Miss Rona & Me
By Annemarie Alms
Now in quarantine, it’s helpful to look back and relive our past, carefree ways of life. And, perhaps, to explore the lives of others. This little podcast offers a window into my life before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It describes a scene—a moment of walking downtown, exploring how the past and present intersect in New York. Because it’s such a small thing, the description has an engaging goal, unlike anything I’ve ever drafted before.
Process
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.
Meet the Pair
MENTEE ANNEMARIE ALMS & MENTOR KATE NAPOLITANO
Annemarie’s Anecdote: Who would I be had I not met Kate? I wouldn’t know who Kathleen Hanna is or what postmodernism really entails or how much caffeine a person can physically consume over the course of twenty-four hours. I probably still would’ve been as shy and indecisive as I was two years ago. But meeting with Kate every week (the highlight of every week, I should note!) has molded my confidence into a visible thing. Because that’s exactly what Kate exudes: confidence. Like, learning-how-to-skateboard-in-her-late-twenties confident. Wearing-unbelievably-awesome-furry-coats confident. Rebel-girl confident. She continues to amaze and empower me at every turn!
Kate’s Anecdote: When I first met Annemarie in 2018, I knew I had encountered a special person: She was smart and observant and kind and had a subtly subversive sense of humor that always managed to surprise me. I’ve watched her writing flourish over the past two years, both in prose and poetry, and her enduring curiosity has served only to strengthen these skills. Annemarie’s anthology piece is indicative of the way in which she has continually pushed her creative limits and is a testament to her imaginative point of view. I’m so proud of her and can’t wait to see what she does in college and beyond!
Annemarie Alms
Annemarie Alms is a class of 2020 Girls Write Now mentee based in New York, NY.
