It is the nostalgia of our childhood, the unseen spaces between our bedrooms and our mothers’ kitchens, the highways and the garages where our uncles used to repair cars. We were persuaded by these memories, the homes and the milieu of the spaces our generations inhabited not so much in the past but still do deep within us. In thinking about these spaces, we selected work with seriousness and tenderness, both beautiful and ugly, troubling and joyous, work that expands, delineates, and shows the complexities of our origins.  

What we have in this issue is a wide variety of voices and experiences that do not shy away from such complexities, nor gloss over the flaws of our forebearers. There is content which discusses racism and racist stereotypes, but within a context of acknowledging the past and looking forward to a brighter future. If anything is particularly concerning or triggering to you, we welcome you to reach out not only to us, as we are a diverse group looking to learn, but also to your chosen families, community resources and those who know how to hold you best. 

As always, working on the HELD team is a joyous and generative experience that has lifted me up throughout the pandemic and created a space for me to connect to many communities local and international, through all the brilliant work we receive.
-- Jonathan

I’m so thrilled to join the HELD team. This issue is at turns moving, dynamic, challenging, and truly moving.
-- Emily

This issue is full of strength, courage and secrets passed down from one generation to another. Thank you to all the contributors who trusted us with their stories. 
-- Evren 

This issue of HELD magazine—Generations—is the coming together of stories, poems, and visual art that blur the boundaries of borders and oceans, by being fiercely personal. A sublime collection of works by writers and artists from around the world. It tells a story of inheritance. Of love. Of pain. Of problematic history. I am proud to have been part of the editorial team of this labour of love. 
-- Deepa

This issue of Held arrives after a long period of separation, anxiety and loss of touch. It’s such a gift to connect with all these artists after so long apart, and for all of them to hold us, together.
--Hannah 

Luminous and penetrating language that reminds us we never forget.Thank you for the love. Thank you for sharing.
--Jedidiah

This year of isolation has given us space and time to focus on close knit connections and long practiced traditions. We hope in Generations that we can share the reflections from the past year and hold space for each other.
--Alicia

Joining HELD and being able to bring this online issue, Generations, to fruition has been a privilege. Thank you to all of our artists and writers for sharing your incredible work with us!
--Chelsea 

What I love about this issue is the generational feeling that winds through each work, it’s a lovely collision of memory and metaphor and the way we are formed by the things that came before us.
--Kate

It’s been a pleasure to join HELD and contribute to Generations, an issue imbued with the insights, passions, and connections of so many. 
--Mackenzie

In these tumultuous days, these unprecedented days of such distance and returning to time together, this issue of HELD Magazine offers moments with those who show how to "sing yourself long enough to become paradise" (thank you, Tim Fab-Eme), moments with a grandmother who "brought along / utterances that smelled of / its moist earth" (thank you,  Bhaswati Ghosh), moments that show "the volume still has enough room for stories" (thank you, Saheed Akeem Abolaji), along with many other moments. So very much appreciation to all the contributors and to the readers. 
-- Anna

Generations is a multifaceted retrace of the roots from which we spring from. It is my hope that we gain meaningful insights from this foundational odyssey. 
--Blessing

Welcome to Generations,
The HELD Editorial Team