It is the end of the first sentence that stuns me. At precisely the center of the poem, the speaker says to rain “I’ll marry you.” Wait, what?

If it feels as if this summer is the first summer of the rest of your life, that’s because it is.

As we wade into summer, our staff came together to share some reads to accompany you wherever you are, whether you’re staying put or gingerly taking advantage of slackening travel restrictions.

For our Stanzas web feature, we ask writers to introduce us to their favorite poets by way of a handful of lines. This week, Michael Prior, whose poem “Palinode” appears in our Spring 2021 issue, takes a closer look at “Guillotine” by Eduardo C. Corral.

The Sewanee Review is thrilled to announce the appointment of Danielle Evans, Sidik Fofana, and Brandon Taylor as editors at large.

Cosmos helped me find the joy of not-knowing, the bittersweet delight of bewilderment.

In his editor's note for the Spring 2021 issue, SR editor Adam Ross reminds us that spring is a time to dwell in inevitability and uncertainty. "The leaves," as he says, "bud in spite of us.” And this season of change and healing brings with it recommendations that ask us to bear witness, to re-examine ourselves and our sense of understanding.

The going wisdom seems to be that this spring we will emerge from our year of pandemic—from what has been, given the staggering loss of life and ceaseless political strife, a dark winter—into “something like normality.” I beg to differ.

The Sewanee Review is pleased to announce that Vievee Francis is the recipient of the 2021 Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry.