The Summer issue of VQR is in the mail to subscribers and will be on newsstands in early July, but we’re offering a preview of one of our most thought-provoking issues yet.

The issue opens with a special portfolio on the war in Iraq. The political dimension of the sectarian strife in Iraq has received a great deal of attention, but few of us are aware of the realities of daily life in the country. We commissioned three photographers—all who have won awards for their work in Iraq—to offer a portrait of life in Iraq through their photos and recollections.

Two of these accounts, by Carolyn Cole (LA Times) and Chris Hondros (Getty Images), dramatize the extent of the daily violence and the constant tension that exists even during moments of calm. The third, by Ashley Gilbertson (NY Times), concentrates on the psychological effects of such unrelenting danger—on American soldiers, on the Iraqi people, and on the journalists who cover the war. Collectively, these photo-essays provide a stunningly clear and eye-opening look at what’s happening in Iraq, which we believe is of the utmost importance as we, as a country, try to decide how best to proceed in the Middle East.

Other highlights of the issue include:

• Matthew Power delivers a heart-breaking reminiscence of Brad Will, the American journalist and videographer killed last fall during the street riots in Oaxaca, Mexico.

• Mario Vargas Llosa gives us a remarkable, fictional glimpse of the Colombia Peru of his youth in an exclusive excerpt from his forthcoming novel The Bad Girl (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED FOR ONLINE ACCESS).

• Fiction newcomer Beena Kamlani spins an O. Henry-like tale set in the kitchens of Bombay.

• Poems by Charles Wright, Czechoslovakian poet Jirí Orten (introduced by Edward Hirsch), Alberto Ríos, Robin Ekiss, and others.

• Reviews of new novels by Thomas Pynchon and Michael Chabon, plus Michael Collier on Louise Bogan, and Adam Kirsch on Yeats, Pound, and Auden (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED).

These are interesting times for literary magazines. Don Lee, longtime editor of Ploughshares, recently announced that he is stepping down in order to take a teaching job at Macalester College. Lee’s departure leaves the top spots vacant (to my knowledge) at Ploughshares, Georgia Review, Southern Review, and Granta. [UPDATE: Granta has hired Jason Cowley as its new editor; see comments below.] Georgia Review is in the capable hands of acting editor Stephen Corey, but Southern Review, at last word, was not only seeking a replacement for Bret Lott but also a new business manager. And, as of last week, Matt Weiland has also left Granta as deputy editor there to become deputy editor at Paris Review. (This is a great pick up for Paris Review, by the way.)

Were all this not enough, McSweeney’s has announced a loss of $130,000 due to their distributor going bankrupt. They are holding an online auction to cover the debt—and they look well on their way—but they’re not out of the woods yet, so bid early and often, people. Don’t forget: the McSweeney’s family of magazines—the flagship, The Believer, and Wholphin—operate independent of university funding.

Not that a university necessarily equals stability these days. Antioch College announced last week that it will be “suspending operations” for five years—and the future of Antioch Review remains an open question. [UPDATE: According to an article posted yesterday on the website for The Chronicle of Higher Education, "One hallmark of the college, The Antioch Review, will continue its current publishing arrangement under the larger university's ownership. 'As far as we know, we're not going to be affected by this,' said Muriel Keyes, an assistant editor with the publication." That certainly comes as good news.]

On the plus side, the long-awaited Lapham’s Quarterly, the pet project of former Harper’s editor Lewis Lapham, is set to be released this fall. So it’s not entirely news of doom and gloom.

If anyone knows of other doings—or has an update on any of these magazines—please let me know, and I’ll pass it along to our faithful readers.

Photojournalist Ashley Gilbertson was the featured guest on today’s installment of Fresh Air, discussing “Last Photographs,” his photo essay that will be included in the Summer issue of VQR. In the 40-minute interview, Gilbertson discusses his extensive time in Iraq and his often dangerous work as a photographer in war zones.

Gilbertson was part of the Festival of the Photograph last weekend.

This past Saturday afternoon, photojournalist Ashley Gilbertson appeared in Charlottesville as part of the Festival of the Photograph, giving a talk co-sponsored by VQR and The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative. Gilbertson read his essay and gave a slideshow of “Last Photographs,” a photo-essay forthcoming in this summer’s issue of VQR.

The essay documents three episodes from his work for the New York Times in Iraq, which illustrate the change in his understanding of his purpose there; where he first felt compelled to make a change in Americans’ perception of the war, he has now come to feel he’s “just recording history now, documenting the decline.”

Among the attendees was Ben Shaw, who very recently returned from his third tour of duty in Iraq as a Sergeant with the US Marines. Shaw’s first two tours included duty in Fallujah and in Baghdad. He re-enlisted for a voluntary third tour as a training officer for the Iraqi army and police force.

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Charles Wright, the Souder Family Professor of English at the University of Virginia and a frequent contributor to VQR, has been awarded the 2007 International Griffin Poetry Prize for his book Scar Tissue (FSG, 2006). The Griffin Poetry Prize is the world’s richest poetry prize awarded for a single volume of poetry. The summer issue of VQR, due July 1, features a dozen new poems by Wright.

We’re a week late noticing, but the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a nice article on the Georgia Review on their 60th anniversary and their recent awards, including a National Magazine Award (for essay) and a Governor’s Award in the Humanities from the Georgia Humanities Council.