Recognizable Vessels: A Note from the Editors of Psychoanalytic Perspectives on its 20th Anniversary

On the 20th anniversary of Psychoanalytic Perspectives, Rachel Altstein and Karen Perlman, as Co-Editors-in-Chief, look back to the very first published issues of their journal to find the early seeds of its philosophy and mission that remain at the heart of the current iteration of the publication. They introduce new features that retain the ideology of the old, specifically that of giving voice to analytic writers from the sidelines of psychoanalytic publishing who are not on the traditional roster of frequently published writers. Another new feature, “Second Look,” pairs a current writer with a classic paper for a contemporary rereading, imagining a dialogue across time. The three unique sections of Perspectives that privilege creative writing, memoir, and interview are described, lauded, and committed to anew. Reflecting on what it means to edit, and what it means to edit psychoanalytic papers specifically, Altstein and Perlman also think about the priority of preserving voice and the notion of refraction in the process of an editorial interaction with texts.