Audio Diaries: April 7, 2020-November 7, 2020 

By Sylvi Stein and Nan Bauer-Maglin

After attending a Girls Write Now workshop on audio diaries, because we could no longer meet face-to-face due to the New York Covid -19 lockdown, we decided to communicate by audio diary. We began recording during the early days of the lockdown (April 7) and ended with the election of Biden (November 7). 

April 7, 2:07 minutes (Nan)

Early weeks of the quarantine; food concerns; using phone and Zoom to stay in touch

April 8, 3:41 minutes (Nan)

Reading from Weather by Jenny Offill re: climate change. 

April 15, 5:03 minutes (Sylvi)

Books we’ve been reading; hopes and fears for the pandemic; the SAT and the summer

April 15, 3:01 minutes (Nan)

Description of shopping and safe procedures (like hunting and gathering)

April 17, 5:12 minutes (Nan)

About the demonstrators who are against masks; three nice things: buying flowers, MOMA online, Dom thinks machines are animate

May 7, 3:41 minutes (Sylvi)

The full moon; new hobbies; summer plans; songs and bands

May 27, 4:17 minutes (Sylvi)

End of the school year; more about bands, and about favorite lyrics; poetry in music

June 15, 2:57 minutes (Sylvi)

Summer plans; looking forward to senior year; college applications

October 27, 4:00 minutes (Nan)

Election approaching and winter coming (goodbye to friends) 

October 28, 5:09 minutes (Sylvi)

“A time of great darkness”; coming of age in a pandemic; traditions and changing times; going to college and growing up; politics and climate change

November 7, 1:54 minutes (Nan)

Hope because of Biden and Harris

November 7, 4:16 (Sylvi)

Election results, last audio diary, “the end of something”; the city’s reaction

Process

As mentor and mentee, Nan and Sylvi sent audio diaries back and forth chronicling our emotions and feelings about day-to-day life under the pandemic. The audio diaries were then compiled in chronological order and summarized.