Two perspectives on 2020, a year of change, growth, tragedy, and conflict.
Me In The Eyes of 2020
Pandemic Perspectives
Art in the Age of COVID
In times of crisis, we find ourselves turning to art and writing to help make sense of the world around us—to remind us that there is always hope, that words help bridge the gaps of isolation, and that we are never alone.
Throughout the pandemic, our community has come together in astounding ways to support each other, celebrate the work we have created and imagine the world we want to embrace when we do finally venture back to normal. As a community, we felt inspired to chronicle this strange and uncertain time through what we do best: writing. —Spencer George
Silent Neighborhoods Across New York
A poem about our two neighborhoods in New York and our experiences inhabiting the city in our own particular lenses.
Christmas in the City
I was inspired to write this piece in December 2020 when I was absorbing the Christmas spirit in a shut-down New York City.
Again
I wrote this piece on 2020: the events that occurred then, and how it might affect people in the future. I encourage everyone to look forward—be strong, be brave, and stay safe.
High School Students Across the Country Start Projects During Quarantine
The article centers on five high school students in the US who are pursuing their hobbies to create projects that are bringing people around the world together during the pandemic.
Stages of Isolation
This co-written poem reflects our journaled memories of the year 2020, as well as our conversations with each other about our lives in lockdown.
2020
We decided to each write a poem about 2020 to highlight the fact that we’re two different people, coming from two different backgrounds, who shared the same year.
Four AM
It was difficult for me to adjust to the beginning phase of quarantine. This poem expresses how I felt about myself during this quarantine journey.
Surviving not Living
As quarantine started in early March, everyone was told to get adjusted to a bizarre lifestyle. Something new, something different to all of us. In this poem, I have expressed how I felt as I was getting adjusted to this new lifestyle.
Fourteen Days
This is a collection of haikus written between January 10 and January 23 that captures our combined experiences.
I Love It When…
A pandemic-era reflection on the things that bring us joy—things we may have taken for granted because we thought they would always be there. The little things seem much bigger now.
A Passenger’s Library
An exploration of ghostly subway rides during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Audio Diaries: April 7, 2020-November 7, 2020
Since we could no longer meet face-to-face due to the New York Covid-19 lockdown, we decided to communicate by audio diary.
Falling into the Disease’s Arms
This piece is about a fictional outbreak in 2005 without the usage of smartphones and social media, and speaks about how diseases separate families. I was inspired by the coronavirus outbreak happening now in 2020.
Miss Rona & Me
In quarantine, my mind can’t help but gravitate back toward life outside: when I was undeniably happy. I pick out these little moments, and then I remember everything going on inside my head then. What I was feeling, and exactly why I was really happy. In this instance, I remembered a walk I took after school one day, past Trinity Church on a crowded street. This collision between a colonial past and the skyscrapers towering above me was exciting, so I wrote a little something about that feeling. Then I spoke, giving new life to these words.