the minnesota review invites submissions for a Special Issue on “Katrina – A Decade After” to be guest edited by Gaurav Desai (English/African and African Diaspora Studies, Tulane University). Our aim is to reflect on the hurricane, the measures that could have been taken to prevent the massive devastation caused by it, and the immediate and long term response by the government, private industry, and civil society. How has Katrina left a permanent mark not only on the Gulf South, but also on our larger national imaginary? What lessons, if any, have we learned and what actions and policies have we adopted to better mitigate against future disasters? Haunting though the images may be, the impact of Katrina was not limited to flooded homes and emergency rescues from rooftops – it altered fundamental social contracts in cities such as New Orleans – from public education to public housing. It also awakened a new activism focused on calls for better levee protection to addressing the loss of wetlands in coastal communities.
We invite contributions that chart these changes and their significance to larger policy debates that confront the nation and indeed the world. In the spirit of the legacy of the journal, the best contributions will be those that take a stand, however controversial, and are prepared to make the argument in no more than 4000 words. In keeping with the multi-genre nature of the journal we welcome position papers, review essays, interviews with key figures involved with the hurricane, poetry, fiction, and photo-essays. Potential contributors are invited to consult with the editors before submission. The issue will be published in April 2015 to mark the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in August 2015. Final submissions are due on June 1, 2014. For further information and consultation, please contact editors@minnesottareview.org.
The Minnesota Review 