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.
Sylvi Stein
Sylvi Stein is a senior in New York, NY and a lover of poetry, prose, art, photography, the ocean, sunsets and the moon. Her biggest pet peeve is when someone judges a book by its cover or its width. Sylvi considers herself a writer because, plain and simple, she loves writing (and reading). If she were a superhero, she would love to be able to fly, but mind-reading would probably be more practical.
Nan Bauer-Maglin
For 27 years Nan worked at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, teaching developmental writing, composition, and women’s literature. She then became Academic Director of the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies for nine years. After retiring, she was part-time Director of Special Projects at John Jay College and consultant for the City University of New York and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation documenting the development of The Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, CUNY. She volunteers at The Whitney Museum, and has edited or coedited seven books. Her family consists of four children and 12 grandchildren.
