Each issue of InTheFray features at least one story written or photographed by someone abroad. And one or two always concern matters in other countries and cultures. But this is, to the best of my recollection, our first issue in which every piece concerns life beyond U.S. borders or has been penned by someone living abroad.

We begin with two tales of war. ITF contributing writers Jonathan Jones and Anna Sussman start by bringing us another account of peacemaking in Africa. This time they visit Burundi and discover that the spirit of war haunts returning refugees. And they’ve accompanied their story with a podcast. Meanwhile, in Guatemala, Lianne Milton captures the struggle of three migrant women to find their way back to their mother and cousin in Los Angeles.And Anand Gopal goes to Beirut In search of the Paris of the East and finds that Lebanon has yet to recover from last summer’s war between Israel and Hizbullah.

On a lighter note, Sarah Lynch learns what it means to be Ghanaian when she works in a shack while studying abroad. Austrian poet Michaela A. Gabriel reflects on what October has in store: barren beaches, ghosts, long shadows, and more.

And Amy Brozio-Andrews reviews Andrea Levy’s Fruit of the Lemon and discovers just how difficult it can be to incorporate your ancestors’ identity into your own.

In other news, we’re excited to start bringing you Secret Asian Man six times a week beginning today. We’ve also launched a college newswire to complement our newswire. The college version includes articles of interest to college students and academics. Check it out at itf.newsvine.com.

If you enjoy reading these stories — or any others you’ve read in ITF — I hope you’ll consider donating during our annual Donor Drive. The past year has been an exciting time for InTheFray — we launched our new site at inthefray.org, our writers received national awards for excellence, and we expanded our content with a new section devoted to activist interviews and an eclectic assortment of articles from five continents. While we have made great strides in 2006-2007, we need your help to continue providing high-quality writing and photography on topics that matter. In the coming year, we plan to broaden our pool of talent by increasing the compensation paid to our contributors and staff. We will also raise awareness of the magazine through targeted marketing and advertising. We hope that you will join us in our mission to inspire conversations about identity and community, foster tolerance and unity, and help society come closer to a vision of justice, transparency, and opportunity for all people. Please support our efforts and visit inthefray.org/donate to make a donation. You can even use it as a tax write-off!

Laura Nathan-Garner