For twenty-five years, the Iowa Review has published many of America's finest writers, often helping them become established in their careers. From Tillie Olsen and William Stafford in the first volume to James Galvin and Pattiann Rogers in the twenty-fourth, the names and voices are recognizable and respected or soon will be. As editor David Hamilton notes in his introduction to this eclectic anniversary volume of nearly eighty poems and stories, "To a considerable extent we have defined ourselves by them; thus Hard Choices, a generous sampling of the best and most interesting writing from the Iowa Review's first years, defines the past and the future of American literature."

The Iowa Review is one of a small group of dedicated literary magazines that have defined American literary culture in the past quarter century. The adventurous, stimulating pieces in Hard Choices will encourage readers to look forward to the next quarter century.