In the Spring 2019 issue, several contributors confront symbols weighted by history—antebellum architecture, Confederate monuments, the American flag—and their processing is instructive. As Jennifer Ho writes: “I cannot claim to be an American and only claim the parts I like.”

Plus: a striking art portfolio by Trenton Doyle Hancock, introduced by novelist Maurice Carlos Ruffin. Our 2018-19 Jeff Baskin Fellow, Micah Fields, explores industrial Houston. Mesha Maren on LGBTQ identity in her native West Virginia. And the final installment of Chris Offutt’s column “Cooking with Chris.”