How many people will we meet in our lives? How many will we remember? These moments of connection, the shining instants that define our lives, cannot be created - they can only be encountered. The vivid illustrations and vignettes of Encounters focus on the connections we create when we encounter each other and the ways that these connections change us. Some encounters are like ships passing in the night; some have already become habitual and unremarkable; and some incite profound outpourings of our deepest hearts. Whether brief or long, deep or shallow, these encounters are constantly causing chain reactions that permeate our lives.

These vignettes follow the memories and musings of the author, weaving them into a vivid tapestry that serves as a portrait of the countless lives that have touched her own. Each of these people represent different nations, cultures, skin colors, eras, motivations, and classes, and while their experiences and wisdom are unique, the empathy they share is the same. Through their encounters they witness and validate each others’ existence. As these stories move us, we glimpse a shadow of our own true selves.

In recent years, online platforms have filled our lives with superficial virtual encounters. Social media algorithms have driven wedges between people with differing ideas, making encounters with new perspectives even more rare and valuable. “Encounters” themselves are nothing new, but they deserve our constant reflection, especially during a moment that requires us to hide our faces from each other behind literal masks. This habitual distance has imbued the concept of an “encounter” with new layers of meaning.

During a pandemic, how must we re-imagine and reinvent our relationships? After the pandemic, how will people of all races and backgrounds face and embrace each other?

Encounters are composed of countless chance events, and “chance” may just be another word for “hope.”