. . . that contributing editor J. Bottum, whose fiction criticism has been a regular feature in THE WEEKLY STANDARD for the last two years, becomes our Books & Arts Editor with this issue. Jody's recent contributions to these pages include "The End of the Academic Novel" and essays on Thomas Pynchon and Paul Theroux. In his new position, he will continue to write regularly on fiction, in addition to overseeing the back of the book.