The Editor's Drawers

Abstract

Dear Readers:We hope you'll find the contents of this issue as interesting as the editorial team does. The range of topics from Civil War art and cartoons to contemporary video exhibits the vitality of our field both in historical perspective and currency. Thoughtful submissions to our “On Second Thought” feature continue to arrive. Keep 'em comin'. We realize that there is a short window between the appearance of an issue and the date for submitting a comment about any of the articles included in it. So please keep in mind the need to act soon after receiving the issue.As is customary with the first issue of the year, we're also happy to have the comprehensive review of “The Year's Work of 2019.” This iteration of the recurring feature marks the debut of contributing editor Joanne Gilbert. Her contribution adds to her very active presence in the field and in AHSA. And on the topic of “The Year's Work,” we're happy to announce the addition of two contributing editors to the team. As we noted earlier, the increasing volume of humor scholarship and its divergence between literary studies and communications/media studies warranted having a team of scholars with complementary disciplinary strengths to work together on this feature review essay. So next year, Gretchen Martin will be joined by Jonathan Rossing on “The Year's Work of 2020,” and the following year Joanne Gilbert will team up with Todd Thompson for their compilation of humor scholarship from 2021. We welcome Jonathan and Todd and look forward to their collaborations with Gretchen and Joanne.Rounding out the journal's recognition of humor scholarship, this issue includes a dozen reviews of recent books. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Sabrina Fuchs Abrams for her efforts to fulfill StAH's goal of publishing reviews of books as soon after their release as possible—a service both to the authors of the books and readers of our journal.Looking ahead, we're very pleased to announce two special issues. The first, which will be released as issue 7.2 in the fall of 2021, will feature work first presented at the Humor and Matters of Empire symposium held in October 2020. If you attended the symposium, you're already aware of the high quality of the presentations and can anticipate a very rich and lively special issue. The symposium's chair, Judith Yaross Lee, will be guest coeditor of the special issue. Having served as the editor of the journal from 2013 to 2018, her experience bodes well for a great special issue. The editorial team welcomes her back with open arms for this guest editorship.The second special issue, scheduled for fall of 2022, is tentatively titled “Black Laughs Matter,” an obvious reference to the #BLM movement that arose in response to greater public awareness about police violence on unarmed African American citizens. In June 2020, AHSA issued a statement of solidarity with #BLM and a commitment to raising awareness of racial injustice, and this special issue is an active performance of that commitment. We seek essays that focus on African American humor and the experience of race in the United States. We're very happy to welcome Darryl Dickson-Carr, Professor of English at SMU, as guest coeditor of the issue. His important work in the field includes Spoofing the Modern: Satire in the Harlem Renaissance and The Columbia Guide to African American Literature, as well as notable essays in ALH and significant collections. Submissions are open for this special issue, with a deadline of October 1, 2021.Until then, I remainYr Obdt Svt,—LH