The Art of Touch: A Collection of Prose and Poetry from the Pandemic and Beyond

In The Art of Touch: Prose and Poetry from the Pandemic and Beyond, the unique voices of 39 of some of the most creative thinkers of our times have been brought together to consider the impact of one of our six main senses: touch. Psychologists, healers, massage therapists, academics, creative writers and others reflect on or tell personal stories about what it means to be able to touch, or to have to go without it—as so many did and still do because of the pandemic; how transmissions such as texting may impede opportunities for touch while those like Zoom may make it possible for people who otherwise might be left behind to be "in touch." From the experience of touching beloved animals, to the lifechanging ways in which books and performances can touch us, virtually all aspects of touch are acknowledged in these pages.