Hi there, my name is Celine and I am a mother, foster carer, business owner and Pilates teacher. I live in Eastbourne, a seaside town on the South Coast of England but was born in France to an American mother and French father. I love writing and have done so since I learnt to write as a small child! During my teens I was an avid reader and wrote copious diary entries and poems recounting the struggles of adolescence. Writing is not only a creative process but can also be a therapeutic release and now is the perfect storm in which to write. This is perhaps how I came up with the idea for Covid Narratives!
Covid Narratives was set up from my kitchen table on Easter Sunday, 12th April 2020. In the midst of a family Easter Egg Hunt around our home, I chose the domain name, set up a website and Facebook page and got the ball rolling.
From the early days of the global health crisis which began in the latter part of 2019, I was acutely aware that we were about to enter one of the most unprecedented, extraordinary, life changing and frightening periods in our lifetimes. In just a few months, we have found ourselves in a world where millions of people are confined to their homes under lockdown rules and terms like 'social isolation', 'social distancing' and 'life in quarantine' are now considered to be perfectly normal.
Hugs are out - social distancing is in!
Life as we know it has been completely turned upside down to the point where our previous lives are almost unrecognizable. In just a short space of time, businesses, schools, universities, restaurants, theatres and shops have closed, workers have been laid off, air travel has been suspended and international borders have closed, major sporting, music and entertainment events have been cancelled, families have been forced to separate themselves from loved ones, delivery drivers and shopkeepers have become key workers, world markets have tumbled, millions have found themselves jobless and at the time of writing, over 135,000 deaths and just over 2 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide.
We are in the midst of a global health outbreak that has never, in the history of the world, taken such precedence over the world and it is vital that we collect stories of this unique time.
Everybody has a story to tell - why not tell yours?
Covid Narratives is a writing project that aims to provide a live narrative of life in the time of covid-19. We aim to collect stories and poems from all around the world - stories of love, hope and survival - during the global health pandemic. Our goal is to document our collective experiences in written form.
This is an opportunity for you to tell your story in your own words. We want to hear from people from all walks of life - frontline workers, parents, teachers, refugees, business owners, creatives, delivery drivers, caregivers, children and teenagers! How has the world health crisis affected you? Has your experience been positive, scary, illuminating, stressful? Have you learnt anything about yourself from this time? Imagine yourself in 10 or 20 years time. What will you remember the most?
Want to submit your story?
If you would like to submit a story or poem, please send it to hello@covidnarratives.com
Have you noticed that the voices of children and young people during the world health crisis have, on the whole, remained unheard?
There are hundreds of daily news stories about the impact of the covid epidemic on health staff, the elderly, people who live alone and vulnerable people, such as the homeless, yet little attention has been given to the experiences of children and teenagers. Without a doubt, they are feeling the effects of this situation as much as everyone else. With so much fear and uncertainty around, it is bound to have a huge impact on children and young people not just now but in the future too. Covid has not only reshaped the present but also the future.
This project is all about self-expression! With this in mind, Covid Narratives also welcomes contributions from the younger generation. They can submit a story, a poem or even a piece of art such as a drawing or painting. This is open to all ages under the age of 18.
All submissions should be sent to hello@covidnarratives.com. We look forward to reading your story or admiring your drawings!
Copyright © 2020 Covid Narratives - All Rights Reserved.
Designed and edited by Celine Gucher