Normal crossings (NC) divisors and configurations have long played a central role in algebraic geometry. For example, they appear in A-side of mirror symmetry.

I will first introduce symplectic (topological) notions of NC divisors and configurations, which generalize the notion of NC in algebraic geometry. We show that symplectic NC divisors/configurations are morally equivalent to almost Kahler NC divisors/configurations. This equivalence gives rise to a multifold version of Gompf's symplectic sum construction and related smoothing of NC configurations which fit naturally with some aspects of the Gross-Siebert program for a direct proof of mirror symmetry.

This is a joint work with Mark McLean and Aleksey Zinger.