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IN THIS ISSUEVISUAL ARTS, LETTERS, MUSIC. VoldemārsAvens is an artist of image and of word. Hispaintings and his poetry have achieved wideacclaim over the years in numerous exhibitsand on innumerable printed pages. Ourreaders know him since 1966 as a frequentcontributor to Jaunā Gaita and as a contributingeditor since 1995. Reproduced hereare three canvases from a retrospective exhibitof his paintings (July 16-August 23) inthe Latvian National Museum of Art in Rīga.As a painter, Avens is an expressionist withabtractionist leanings, often choosing todepict traditional Latvian architectural details,witness the cover art for this issue. Asa poet, Avens is known for his incisive intellectand his subtle humor, witness his poem„Freedom is the onset of constraint”, wherehe proclaims: Even if you are right, everyright bears a wrong, like a shorn poodle’stail... ••• Anita Dzirne-Irlen, contributesthree poems about three regions of the U.S.:„The Middle (Plains)”, where one is afraid tostay, afraid to flee..., „The West (Drought)”,where one arrives as a refugee..., and „TheEast (Nearness)”, where one is closer to homethan ever. ••• Benita Veisberga’s literarymusings spin off from incidents around herhome – a spilled pot of garlic-spinach soup,a pair of fussing chicadees at her window,the shadow of an oleander dancing over apainting on the wall. ••• The Völuspá(Prophecy of the Völva, or Nordic priestess),translated from Old Islandic into fancifullypoetic Latvian by Uldis Bērziņš, tellsthe story of the creation of the world and itscoming end. ••• Of four black and whiteimages reproduced here two are the photographiccompositions of Jānis Gleizds, introducedin an essay by Vilnis Auziņš, anotheris a photo portrait of poet Uldis Bērziņš byRimands Ceplis, and a fourth is by ArnisBalčus from an exhibit titled „Amnesia” atthe RMT (Rīgas Mākslas telpa), described byLaimonis Mieriņš. ••• Linda Treija reportson an exhibit titled „Latvian Dimensions,Contemporary Installations and Sculpture”at the Embassy of Latvia in Washington, DC.REMEMBRANCES, HISTORY, MARGINALIA.The latest installment of Eva Eglāja-Kristsone’sstudy of „The Dynamics of ContactsBetween Occupied Latvia and the LatvianDiaspora” focuses on the years 1972-1975.During this time, the editors of Jaunā Gaitabecame embroiled in discord within thediaspora community as well as among themselveson the issue of the proper measure ofrestraint in such contacts. ••• Aspazija(1865-1943) lives! Rūta Dzenīte reports thatthe home of the romantic nationalist poet inJūrmala, the seaside suburb of Rīga, has becomea museum and a gathering place forall who still draw inspiration from her life.••• Aina Siksna writes that, although ZentaMauriņa (1897-1978) and Jānis Rudzītis(1909-1970) seldom saw eye-to-eye in life,she sees her two larger-than-life teachers asbest of friends in the afterlife. ••• AmongFranks Gordons’ „Snippets of memory” is avision of himself on his father’s shoulderswatching the unveiling of Latvia’s FreedomMonument in Rīga, fleeing the turmoil ofWWII and returning to Rīga, reading VizmaBelševica’s poetry in 1969 as an anti-communistmanifesto, visiting artist VitautsSīmanis in Chicago in 1981, working to setstraight the record of the war. ••• In hiscontinuing memoir of DP Camp life in Alt-Garge, Germany, Uldis Siliņš waxes sardonic:Sex? What is that? ••• Jānis KrēsliņšSr. comments on an interview in RūjienasLaiks with actress Hilda Uršteina ••• IvarsAntēns, inspired by an issue of Sven Birkerts’literary magazine Agni, looks into an expandedrepublication of Robert Frank’s oncecontroversial, now classic book of photographsThe Americans, originally publishedby Grove Press in 1959. ••• Denizens ofthe SVEIKS listserv discuss whether even repatriate“trimdies” can escape the economiccrisis in Latvia by re-emigrating. ••• TheMarginalia section, as usual, succinctly coversa vast range of cultural topics.REVIEWS. • Uldis Bērziņš’ latest poetry bookSaruna ar Pastnieku (reviewed by SantaSkujiņa) • Astrīde Ivaska’s poems and poetrytranslations Dzeja un atdzeja • AinaZemdega’s collected works Raksti (both byJuris Silenieks) • Anita Liepa’s Central Asiantravelogue Austrumu motīvs (Māra Stabiņa)• Inga Ābele’s novel Paisums (Astra Roze) • Acollection of articles on Latvian architectureLatviešu arhitektu teorētiskie raksti (VitoldsVītols) • Robert Fearnley’s volume on postagestamps Latvian Issues (Juris Raudseps) •Inese Aide’s study of Ventspils at the end ofWWII Vētra liedagā (Anita Liepiņa) • Thomasvon Vegesack’s Utan hem i tiden and RobertSchweitzer’s Finnland, das Zarenreich unddie Deutschen (both by Jānis Krēsliņš Jr.)• Journal of Baltic Studies, March 2009(Gundars Ķeniņš Kings).J.Ž.