Why does poetry (and fiction, essays, non-fiction, performance, art) hold such a significance within the collective body of the global majority’s consciousness?
Robert Pinsky speaks to this through the lens of poetry in his “The Sound of Poetry,” in which he describes poetry as technology, which evolved using the body, breath, voice and rhythm to communicate memory, emotions and meaning through space and time.
These various forms and platforms hold ideas and experiences from a particular place in space and time, and transport them across new generations and communities, one day, maybe worlds, to create intersectional experiences and interpretations within the reader (or viewer, or watcher, or listener).
This concept sounds like fantastical escapism in a world filled with so much hate, contempt and war. But it says something about who we are as a people, where we’ve been and where we’re going; how to strip away unfair social practices built on asymmetrical power dynamics; or build a framework of being and understanding from the ground up with equity and inclusion in mind.
We need art and poetry and theater and fiction now more than ever in a world that seems bent on destruction and oppression.
The 26 poets whose work comprises ANMLY #42 represent the best poetry to find our inbox. Their dedication to craft and ability to convey complex contextualization of their life and experience shine throughout the pieces in this volume.
(We would like to take a moment and thank everyone who submitted. We see you. Even if we didn’t select your pieces, they represent outstanding work we are grateful to witness during the previous submission period. Thank you.)
The pieces within ANMLY #42 map our individual and collective world views with words, with precision and care, allowing us to travel across the globe and dive into the richness of other communities.
Now a part of the ANMLY community, each writer nurtured and cultivated deep understanding and compassion and power behind their unique experiences. We recognize the vulnerability to share that with the outside world, and hope to create a framework in which we build empathy and understanding for those around us.
If poetry is a tool to move us and language through time and space, we hope ANMLY #42 is a simple map in which you can navigate and enrich your own understanding, and transcend the boundaries — physical, political, geographical, spiritual — imposed upon us.
ANMLY commits itself to the richness of diverse perspectives, languages, cultures and lived experiences. We hope Issue #42 is an example of this commitment to you, the readers and writers that give us meaning and so tenderly share this space with us.
Whether you are a new or returning ANMLY supporter, we hope you continue to join us on this journey.
Wishing you amazing discoveries in every journey,
tripp j crouse, Poetry Reader
April 2026
Featured in this folio:
- Tara Labovich
- S. Abdulwasi’h Olaitan
- Nicole Arocho Hernández
- Manuel A. Melendez
- Lue “LIKETHEHIGHWAY” Khoury
- Lavanya Arora
- Kyla-Yến Huỳnh Giffin
- jms xuange
- Jan Clausen
- Eve Xin
- Elena Karina Byrne
- Dara Goodale
- Cydni Thompson
- Christopher Leigh Silverberg
- Christian Yeo Xuan
- Callie Jennings
- c melín lara
- Blue Đào Nguyễn
- Beste Yılmaz
- Bela Koschalk
- Ayling Zulema Dominguez
- Arthur Neong
- Angelina Luo
- Amanda Nicole Corbin
- 9, 煦 (Susie Zhu)
- Minh Nguyễn
ANMLY #42 Poetry Team
Sarah Clark, Poetry Editor
Sonia Beauchamp, Assistant Poetry Editor
Willow James Claire, Assistant Poetry Editor
Allison Thung, Assistant Poetry Editor
leena aboutaleb, Poetry & Nonfiction Reader
Ashish Kumar Singh, Poetry Reader
tripp j crouse, Poetry Reader
Aylli Cortez, Poetry Reader
I Echo, Poetry Reader
Eros Livieratos, Poetry Reader
T. Bishop Navarro, Poetry & Fiction Reader
Shranup Tandukar, Poetry & Nonfiction Reader