In partnership with Writers Read Concordia, “COVID Writing Rooms” highlights the writing spaces and practices of artists during the early days of the pandemic.
Q: How does your current set-up differ from pre-Covid?
A: I recently moved, so my living/writing situation has changed in a way that loosely maps onto the pandemic’s waves. When the first lockdown was announced back in March, I lived with roommates. Now I live alone. My current set-up differs from a pre-Covid set-up in that my pre-Covid set-up was better suited to long stretches of time spent outside the house.
Q: How has this space shaped your writing routine and ritual?
A: I haven’t lived or worked in this space for very long, so it remains to be seen. Having the time and space to write has been a goal of mine for years, and it’s bittersweet, (and, if I’m being honest, a bit icky feeling) to have reached that goal in the context of the pandemic. You know what they say: be careful what you wish for.
Q: What are you missing?
A: I miss the unexpected. Chance encounters, a meandering afternoon hangout that somehow turns into dinner, drinks, and then a night out. I know all those things will resume in time, so I’m leaning into the stability of a routine for now.
Q: How are you finding joy in the current moment?A: I take solace in small indulgences: reading in the bath; spending hours crafting the perfect playlist; The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. A sustained writing practice relies on a delicate balance of finding joy with others and finding joy alone, so writers might be uniquely positioned to adapt to the current moment.
