A man and a bird. Two young dancers. Two chess-players. A “furow” and a fairy. This issue explores what, other than blood and kinship, binds us to others—even, in the case of the fi nal poem, “To Those in a Cage,” to strangers. As Lydia Iliff asks in her poem “Why are friends like that?”:
What is the point of friends?
Are they supposed to make you laugh? Cry?
Are they there for you?
These stories and poems will help you answer some of these questions, though I hope Iliff ’s words will also inspire you to draw on your own well of personal experience. When I was a child, my best friend and I would pretend we were twins because that was how we close we felt. The word “friends” didn’t seem adequate for us! Is there someone like that in your life? Maybe your best friend is your twin! Regardless, what can you express—whether through words, painting, or photography—about what a friend is to you?
I look forward to reading what you come up with soon!