The Touch Issue

The power of touch is that it extends beyond the physical. More than two years of social distancing have taught us that we don’t have to breathe the same air to share experiences. Touch can provoke all kinds of emotions and complications. It can help heal body and soul, as we explore through massage therapy; it can drive ugly and alienating beliefs, like harmful myths about menstruation; it can force a cultural revisioning of desire and sexuality, as we see in contemporary romance novels rejecting ableism. Our Touch issue investigates intimacy and connection online, on screen, and behind the scenes. These stories challenge us to be more open-minded, more forthright, and always true to our emotions.