When coronavirus started closing down New England in March 2020, life changed dramatically. People quickly rethought their approaches to work, school, shopping, socializing and more. In response, Lily Poetry Press created an anthology, Voices Amidst the Virus, edited by Eileen Cleary and Christine Jones, which features poems by Kevin Prufer, Annie Finch, Daniel Summerhill, Dzvinia Orlowsky, Anne-Marie Oomen, Sean Thomas Dougherty, and many others that explores our shared experiences of isolation, lock-down, re-entry. In this panel discussion, the editors and two poets from the collection will talk about the inspiration behind the project as well as their experiences writing through the pandemic. They will read a selection of poems that confront despair and reach for hope. And there will be sourdough! During the interactive session, the audience will be invited to share their own Covid-19 stories and poems.

Participating CCW community members:

• Steven Cramer (Poetry, MFA Writing Faculty)
• Eileen Cleary (Poetry, June 2016)
• Christine Jones (Poetry, January 2014)