This special issue of Contrappasso - our ninth - follows on from our themed 'Noir' and 'Writers at the Movies' collections. The phrase 'Long Distance' touches on an idea and a sensation that most people will confront at some time. It has no absolute value (how long is a piece of string?) and can make itself felt anywhere, for foreseeable reasons or for no reason at all. What is certain is the depth of its emotional effect. Isolation, removal from origins or remoteness from destinations, desire for an absent person, estrangement from a person close by, memories of a bygone period, journeys in new places, escapes, thoughts of open space-there is no end to the ways in which we may realise the smallness of our presence in the world, or the enormity of the regions and experiences that separate where we are from where we have been, or wish to be. As transport and communications train us to believe the world is shrinking, and that the desire to be elsewhere or to find someone can be fulfilled in moments, reminders of its actual scale may become more valuable. Daunting as Long Distance may be, it does break us out of narrowness and suggest different, untested possibilities, keeping those that we do follow in proportion. Contains contributions from Susan Adams, Elizabeth Allen, Richard James Allen, Thalia Bisticas, John Bryson, Lesley Carnus, Claire Catacouzinos, Erica Cavanagh, Terrence Cheng, Margaret De Vaux, Joe Dolce, Andras Domahidy, Daniel East, Luke Fischer, Gao Xingjian, John Gallas, Irma Gold, Alison Gorman, Jamie Grant, Elias Greig, Alexandra Hollis, Huang Fan, John Hughes, Zeina Issa, Khalid Kaki J. Kates, Simeon Kronenberg, Fondas Ladis, Pam Laskin, Mabel Lee, Wan Phing Lim, Christina Lovin, Lu Ye, James Lucas, Tessa Lunney, Lucas Lyndes, Myron Lysenko, Baret Magarian, S. J. Mannion, David Mence, Travis McKenna, Gabriela Meiller, Valeria Meiller, Vincent Moleta, Anthony Molino, Marjon Mossammaparast, Eric Nicholson, Chris Oakey, Ben Oost, Geoff Page, Tony Page, Simon Patton, Philip Porter, Sarah Rice, Ariel Riveros Beatriz Sarlo, Alice Savona, Erin Martine Sessions, Kerrin P. Sharpe, Tatiana Shcherbina, Alex Skovron, Elizabeth Smither, Luigia Sorrentino, Michael Steven Gray Sutherland, Richard Tipping, Paolo Totaro, Luke Whitington, Les Wicks, Elizabeth Windsor, Fiona Yardley, Ouyang Yu."