Dear readers,

We are delighted to present you the second MIRA Newsletter. We hope that you all enjoyed a pleasant, restful summer (although we all know well that summers are made for catching up on the research on hold during the teaching months) and are now ready to lose yourself in the contemplation of momiji to decompress from the usually busy autumn.

At MIRA, we have had a busy time since the first newsletter last spring. We were in Pontevedra (Spain) for the Mutual Images 7th Workshop co-organised with the University of Vigo and the dx5 research group and in Messina (Italy) for our 1st Summer School hosted by the University of Messina. We are now working hard, with a wide range of new and old partner institutions, to offer you several events in 2020 both in Europe and Japan. You will find in this newsletter more information about the next event that will be held in June 2020 at Ryukoku University (Kyoto, Japan). Information and CFP about other future events will be posted on the website when available and, of course, you’ll be able to read more about it in the next newsletter.

As we head towards the end of 2019, I am more than ever aware of the dedication of the amazing team of volunteers who made MIRA possible and grateful for their enthusiasm, hard work and companionship. Working in close relationship with people from many different places is an extraordinary chance both on the professional and personal level. Every event we organize allows me to meet wonderful new people, those who help organize at the hosting institution but also participants and audiences. We are all gathered for several days in a room bursting with thoughts and ideas. But abstract concepts are nothing without the people shaping them, they are less rich without discussion. We do our best to create events where everyone feels equally entitled to participate and present their research. We keep our events small so every participant gets a chance to talk with everybody. I have been personally involved in the organization of all the events since the creation of MIRA and got to meet and interact with a large number of people. The human connections were and remain one of the most important specificities of MIRA.

I also want to thank the editorial and scientific board members, the peer-reviewers and the proof-readers who help to make Mutual Images Journal possible. Their knowledge and time are greatly appreciated.

I wish you a pleasant reading and hope to see you at one of our future events !