Issue 9 will be sent to subscribers and bookstores very soon. Issue 9 needed to get out in a hurry because there are two pieces — one by Gabe Hudson, one by A.M. Homes — that are in collections in bookstores soon, if not already, so we’d promised to get the issues out in advance of their books.
We did our best. Because our usual printer was very busy with the new novel we just published, for the first time, we printed the journal in America. Well, the results are mixed. There is a really strange endpaper color that we can’t remember choosing, and on the advance copies we received the binding was a little suspect. We can’t tell you that from a production aspect — something we take great interest in — that this is our best issue. But the cover turned out well — it’s a throwback to the first three issues — and the back cover painting, by Scott Greene, is really stunning, we think. This is our first paperback since Issue 3, and is priced accordingly and affordably at $15.
The good news is that the content is of the highest caliber, with superb contributions from regulars like Denis Johnson, William T. Vollmann, Roy Kesey, Homes and Hudson, and newcomers Ellen Moore, Nathaniel Minton, K. Kvashay-Boyle, Jeff Greenwald, Doug Dorst, Val Vinokurov, and in all likelihood, this will be our last foray away from the sure hands of the printers at Oddi Printing of Reykjavik. There is no better printer in the world.
We hope you’ll like this issue. There is some fantastic writing inside, all sharing a quick pulse and great passion. We really love the work in this issue, and are honored that the writers allowed us to bring it to you.