We’re back! Just a heads up, tissues are highly encouraged while listening to this episode. In this episode of Missed Connections, Lizzy presents a story to Beth that has crying at kindergarten drop off, the unconditional love of a grandparent, and a loss that changes everything. It’s a missed connection. Lizzy and Beth bring in Eman Abdelhadi to talk about the experience of grief and loss and, of course, how connection with ourselves and others fits into that experience. Eman Abdelhadi is an academic, activist and writer who thinks at the intersection of gender, sexuality, religion, and politics. She is an assistant professor and sociologist at the University of Chicago, where she researches American Muslim communities. She is co-author of "Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052-2072," a sci-fi novel published in 2022 with Common Notions Press. Her academic work has been published in numerous sociology journals and covered by press outlets such as the Washington Post, Associated Press, and NPR. Her public writing has appeared in In These Times, Jacobin, Truthout and other outlets. She is based in Chicago, where she is also a community organizer with the Salon Kawakib Collective, Faculty for Justice in Palestine and other formations. Be sure to follow Eman on Instagram @eabdelhadi and on X @emanabdelhadi. You can read the short story we referenced in our conversation here. Missed Connections is produced by the Elizabeths. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Have a Missed Connections story to share with us? Email us at elizabeths@missedconnectionspod.com. To keep up to date on all things Missed Connections follow us @missedconnectionspodcast on Instagram and TikTok. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices