Jeanne Leiby, 46, died in a car accident on April 19th. Leiby was the editor, since 2008, of the Southern Review and a professor at Louisiana State University. Leiby’s first collection of short stories, Downriver, was published in 2007 and won the Carolina Press Doris Bakwin Award.

“Commentary fails in the face of such an immense and devastating loss,” said Laura Mullen, colleague and English professor at LSU. “Her students adored her. Jeanne’s passion, intelligence, and generosity made her a beloved and essential colleague, friend, and teacher… I hope we can live up to the example she set us.”

Alex V. Cook, in a eulogy on his blog, said, “Under her watch (the Southern Review) became suddenly a better, more vibrant thing. I suppose the best way to honor a woman like Jeanne is to write something, read something, talk about something, do something.” For the rest of Cook’s eulogy, please go to http://alexvcook.blogspot.com/2011/04/rip-jeanne-leiby.html.

Leiby was well loved for being an editor who called authors directly to accept their work for the Southern Review.