QWF Writes

Tag: chroniclingthedays

  • Chronicling the Days – Aimee Louw

    Chronicling the Days – Aimee Louw

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Aimee Louw, writing in April 2020.

    Hill Seeker

    I’m that hill seeker in town

    You may have seen me dressed up for winter on top and summer on the bottom

    Or dressed for spring on top, with yellow gloves and winter boots, good to minus 30

    It’s all possible

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic

  • Chronicling the Days – Sivan Slapak

    Chronicling the Days – Sivan Slapak

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Sivan Slapak, writing on Monday, April 13, 2020.

    Photo: Creative Commons

    You’re fine. you’re still working and grateful. Safe in your apartment. You hear the jokes people are making about their living situations—how many will tramp to divorce lawyers after this, or the exhaustion of homeschooling. You, living alone, float through quiet, relieved and sullen.

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic

  • Chronicling the Days – Kate Henderson

    Chronicling the Days – Kate Henderson

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Kate Henderson, writing in March, 2020.

    Photo: Kate Henderson

    Connection in the Time of Covid.

    It’s the end of March in Montréal and there are an unexpected four inches of snow on the ground. I walk along the riverside before I start my work-from-home day. The birds are quiet, the current moves sluggishly, snow lines tree branches.

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic

  • Chronicling the Days – Rachel Berger

    Chronicling the Days – Rachel Berger

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Rachel Berger, writing on April 6 2020.

    Photo: Creative Commons

    When Night Falls.

    Tonight, I read a book. At 8pm my kids were tired and happy at the end of another day spent entirely in the company of their moms. Their moms, who never have time, suddenly have nothing but, and our 6 year old twins are relishing it. But they are also leery of this set-up, nostalgic for what they are starting to understand they might have lost: progress in the game they were playing at school, the unlikeliness of seeing their quirky friend (“he can’t remember my name so he calls me bro but I am not his brother!”), chess club on Thursdays. They want to know what the eff is going on. When will they go back to school? When will the moms stop being so available? We don’t know. We cadge their trust that everything is fine, we fail to offer anything satisfying. We put them to bed at 8 without fail.

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic

  • Chronicling the Days – Morgan Cohen

    Chronicling the Days – Morgan Cohen

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Morgan Cohen, writing in April 2020.

    Photo: Morgan Cohen

    Distressed.

    I stumble off the pebbled path. Avoiding the mud, I climb onto a large rock, my rustic Blundstones squeak and press into my shins. As I step up to get a closer look at her curious and fearful eyes, she hastily retreats backwards. Turning my head, I glance back at the herd for some encouragement ? Validation ? I am befuddled as they immediately avert their gaze. I sigh, understanding distrust. I lean my whole body against the wooden fence, stretching my arms out, laying them limp along the uneven surface.

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic

  • Chronicling the Days – Karin Turkington

    Chronicling the Days – Karin Turkington

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Karin Turkington, writing on Saturday, April 4, 2020.

    As an introvert, I’m managing quite well with all this alone time. I love the quiet.

    I listen to CBC radio, so I feel like I’m not really alone. Normally, I’d be woken up by the sound of car alarms and trucks bumbling down the street over pot holes. This quiet is a rare treat and I’m grateful for it. I can hear the birds singing and the occasional sound of children and families playing outside.

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic

  • Chronicling the Days – Josh Quirion

    Chronicling the Days – Josh Quirion

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Josh Quirion, writing on April 9, 2020.

    Photo: Josh Quirion

    Loafing.

    I belong to a blessed faction of the Canadian citizenry that remains employed.

    And what’s more, I have the luxury of completing my work remotely from the relative comfort of my one-bedroom apartment. Though I recognize that my circumstances might be more favorable than that of certain others, I cannot but shake my head small when I think of the seventh floor.

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic

  • Chronicling the Days – Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland

    Chronicling the Days – Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland, writing on April 10, 2020.

    Creative Commons: Qigong practice

    Late morning finds me sitting in my chair, coffee in hand, staring out the window and marveling at how, in four short weeks, our life has turned upside down.

    In early March, we were with our friends in Milles Isles, days away from signing the papers on what was to be the home in which we would end our years on this beautiful earth. Then COVID hit, our 2020 income went bye-bye, and with it, the dream for our home in the woods. Though this past few years has seen a sudden surge of interest in my husband’s music, and with it, the increase in income sufficient for us to have made this move, two nights ago his manager let us know not to expect income in any amount until May 2021. Like many senior artists, we don’t have big pensions or savings, so we have enough money to last through the summer. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, we have a place to stay for free until the state of emergency lifts, at which point we are looking at driving out of here with our cats and essentially what we can pack in our car.

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic

  • Chronicling the Days – Anita Anand

    Chronicling the Days – Anita Anand

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Anita Anand, writing on 11 April 2020.

    Photo: Smithsonian Magazine

    I’m alarmed by everything everyone else is alarmed by, but I don’t mind working from home, because: introversion. I don’t miss commuting, dealing with difficult people, the tangible, physical pressure of groups of students. Feeling blessed: my husband’s home too, and rescues me from techno-bugs when I teach on-line.

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic

  • Chronicling the Days – Didi Gorman

    In April 2020, we invited writers in Quebec to submit a story of a single day during the strange, uneasy time of coronavirus and pandemic, of social distancing and self isolation, of lockdown and quarantine.

    We’re thrilled to announce that these stories have been gathered in Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic (Guernica Press). To learn more and buy the book, please visit https://www.guernicaeditions.com/title/9781771836579.

    Please also join us on the QWF FB Community page, and let the authors know if their words resonated.

    This piece is by Didi Gorman, writing on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

    Trying to Work Here

    Is it morning yet? I open one eye and look at the clock. It’s 7:17 AM. Oh, well, I guess it’s time to get up. What day is it anyway?

    To read the rest of the story, please support our community and check out Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic