“It might seem as though everything follows some kind of order, but no, it’s all chaos.”
—Israel Centeno, “A Pornomilitary Romanza,” translated by Valerie Miles

If you’re searching for a context in which to understand this week’s political upheaval in Venezuela, do head over to our March 2014 issue, published in a similarly turbulent time. Guest editor Ana Nuño pens her introduction from the midst of student demonstrations in protest of the country’s soaring homicide rate, economic disarray, and the government they accused of indifference to intolerable conditions. Less than two years later, the opposition has won a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly, and the new president, Henry Ramos Allup, has called for a new government within six months. We’ll be watching to see how this dramatic shift in power shakes out. In the meantime, the fiction and poetry in the issue will provide a useful basis for understanding what’s at stake.

Photo: Demonstrations in Caracas on February 12, 2014