The most beautiful thing about HLT is that it’s a multitude of things.  Everyone makes it what it is. Oh, obviously, HLT had to have its creator and deus ex machina, Mario (Rinvolucri), it’s had a valiant captain at its steering wheel for many years now, Hania (Kryszewska), and Jim (Wright) steadfast in its support.  

But the fact remains that HLT is a rich tapestry of voices singing from all corners of the world, voices woven into a choir that is as multifarious as it is harmonious. An example? The latest edition profiles contributors from as many as 15 countries, from Canada to Japan, from South-Korea to Argentina, from Serbia to Malaysia. What an extraordinary palette of colors, surely something for everyone. So, thank you, HLT, for showcasing the diversity that reigns in our field. No puny detail, this, if one considers that this society subjects diversity to a constant withering attack, increasingly fustigating the ‘other’ (as if the ‘other’ weren’t a variation of who we are).

The second most beautiful thing is that the magazine is extremely useful: not only because it provides us readers with plenty good food for rumination, activities to experiment with in class, points of view to discuss, and suchlikes. It’s useful mainly because it gives us a sense of ‘palpable belonging’, a sense of collective efficacy.

If I had to come up with a motto for HLT (not that it needs one, mind you), I would say, paraphrasing Hoffmann: We’ve heard the scholars, now let’s hear the teachers. For me, providing a sense of community is what HLT has all been about.

As a teacher, and  (occasional) contributor, I am truly thankful to have been a part of this community. So, Happy 20^th, HLTmag, here’s to decades of success!