Recently, a woman I had just met told me something that’s stuck with me ever since: ‘There shouldn’t be anything that you can’t have a conversation about. You can be
respectful, you can be mindful, you can be tactful, and you should be allowed to talk about anything. You should also be given an answer that’s truthful. It may not have all the knowledge, but you should be given an answer.’ With that idea in mind, we called out for submissions on any topic that you think needs to be talked about more, or in a different way. More than anything, our contributors spoke about abuse, assault, and objectification of women. Some of these pieces aren’t easy to read. They can be ugly and uncomfortable conversations, but they’re so important to have. I’ll let this edition tell you why. Then these pages will take you from Hong Kong to Delhi; two places where humanity seems to be at the core of both chaos and community. Between the words you’ll also find some of this year’s best artist features.
