The strangeness, in the best sense, denoted by the cover phrase extracted from our conversation with artist ANTHEA HAMILTON, expresses the open spirit with which we approach this edition’s theme:…

The strangeness, in the best sense, denoted by the cover phrase extracted from our conversation with artist ANTHEA HAMILTON, expresses the open spirit with which we approach this edition’s theme: togetherness. With diverse yet like-minded voices and images, Issue #9 of MANY OF THEM introduces this notion as a shared feeling after a recent time of collective separation. The ellipse in the sentence—representing a pause, or suggesting there’s something left unsaid—may well serve as the necessary space kept empty so that the desire to gather can find its way through the new emerging world. The longing to be together takes a variety of forms, as stated by thinker and author SASKIA SASSEN: “The simplest and, to me, most attractive way, both simple and attractive, is to say that togetherness comes in many different shapes and molds.” In its simplicity, this concept conjures up an idea of solidarity and unity as a vital need, rather than an ideological choice. Togetherness as a form of coming-together that all contributors to this issue are seeking to reimagine.