Poetry

Art Feature