The ongoing refugee crisis is weighing heavy on our minds, providing cause to revisit the WWB archives for stories of migration and displacement beyond the headlines. These are perennial themes in the magazine, and have been explored across issues, countries, and continents. In “Señor Capitán,” from our September 2013 Black Markets issue, an evil human smuggler faces retribution for his crimes. Like some of the horrific photos we have seen from the current crisis, this story is a distressing reminder of the vulnerability of refugees. And in “I Am a Refugee,” from our October 2014 feature of new writing from Syria, a poet recounts the horrors he has fled and asks to be accepted in his country of exile. For further reading, there’s our September 2014 issue on Exile and our July 2014 issue on Migrant Labor, whose themes still resonate.

Photo credit: Mstyslav Chernov