'Alaska Quarterly Review' 30th anniversary book-launch event to feature tribute to fallen photojournalists Tim Hetherington, Chris Hondros - April 18, 2012

Wednesday, April 18, 7 p.m. Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center Auditorium (625 C Street)

On April 18, days before the one-year anniversary of the date on which photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros lost their lives while covering the war in Libya, the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center will host an event in honor of Alaska Quarterly Review's 30th anniversary issue, and will highlight a special section of the magazine dedicated to the two men. The section, entitled "Liberty and Justice (For All): A Global Photo Mosaic," includes photographs from some of the most renowned photojournalists in the world and explores the themes of liberty and justice, which permeated the work of both Hetherington and Hondros.

In addition to Ronald Spatz, founding editor and editor-in-chief of Alaska Quarterly Review and winner of two Alaska State Governor's Awards, the event will feature guest editor Benjamin Spatz, who has worked closely with Hetherington and Hondros, Pulitzer Prize winner Barbara Davidson, and former ABC News founding host of "Good Morning America," Dave Hartman, contributors to the special section. In addition, Anchorage Symphony musicians Corliss Kimmel, Sharman Piper and Matt O'Connor will be joined by Jon Genzianno in performing music to accompany the presentation of the collection.

ABOUT ALASKA QUARTERLY REVIEW Since 1982, Alaska Quarterly Review has served as a bridge between Alaska and the national and international literary community. It has established itself as distinctly Alaskan--strongly influenced by the place, people and cultural traditions--without being provincial. Alaska Quarterly Review has discovered and nurtured new and emerging writers and poets, and showcased the non-commercial work of established literary artists. The magazine's body of work is eclectic, spanning literature emerging from the oral tradition to pieces that explore and expand the boundaries of genres and styles. While astonishing advances in technology have turned the entire publishing paradigm on its head, Alaska Quarterly Review has remained a faithful forum for conventional work and for work that challenges accepted forms andmodes of expression.

This Spring & Summer 2012 edition of Alaska Quarterly Review is the first of two 30th-anniversary issues. In it readers will find the compelling new work of five fiction writers and 22 poets. Readers will also find the special feature, "Liberty and Justice (For All): A Global Photo Mosaic," a tribute to photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, who were tragicallykilled while covering the civil war in Libya.

"Creating art is essentially a moral act," says Ronald Spatz, founding editor and editor-in-chief of Alaska Quarterly Review. "The artist is the mirror, the conscience, the provocateur, the translator, the individual demanding attention to the hardquestions. In an increasingly uncertain world, art is what centers us. Thirty years after our first issue hit the stands, Alaska Quarterly Review's raison d'être is exactly the same as it was on day one: to publish consequential literary art. Against the ever-rising tide of commercialism and the trends du jour, that's our idea of progress. May it always be."