Just like you, we at The Georgia Review are closely monitoring the rapidly changing public health situation around COVID-19 in order to think proactively about how we can contribute to the collective effort of stopping the spread of the disease and keeping the community as safe as possible. We are following recommendations made by the CDC and other health experts and adhering to guidance from the University of Georgia and the Georgia State Legislature.
I want to share with you some of the ways we are adjusting to the present circumstance:
— All GR events scheduled for the spring semester have been canceled, as mandated by the University of Georgia.
—The entire GR staff is working remotely—out of the office and via telecommunication between each other.
—Although we are paring down our operations accordingly, we are still working to publish and ship our issues on the quarterly timetable. There will inevitably be slight delays due to the pandemic, but we are confident that the issues will be out during their due season. Thank you for your patience. We continue to evaluate submissions and read entries to the Loraine Williams Poetry Prize.
—Our journal is printed by Sheridan Press in Hanover, PA. In a statement to customers, Sheridan reports that “We have taken steps to monitor the situation at each of our locations and continue to educate our workforce by directly communicating prevention measures to our employees and posting updates from the CDC, the World Health Organization, and other regulatory agencies related to the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Effective March 16 all University System of Georgia institutions temporarily suspended instruction for two weeks to allow time for state officials to assess the situation regarding COVID-19 in Georgia, and have since determined that spring classes will resume after that with online instruction only. Our offices and our inventory storeroom, located in UGA’s Main Library, are currently accessible to us on a very limited basis.
The most expedient way to reach us is by emailing garev@uga.edu. If you have sent a time-sensitive communication by paper post or recently requested assistance in a voicemail, please alert us by email at garev@uga.edu. We will do our best to respond to your inquiry as quickly as possible. Please know that shipment for individual issue orders will be delayed in the coming weeks.
To support educators during these challenging times, we are making the digital copy of our new issue free to those who are reconceptualizing their courses for remote learning. Themed around the U.S. census, a crucial institution of the American democratic process, the Spring issue presents authors’ and artists’ explorations in various genres of what it means to attempt representation of the diverse communities that comprise the United States. If you would like to obtain the issue for your students, please contact Marketing and Outreach Manager Sarah Jordan at garev@uga.edu.
While we don’t know what the next few weeks and months will bring, we know that flattening the curve is a community endeavor. We hope that you are staying safe and healthy, and as always, are grateful to have you as part of our community.
Sincerely,
Gerald Maa
Editor
The Georgia Review