Morrissey Suicide and Publication Suspension
During July 2010 Managing Editor Kevin Morrissey repeatedly complained to University officials about Editor Ted Genoways' treatment of him. On July 30, 2010, Morrissey shot himself, after first calling 911 to report his own shooting. Press reports accused Genoways of harassing and bullying Morrissey. Genoways denied the bullying and in an August 1 e-mail to VQR writers said he did not "feel responsible" for Morrissey's death.
After staffers had completed most work on the VQR Fall issue to be published in Morrissey's memory, in August 2010 Genoways took charge of the issue. Staffers removed their names from the masthead in protest, and subsequently the entire staff resigned. National and local media devoted extensive coverage to the situation and the conflicting accounts of what happened. New University President Teresa Sullivan called for a "thorough review" of both financial and managerial practices at the magazine. In the meantime the University had put the Winter issue of VQR "on hold," to "let the internal review progress." The university later stated that it was cancelling the Winter issue, and stated it might publish a "bonus issue" at some future date, or reimburse subscribers for the cancelled issue.
After completing its investigation, in a controversial report published October 20, 2010, the University concluded that, because there were “no specific allegations of bullying or harassment” prior to Mr. Morrissey's death, the University would not fire Mr. Genoways—and Mr. Genoways wrote in an e-mail to the New York Times that he would be “remaining on as editor.” The University stated its intent to reorganize VQR under a new reporting structure, bring its finances under outside supervision, and revise "how employees report and receive assistance."
From August 2010 through January 2011 it was unclear when the next issue would be published: the magazine remained "in limbo." In late January 2011, the University announced that VQR had published a new issue, marking "the start of its 87th year of continuous publication." In December 2011, about fourteen months after one newspaper said "the award-winning Virginia Quartlerly Review might have appeared on the verge of extinction," the University announced it was hiring a new publisher and a new deputy editor; Mr. Genoways remained as Editor.
In April 2012 Mr. Genoways resigned, saying: "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."
Read more about this topic: Virginia Quarterly Review
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