Spring 2026

There aren’t any hard and impenetrable barriers between the ethereal and ponderous aspects of Latinx life. We shift between modes and moods as easily as we move between Spanish and English. It is not just that we find it easy to code switch when necessary. It is much more than that. We use switching as one of our standard tools to get through life. A mother will jump from Spanish to English to emphasize a point to a child, for example. Friends will seamlessly move from English to Spanish to give gravitas to the desirable features of a new love. Similarly, our dead relatives are always close at hand; the spirits that animate the furniture we sit on and the food we eat are always intruding on our consciousness.

Thus, it is no surprise that the majority of this issue’s stories can be characterized, at least in part, as magical realism. In a time when our communities acutely feel threats, these stories help us get through the stress. They vindicate our tensions and help us understand we are not alone. Enjoy!