Editors' Introduction

Observing how Obeah, blues music, bird motifs, and ritual recur in the narrative, Ingram argues that folklore works to "crystallize the recursive nature of time and trauma by inserting into the text elements that bring a shared past forward into the present and that press at the limits of place and knowledge." [...]Japanese Maples at Thanksgiving" reflects Gilbert Allen's take on how the tree's unique beauty connects with the heartbreaking innocence of youth. [...]we offer three excellent book reviews.