I look forward to my daily end of the day routine: cleanser followed by toner and moisturizer. It is in the five minutes before I go to bed that I take a hard look at my face. I take time to notice the creases, the black spot that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, the bags under my eyes. I scrub, pat dry, dab the serum sparingly, pat it into my face and wait for it to dry. I repeat the process with the moisturizer and, I take another hard look at my fresh face before turning the lights out. It is a recent ritual, this spot of self-care I have carved out for myself irrespective of how the rest of the day has gone past. It centers me. It reminds me to breathe. It helps me reclaim a slice of time to just be. Issue 1 came out last September. We, the team here at Litnamjooning sent it out with a wish and a prayer. I have come back to these words time and again over the past year to find solace in the calming pieces held in digital ether. Our contributors have since become our friends. I see their names in other publications and feel pride. I find joy in amplifying their voices. They are now part of our litnamjooning family. This year, we added fantastic people to our Masthead. Sumitra Singam and Jenny Wong bring with them a breadth of experience reading and curating exemplary pieces. Our meetings are chaotic in a lovely way. Our tastes are occasionally diametric. The reading and curating process is one we have enjoyed. As Issue 2 is set free into the world, we hope you relish these pieces as we have. Take it in small slices, savor them, and remember to share. In other news, our muse, Kim Namjoon with his BTS brothers is back from the Korean military where he was for over eighteen months. While we wait for their next album, us loyal fans enjoy glimpses into their lives through parasocial interactions. Hema and I trade short clips, photos, memes, and music videos. When we stumble on long form pieces centering art or music, we share it with notes. In a world that seems hell bent on wiping out entire populations, capitalist greed that seems to have bought out governments, it feels bleak. As creatives, we tend to dissociate and disappear into art. Sometimes, even that feels pointless. In those dark moments is when I repeat to myself that art is resistance. Joy is resistance. Carving out time to live without fear is resistance. Refusing to give into hopelessness is resistance. Writing is resistance. So, this issue like the one before it is our way of centering joy in whatever form we can. So, etch out that time for yourself, remember to breathe and, namjoon away. - Lakshmi Iyer