While working on Issue 1 of Slush this past year, I have been thinking about feelings and experiences of dis/connection. As a recurring theme arising in my own writing, observations of the world I inhabit and a fear of losing touch due to self-isolation, this is an idea I often find myself ruminating upon.

However, reading through submissions for Slush‍ ‍– many hundreds of submissions, for which I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read – I was reminded that stories offer us a way in, a pathway towards, empathy and interconnection.

Stories, comics and hybrid works by Flick, Mia Thomson, Tim Loveday, Helena Pantsis, Julia Faragher, Clarissa Kwee and Deborah McDonnell each reflect intersecting considerations of dis/connection, curiosity, immediacy and love. At least, that’s how I have read into these pieces. I invite you to read these stories for yourself and come to your own understanding.

I won’t rattle on. Slush is free to read, so please do.

Sarah is a writer and PhD candidate at Swinburne University researching the possibilities of the contemporary short story cycle exploring women’s experiences of isolation, mental illness and relational agency. Her writing has been published in ACE IV, The Writing Mind, The Incompleteness Book, TEXT Journal and Lip Magazine among others. Sarah teaches creative writing at Swinburne University, and serves as a member of the Executive Committee of Management for the Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP).