These are poems I've written about what lockdown has been like -- some humor, some grief

Reflection about not being able to visit relatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a video of my personal experience of the Pandemic.

A community project that invites passers by to find a rock, take it home to paint, and bring it back as a contribution to a neighborhood rock garden. This is just one of many instances I've seen in which people are creating safe ways to connect with others. The result is actually a greater sense of community as we invent ways to reach out to each other during a crisis.

Description of someone who experienced having the COVID-19 illness.

My little hand-production company (custom hand painted fabrics for interiors)?agut down operations Match 18. Everyone was load off and I suddenly found myself working from home for the first time in 42 years. To keep us together spiritually I posted shots of our home activities, and it came to pass that masks took over., 3 of my work team of young people decided on their own individually to make masks at the very beginning of this. I thought quietly to myself, ho hum whatever. They taught me a lesson without meaning to. I sure as heck never thought I’d be caught dead in a mask - I had read the science back then, 4 weeks ago. It turns out, intuitively, they were on to something. Finally on April 16 so I put one on just to say - right on, next gen- you got this one! Just a tiny example of how the sweeping pandemic is blowing out all our preconceptions.

Description of someone's opinion of shutting down society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Description of grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boulevard American Bistro in Metairie hangs large signs outside the restaurant with words of encouragement, Sign reads exactly, "Six Feet Apart But Closer Than Ever!"

The post reads exactly, "Swamp and NOLA misses y'all!! We can't wait to see you again! #staysafe #nolalove #swamp #practicesocialdistancing."

Drago's restaurants in Metairie and Baton Rouge remain open for business while implementing safety procedures such as checking employees' temperatures.

The post reads, "Thank you newly elected State Representative Charles Henry for allowing us to serve the Governor and his staff at GOHSEP today," Photograph shows a table full of Drago's TO-Go boxes.

Drago's NOLA promotes a DIY charbroiled oyster kit for customers to practice social distancing, but still enjoy the restaurants' famous oysters.

Drago's restaurant in Metairie posts a thank you on Facebook to Peyton Manning. Manning donated 400 meals to the East Jefferson General Hospital.

Commander's Palace partners with the Krewe of Red Beans to provide meals for the Krewe's Feed the Frontline NOLA project.

Commander's Palace hosts a socially distanced wine and cheese tasting with Dan Davis. The restaurant charges patrons and hand delivers the food to each home.

I play volleyball at Fresno State in California and I received this in the mail from my athletics department. It is so cool to see them send out their love to every single one of their athletes during this time. The Fresno State Athletics Department cares about their athletes and it was a nice feeling to get this in the mail. They also gave us a shirt to remember this time for the rest of our lives. No dogs down but also go dogs!

The post reads exactly, "Every bit counts. Check out this video to learn what this wonderful organization is about. #feedthefrontlinenola" Attached to the post is a YouTube video.

Bailando por cabina de desinfección de COVID-19

Photograph of social distance markers in a market.

A homemade sign posted on the front lawn of a house on Whittemore Rd. In Sturbridge, Massachusetts. The message “6 - FEET” is stenciled in the center with a face mask and glove on either side.

I have been working on this image for a while. There was an idea of a plague cemetery, somewhere in what I was trying to resolve, and it feels right to send this to the project.

The photograph shows my family interacting but separated by adhering to the need for social distancing.

NBC15

OK- disclaimer- my husband does not play golf.....However, I know that many of our friends who do are chomping at the bit to get back to their games. I couldn't resist setting up this shot on a recent hike in Mueller State Park. As you can see, the "golf ball" is a beautifully formed pine cone........and the club - a hiking pole. Also notice "Bacon Rock" as the perfect backdrop.

China has been caught now in two major lies. The first early on lying about the numbers that debatably made it a global pandemic and not they are being caught in yet another lie surrounding the death rates and total infection.

Even in times of a pandemic, there are places in our country where the trees outnumber the people and snow in April feels like it is washing away the plague... We were the only people on this narrow trail in Mueller State Park CO where in some spots the snow was knee high.

The Howlin' Wolf, Culture Aid NOLA, and New Orleans Musicians' Clinic provide free meals to musicians who are unable to work during COVID-19.

