Join Us! A Conversation on Writing through COVID

Back in March, my daughter Molly and I were among the first Jersey City residents infected with COVID. While Molly recovered in three weeks, as you likely already know I am a long-hauler, still struggling with post-COVID syndrome months later. Yet throughout my illness, I have chronicled my experience both publicly and privately. I have been writing, nearly every day, from a poem a day through the month of April when I was at my sickest, to personal essays published in HuffPost and USA Today, and more.

Join me for a live conversation on Writing through COVID with interviewer Jayne Freeman on Thursday, Nov 5 at 8pm EST. This event is sponsored by the NJCU Center for the Arts and will stream live on Zoom. Please register here for the November 5 event; registered attendees will receive the Zoom link by email the day of the event. (Note that we will also stream this event live on Facebook, so simply pick your preferred format!)

Jayne and I had an initial short conversation about my COVID work during last month's Jersey City Art & Studio Tour, and we immediately knew we needed to follow up with this longer event. On Thursday, I will share a poem or two, talk with Jayne about my October 14 Op-Ed in USA Today on President Trump's response to his illness and the politicalization of the virus, and reflect on why and how I chose to record my experience with COVID. We will field questions from you as well!

Before I sign off, I will leave you with a poem published last week in Clementine Unbound.

An Abundance

This winter spring summer has been a long haul of suffering and silence, of sickbed days on repeat,

with life pared down to its essence, my attention honed on the fragile act of breathing in, then out, for four beats,

in, out, speaking, cooking, bathing hefty efforts to be weighed each day, any one jettisoned for the other.

Yet amid the scarcity, an abundance has flowed to my small and quiet place within this solitary house of quarantine.

I hope you can join us online on Thursday!

Ann