Review 78 is comprised of an academic section containing articles by leading scholars on U.S. Latino writing and culture, and a creative section of poetry, prose, essays, and interviews by/with Latino writers of Chilean, Cuban, Dominican, Guatemalan, Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage.

For all the talk about Cuba and Venezuela, leaders moved forward on other fronts as well during the weekend's Summit of the Americas. On the sidelines, U.S. President Barack Obama signaled action on a trade pact with Colombia and a hemispheric clean-energy partnership.

Thirty-four leaders come together this weekend in Port of Prince for the Summit of the Americas, when U.S. President Obama makes his debut on the hemispheric stage. Prosperity, energy, and climate change are on the agenda, but subplots have developed.

"The calculus is simple: if we can’t get it right with Mexico, our closest Latin neighbor both literally and figuratively, we’ll have trouble with the rest of our hemispheric agenda," writes COA's Eric Farnsworth in an article for Poder.

"The Summit of the Americas provides a forum for Obama to shift focus from energy independence to a more practical and even a more desirable goal—energy interdependence," writes Lisa Viscidi in an op-ed for The Houston Chronicle. The original version of this article appears in the Spring 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly.

AS/COA hosted a joint program preceding U.S. President Barack Obama’s meeting with Mexican President Calderón in Mexico and the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. The panelists expressed hope the gathering will serve to redefine relations within the hemisphere.

On his way to the Summit of the Americas, President Barack Obama makes his first Latin American visit when he travels to Mexico this week. Security will likely be the main focus as he meets with counterpart Felipe Calderón, even as Mexico experiences a drop in violence connected to organized crime.