As Holly said in her editor’s note, putting together an issue is often about making unusual connections, finding the threads that tie one piece to another, the points at which each resonates with those around it. After all, isn’t connection what we’re all seeking in this vast chasm of human experience?

For this issue’s interactive piece, we encourage you to make some connections. Whether you’re familiar with the New York Times word game or not, we think you’ll have fun with it. Now get connecting!

How to Play
Find groups of four connected words (e.g. point, shrug, smile, clap – Gestures), then hit submit to see if you’re right. See how many guesses it takes to get them all, then send it to a friend or lover or whoever—it’s the connection that counts.

Header photograph by Jen Ippensen
Header artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson

In the spirit of compaction, of mashing worlds together and making something new, we invite you to roll two dice and form a new micro story.

Die 1 Result
1. as our brains ramp up and spiral down 
(“Just Chill Out, Okay”)

2. As they scarf down bits between running food 
(“Easter Sunday”)

3. In her cubicle 
(“Naked Protest”)

4. when the long sleep comes 
(“The Love That We Have Been”)

5. next to the Italian place
(“When You Share a Small Town”)

6. the compaction forms something new 
(Issue 9 Editor’s Note)

Die 2 Result
1. we can’t believe our bodies can feel so high and so low 
(“Just Chill Out, Okay”)

2. the servers have prepared a feast 
(“Easter Sunday”)

3. the women swerve, swoop, resettle, a flock of starlings 
(“Naked Protest”)

4. I hope you are with me 
(“The Love That We Have Been”)

5. I watch the sunrise 
(“When You Share a Small Town”)

6. It is, all of it, a condensing 
(Issue 9 Editor’s Note)

Header photograph by Holly Pelesky
Header artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson

Feeling brave? Explore the cobwebbed corners of this word search for some of the spookiest and most haunting words from this issue.

Header photograph by Linds Sanders
Header artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson

Fill in the gaps! Explore the spaces between by dropping your own words into this story that combines sentences from every piece in this issue.

Header photograph by Jen Ippensen
Header artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson

Still searching for something? Find important words from this issue (maybe even find yourself) in this word search.

Header photograph by Linds Sanders
Header artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson

After you’ve explored the issue, sip some tea, grab a blanket, and cozy up to this crossword.

Header photograph and artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson

Explore the issue in a new way. Make choices to discover something about yourself or at least which piece to read next.

Header photograph and artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson

This ain’t your daddy’s Cosmo quiz. Explore your relationship, whatever form it takes: with yourself, a friend, a partner, a family member. Then read a story. Take the quiz again.

Header photograph and artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson