Following the removal of the names of three full-time staff members from the Virginia Quarterly Review masthead, reports suggest that UVA’s prized literary journal is on indefinite hiatus, pending an internal investigation. The school’s investigation follows the suicide of managing editor Kevin Morrissey and subsequent allegations of "workplace bullying" brought against VQR editor Ted Genoways. The New York Times Arts Beat blog reported yesterday evening that VQR offices will remain closed until the investigation is complete.
"We thought it might be best for all involved on the staff to take a break and step back and wait for the conclusion of the internal review," University spokeswoman Carol Wood told the Times. While the fall issue of VQR was scheduled to arrive to printers last week, the Times also reports that the journal’s upcoming winter issue is canceled. An additional report of VQR office closures also ran in the Washington Post’s College Inc. blog.
This week’s issue of C-VILLE features a letter signed by 30 VQR contributors who refer to Genoways as "professional, tactful, and respectful," and write that both Genoways and Morrissey "deserve a full and impartial investigation from the University of Virginia." Read the letter in its entirety here.
