In this alternate reality of COVID-19 and sheltering in place, I’m thankful that I still get to do the work I love, and I’m thankful for the ways I’ve been able to connect with my students over poetry and writing online.

When we rebooted our classes online last week, I greeted my Creative Writing: Poetry students on Zoom in my Waldo costume from a past Halloween, and I loved seeing people laugh when they arrived and I told them, “You found me!” 😀

Then last Wednesday, my lit mag workshop students were supposed to hold this semester’s major event: the Driftwood awards party, which usually means lots of pizza and creative readings, performances, and displays in our school’s rec room. The editors quickly shifted plans, and we instead hosted a Driftwood celebration on Zoom, open mic style, and it turned out to be such a fun night. 

On Saturday, I had planned to host a new “event” that I call Writers Gonna Write (a silent 3-hour writing time for students, alumni, and colleagues) in our department lounge, so I held this on Zoom instead. We did indeed keep each other in our seats writing for 3 hours, and it was wonderful to get to do our work in each other’s company.

I hope anyone reading this is also finding ways to be present with others via technology, snail mail, sidewalk chalk, or however else you can while we need to be physically distant. Love to you.

With all of the chaos, I’m late with sharing that the American Journal of Nursing’s managing editor, Amy M. Collins, wrote a beautiful blog post about my poem “Carrying” earlier this month. I’m so grateful for her attention and connection to my poem.

Here’s the beginning:

I never imagined that my book would be someone’s pandemic reading…

Please take good care of yourself and others. ❤️