Together - Letter from the Editors

I choked back a small sob on the Sunday of my return to 383 Jarvis, on June 20, 2021. It was the singing that did it. To hear the chorus of Christ’s body singing in unison, after so many months of pandemic silence, was to believe we’d survived a long, Narnian winter.  

There is not, of course, a singular experience of the pandemic. Some of us were shut in by deafening quiet in our downtown condos. Some of us lived a noisier year,  small children constantly underfoot. Even now, the pandemic is no past-tense crisis.

If there have been “pandemic lessons,” one is the humility the apostle James wrote about in his New Testament letter: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.” We’ve learned to receive life, rather than plan it.

We’ve also appreciated in new ways that life in Christ is a “together” life. Perhaps there is nothing like forced isolation to make us cherish what the New Testament writers called koinonia, or fellowship. This word signals what we share in common. It reminds us of the gift of communion. Fellowship, in other words, happens around a table. And who can forget the long months our table sat empty?

This issue laments the loneliness we’ve all felt. More importantly, it celebrates the gift of togetherness. I would tell you more about the wonderful work in these pages—but let me leave it to my colleagues on the Imprint team with whom I do this “together” work. I’m grateful for each of them.

Jen Michel, Lead Editor

Becky Chai can easily be bribed with Cadbury’s Mini Eggs. “It was a joy to see Charissa Poon’s artwork for the personal letters develop. For this project, she bravely attempted digital illustration on a tablet for the first time, and the results were really impressive.”

Caitlin Condit works from her sunny North York apartment, where something generously spiced is usually cooking. “I really enjoyed working on Maria Faber’s piece about pregnancy loss. The hope Christ offers shines for us every morning, even when our day looks bleak.” 

Luke Cleland is obsessed with creating—mostly photographs these days. “I found an eerie connection between 'The Unmasking’ by John Sampson and the photos I took through this past winter at sunrise. The play of the winter sun and exhaust from smokestacks in the city reminded me of the presence of God’s image in this fleeting world.” 

Joel Faber is the new GCA Director. “Working ‘Re-membering’ was a humbling and encouraging experience. While I tried articulating the Christian idea of ‘life together’ in the introductory section, the voices at the centre of the piece show what it is to live that life—for real—in the everyday.”

John Mani remembers when jazz was the thing. He is teaching his children to clap on two and four. "‘Kioshkokwi Lake, Algonquin Park,’ a poem by Brendan Stringer, was such a welcome submission at a time when many of us were yearning for the outdoors. I know our readers, and fellow writers, will enjoy it for its arresting imagery and thoughtful voice." 

Alvin Ng is a sci-fi/fantasy nerd who enjoyed the grand tour of great literature throughout university but happily ended up back at Hogwarts, Rivendell, and King’s Landing. “I was overjoyed when Jen McNaughton submitted her short story, ‘The Coming Day.’ After having endured a year uncomfortably close to dystopian, it’s wonderful to read a pandemic story that leaves me feeling optimistic and hopeful.”

Laura Sheppard Song finally finished her pandemic painting but is still reading her way through the works of Stephen King. “Sharon Lam’s poem, ‘I am with you on Thursdays,’ resonated deeply for me. She depicts the changing modes of connection and separation we experience, helped and hindered by technology and all shaken up by the pandemic. Having moved to Toronto in the middle of lockdown, I grappled with the many ways to be with people under these new definitions of with.” 

Katrina Togeretz is finding joy in designing patterns. And when the computer screen starts to blur she goes out for a walk to be reminded of fresh air and other people. “I was charmed by the old lady in Lyndsie York’s piece. I’d love for someone to quiz me on history trivia but have to admit that I’d probably lose patience as well. It’s a good reminder to love the people God puts in our lives, even if their interests and timetables don’t always line up with ours.”