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the organizer of Jazz Fest, creates a fund to financially support local musicians who have lost income due to COVID-19.

Jazz Fest, the largest music festival in New Orleans, canceled due to the pandemic.

New Orleans Musicians Clinic and Assistance Foundation sent this letter to its supporters at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in New Orleans, LA. New Orleans Musicians Clinic and Assistance Foundation's patient population primarily consists of gigging musicians and performers - an already at-risk population especially affected by the situation the pandemic presents.

The door of Snug Harbor, a music venue on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans, LA, is hung with a black mourning wreath to mark the death of Ellis Marsalis, beloved pianist and music educator. Maralis passed away due to complications from COVID-19. The paper under the wreath makes reference to the coronavirus.

The COVID-19 virus has necessitated the closure of Preservation Hall and all music venues in New Orleans for the foreseeable future. Due to these cancellations, our musical collective faces an unprecedented challenge without work, with the growing health risk in New Orleans and indefinite economic uncertainties for all musicians and those tied to the tourism and entertainment industries. To address these challenges, the Preservation Hall Foundation has launched the Legacy Program Emergency Relief Fund to assist our musical collective affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. The Legacy Program Emergency Fund assists the 61 musicians to be used towards medical expenses, lodging, food, and other vital living expenses due to illness or loss of work. While we hope the health risk is short term, the economic impact will have lasting repercussions. Today, we are marshaling all of our resources towards caring for our musical collective and helping them weather this crisis. It's vital that we get resources into their hands immediately in order to meet their critical needs. The mission of the Preservation Hall Foundation is to protect, preserve and perpetuate New Orleans music. None of that would be possible without our cherished collective of musicians who play, teach, create, compose, entertain and enrich our lives on a daily basis. Jazz musicians are experts at improvising. We'll get through this with your help. Please join us in helping our musical collective and ensuring the protection of our vital culture in New Orleans.

My husband and I are fortunate enough to live near the beautiful and uncrowded (except during "leaf peeping" season) Mueller State Park. In ordinary times most hikers are very thoughtful and move to the side on narrow trails to let others get by. I was pleasantly surprised that this courtesy was extended to placement of parked cars!! (not sure why the map won't show Divide so I'm entering the closest town Woodland Park)

My husband and I are fortunate enough to live near the beautiful uncrowded Mueller State Park in Divide Colorado. In ordinary times other hikers are usually very polite about moving off the narrow trials to allow others to pass, but I was impressed by how careful people are now even about leaving space between cars. We can get out of the house, enjoy the fresh air and scenery and not worry about close contact with others.

Personal Journal of Coronavirus, starting March 22

ESPN article regarding sports in Belarus

This is a tweet by the United States State Department Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, attributed to its Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Alice Wells. This tweet is an example of digital diplomacy and practical geopolitics. According to Jason Dittmer and Daniel Bos digital diplomacy refers to diplomatic outreach through social media by policy makers and government officials; practical geopolitics is the discourse associated with politicians and policy makers. The tweet also touches on how the international system is divided into nation-states, yet many fail to govern effectively and there are bad actors that take on responsibilities of the state. Furthermore, in a world of social distancing and limited human interaction digital diplomacy is sure to gain more prominence. During this pandemic, we should all be more acutely aware of how geopolitics is playing out through virtual mediums. There are few interesting elements to this tweet. First of all, the state department rarely ever praises the Taliban for anything. Important context for this praise is the recent peace initiative of the United States for the Taliban and the Afghan government. The recent peace deal brokered by the United States between the Taliban and Afghan Government is incredibly fragile. This context likely informed the State Department’s decision to praise the Taliban. However, the State Department should be prioritizing working with the Afghan government, not the Taliban. Second, this statement of praise for the Taliban acknowledges a great extent of agency and power by the Taliban and the limitations of the Afghan government. The Taliban is a bad non-state actor, but this tweet acknowledges their capacity to provide leadership and services of a state. COVID-19 has created another stage where the Taliban can compete against the Afghan government, and so far the Taliban has responded to this crisis more effectively. Finally, this tweet undermines the popular discourse of COVID-19 versus nation-states. For the most part, responses to COVID-19 are examined on a national level. The prevailing discourse on COVID-19 responses is about the effectiveness of a certain nation-state’s response to the virus. However, this tweet brings up the fact that many governments and nation-states around the world fail in effective governance and that this leaves openings for non-state actors to take on responsibilities of a state. COVID-19 is testing the limits of nation-states’ power and effectiveness and in many places any shortcomings may be corrected by non-state actors (even if they are bad actors). What remains to be seen is if increased constructive interaction between bad non-state actors and the citizens of nation-states leads to an increase in future positive interactions, or if this phenomenon is exclusive to the COVID-19 crisis.

