Letter from the Editor

2015 has been a year of change for JLAG. After 13 years of sure-handed guidance from David Robinson, I took over as editor at the beginning of the year. In addition to getting excellent information and instruction from David, I have had the good fortune to have my landing softened with the production of two special issues directed by two excellent guest editors. Matthew Hayes guided the 14(1) issue on amenity migration and Karl Offen has collected and organized the current issue 14(3) on Mapping Latin American Geographies. Their expert knowledge and enthusiasm for pulling together rigorous scholarship, as well as their willingness to work with a neophyte editor, helped to maintain the high academic quality of JLAG during the transition period.

I have also been able to count on the strong support of out-going Associate Editors Richard Hunter and Marta Herrera Angel and the continued collaboration of Book Review Editor Joseph Scarpaci. I thank the members of the International Editorial Board as well as the Publications Committee and the CLAG board for their help and encouragement over the past year. I would also like to welcome publically our new Associate Editors James Freeman of Concordia University and Jörn Seemann of Ball State University.

Long-time JLAG subscribers will notice a substantial change in the layout which we hope will be easier on our collectively failing eyesight as well as provide a larger platform for photos, maps, graphics, and tables. 14(2) was the first issue to use this new format and we hope that the new look JLAG will allow for a more expressive display of the geographic tools that our authors employ in their work. The current issue is a prime example of the benefits of this format. The editorial team would appreciate any feedback as we continue to fine-tune JLAG to provide authors an engaging professional platform and our readership with cutting-edge scholarship and a high-quality product.

Over the past year I have had the pleasure of communicating with hundreds of academics and professionals working in myriad geographic sub-disciplines in nearly every country in Latin America and beyond. The list of collaborators extends well beyond the editorial team, CLAG members, and contributors. In addition to the 27 articles and 18 book reviews we published this year, we have also had an increase in article submissions (and rejections), and engaged more than 50 external reviewers that contributed their expertise and opinions. The full list of reviewers can be found on the following pages – thanks to all of you on behalf of the JLAG editorial team.

In the coming year, there will be even more changes to JLAG as we move to an automated submission and review platform. We will also be adding one more Associate Editor, appointing a new Book Review Editor, and expanding our back matter to include book review essays, research reports, and expert commentary. The editorial team is always open to suggestions for special issues and welcomes proposals on a rolling basis.

We hope you enjoy this special issue on Mapping Latin American Geographies and look forward to seeing everyone in New Orleans in January of 2017 at the next CLAG conference. In the meantime, boa leitura!