"AGNI" was founded in 1972 at Antioch College by former undergraduate Askold Melnyczuk. After a brief residency in New Jersey, "AGNI" moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Sharon Dunn joined Melnyczuk as co-editor in 1977. From 1980 to 1987 Dunn was the magazine's editor, first in Cambridge, then for three years in Western Massachusetts. In fall of 1987 Melnyczuk resumed editorship, and "AGNI" relocated to Boston University, later moving into the former offices of "The Partisan Review" at 236 Bay State Road. In July 2002 Sven Birkerts assumed the editorship, and after fifteen years as senior editor, William Pierce joined Birkerts as coeditor in 2019. The magazine receives support from the Boston University College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, "AGNI" relies on funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mass Cultural Council, and individual donors.