BY JOANNA C. VALENTE

We could all stand to surround ourselves with love more. There's really no better time to foster the relationships with the people around you than during times of strife and turmoil, both personal and political (and isn't the political always personal?). To get you in the mood, here's a playlist full of some of the best love songs around. Who doesn't love some Chet Baker and Fats Domino?

Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (2016, ELJ Publications), & Xenos (2016, Agape Editions). They received their MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine and CCM. Some of their writing has appeared in Prelude, The Atlas Review, The Feminist Wire, BUST, Pouch, and elsewhere. They also teach workshops at Brooklyn Poets.