All of our places remain. Contributors struggle with displacement and “home,” belonging and having to establish, resisting and being able to simply be. Partly devoted to a major new portfolio of writing from the Central American and Mexican diasporas, AGNI 99 unites around bewilderment and the force of clarity—discovering how we landed here and acknowledging where we stand. Geography extends beyond the folio, in poems by Mosab Abu Toha and Mercè Rodoreda (trans. Rebecca Simpson); fiction by Steven Archer and Urvi Kumbhat; essays by Lia Purpura and Marion Winik; and more. Diego Isaias Hernández Méndez, Guatemala’s “accident painter,” sets the vivacity and tumble right in front of us, on the cover.

Editors

Sven Birkerts

William Pierce

Sven Birkerts, William Pierce

Senior Editor

Shuchi Saraswat

Senior Fiction Editor

Mary O'Donoghue

Senior Poetry Editor

Jennifer Kwon Dobbs

Poetry Editor

Jessica Q. Stark

Nonfiction Editor

George Estreich

Editor at Large

Julia Brown

Reviews Editor

Rachel Mennies

Blog Editors

Ryan Choi

Grace Singh Smith

Ryan Choi, 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

Rachel Mennies

Dorsey Craft, Jenny George, Rachel Mennies

Newsletter Founder

Alison Lanier

Newsletter Introductions

Arielle Kaplan

Social (Facebook)

Effie Sapuridis

Blog Assistant

Cynthia Ayeza

Social (X)

Esteban Rodriguez

Arielle Kaplan

Esteban Rodriguez, Arielle Kaplan

Social (Instagram)

Rachel Dillon

Editorial Assistants

Elizabeth Callahan

Cerissa DiValentino

Katie Priest

Louise Moran

Gene Wang

Ifeanyi Ekpunobi

Cynthia Ayeza

Elizabeth Callahan, Cerissa DiValentino, Katie Priest, Louise Moran, Gene Wang, Ifeanyi Ekpunobi, Cynthia Ayeza

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

Jennifer Alise Drew

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, Jennifer Alise Drew, 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

Typesetting & Design

Gian Lombardo / Quale Press

AGNI 99

Contents

Editor's Note

Fiction

Essays

Poetry

Art Feature

To Never Have Risked Our Lives: A Portfolio of Central American and Mexican Diaspora Writing

Editor's Note

Fiction

Essays

Poetry