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Editor Ted Genoways will leave Virginia Quarterly Review

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Ted Genoways, the editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review, will be leaving the magazine May 31, the University of Virginia announced Wednesday. On Tuesday, VQR, as it is known, was nominated for two National Magazine Awards.

Genoways became editor of VQR in 2003. During his tenure, the magazine went from a quiet literary journal to a significant participant on the national stage, particularly with its literary nonfiction and reportage. It was nominated for more than two dozen National Magazine Awards, winning six, including the award for general excellence in 2006 for magazines of its size.

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In 2010, Genoways came under scrutiny when the magazine’s managing editor, Kevin Morrissey, committed suicide. Although local media in Charlottesville continues to focus on Morrissey’s unhappiness in his job, a University of Virginia investigation found Genoways innocent of alleged workplace bullying.

A new publisher and deputy editor joined VQR in December. Publisher Jon Peede is a former literature director at the National Endowment for the Arts. Donovan Webster, the magazine’s new deputy editor, will serve as interim editor after Genoways exits at the end of May. Additionally, Jane Friedman will join the staff to focus on digital content and social media.

In the University of Virginia announcement of Genoways’ departure, he says, ‘I will miss working with so many talented writers and photographers, but I felt the time was right.... I have several projects, both books and articles, that I have long set aside to focus on the magazine. I’m excited to be able to concentrate on that writing now — and I feel comfortable leaving, knowing that VQR is in good hands with the new staff. I look back on my nine years as editor with pride, but I also hope that the new staff will not feel in any way encumbered by that legacy. VQR is theirs to steward and reimagine now, and I hope they will be able to build on and exceed past successes.’

RELATED:

UVA issues VQR audit: No bullying on record

Virginia Quarterly Review, Part 2: Forging a future, now in jeopardy

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Virginia Quarterly Review, Part 1: A suicide rocks the esteemed literary journal

— Carolyn Kellogg

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