9-month résumé gap, advice? - what worked for you?

I have been out of work for 9 months and worry about the gap. Any experience at all would help. I am not sure how much to explain. How did you handle it on your résumé?

I listed the volunteering and course under the same dates and kept the explanation to a sentence in the cover letter.

Keep your skills fresh and mention anything recent. It shows momentum.