From the Editors on "The Help"

We have been overwhelmed and overjoyed by our readers’ response to Duchess Harris’s article on the novel, The Help. We deeply appreciate the unprecedented number of comments that we have received at TFW as a result and hope that such an outpouring will translate into many new friendships and heightened vigilance concerning not only race matters in the United States, but also the range of urgencies that touch on our common existence as citizens of the world.

Because The Help, both the novel and more recently the movie premiere, has created a “moment” in the life of our national culture, several other writers have expressed an interest in joining this important conversation, and we are pleased to provide a stage for two more readings on themes related to Kathryn Stockett’s artistic project. This is an unusual editorial decision for us, but given the intensity of focus on the subject, we feel justified in granting a hearing to other views.  Today, Friday, and on Monday, we welcome two more guest writers to our pages in TFW’s final salute to the controversy that The Help has ignited. Our thanks.

–The Editors