Created during quarantine, the object sheds light on the social uses of crafts — and the meanings of girls’ play — to manage anxieties about the threat that the virus poses to ill protected health professionals. She is wearing a vintage Ginny Doll uniform but the mask belongs to a Ken doll.

there's a lot of uncertainty floating around it feels like life has come to a standstill a bundle of feelings sits in your stomach, feelings you can't seem to digest. our busy lives and the activities we used to fill them with have seemed to disappear. one by one, we roll to a stop. in times like these, we must remember to take care of ourselves. to protect and shield what we care about, and take time to focus on our own well-being. but it's just as important to care for each other to be considerate and kind with your words, to show compassion with your actions to be a little human every once in a while. it all seems like a cliché or a fifty-cent apocalyptic movie, but this is what where we are in the moment and so we must adapt.

When we were first getting word on the Corona virus and it spreading, nobody could imagine a country shut down. As reports of toilet paper hoarding, of all things, went viral, I, as a clear head, was telling people not to panic, not to give in to the fear. My work told us to work from home and so I started March 17th, 2020 working from home. The isolation is incredible. Your co-workers are gone, your book clubs, religious gatherings, meeting neighbors for coffee, mom's groups are suddenly all gone, in a blink of an eye. It is just you and your laptop. So after a few days of isolation, I decided to walk to my neigborhood grocery store for a few things. I walk in and at first everything seems normal. Then I saw the canned and bagged goods aisle, totally empty!! empty, shelves, and shelves and shelves - empty. That deep reaction is fear and panic. I had to really stop myself from panicking. As I walked around, other shelves of paper goods were all empty. Scary! I went over to the fruit and veggie aisles and those were full, which calmed me a bit. Everyone was keeping their distance checking out, so that kept me calm, too. But seeing those empty shelves really got to me because those are something you never see! This is week 4 of tele-working. I go for my daily walks, avoiding people. I pick up fast food or restaurant food or have them delivered, I visit my grocery store once a week or so. But yeah, the isolation is total.

Experimenting with filters to take images of the supermoon rising over the McDowells. I am colossally bored and find distraction in nature.

"Signs From Around: #1, Harlem, NY" is part of a series exploring the signage surrounding COVID-19 from different parts of the world. A neighbor makes it very clear that visitors are not to enter their apartment and in two languages just in case!

This series documents the treatment of vital workers

Palm Sunday, normally a high point in the social life of our church, was celebrated remotely. Palms were left outside the church to be collected by parishioners.

Latex gloves began showing up everywhere on walks.

These masks, once common in construction sites, became the standard for daily outings.

Curbside pickups became the standard in the suburbs.

Latex gloves starting appearing everywhere.

100 gecs are announcing a Minecraft music festival, because of course they are. The extremely online weirdo-pop duo of Dylan Brady and Laura Les played their first-ever show on Minecraft early last year, and now that all live music is cancelled and people like American Football are headlining virtual concerts in Minecraft, 100 gecs have decided to host a video game fest of their own. Their music festival, Square Garden, is a benefit to raise money for Feeding America. 100 gecs and Charli XCX are co-headlining, and the lineup also includes other collaborators and kindred spirits like Kero Kero Bonito, A.G. Cook, GFOTY, Cashmere Cat, Benny Blanco, Danny L Harle, Dorian Electra, Alice Longyu Gao, Count Baldor, Umru, Tommy Cash, 99Jakes, Alice Gas, Gupi, Fraxiom, and Parry Gripp.