Episode #63: How the Pandemic Might Change Us
Welcome back to another great episode with the Book Friends Forever! On today’s episode, Grace and Alvina are talking about what are some of the ways the pandemic has changed them for better or worse, and perhaps permanently. This is a popular topic of discussion these days as quarantine fatigue has set in and people are looking at a new way of life from here on out. As usual, the book friends catch up on each other’s lives, find out how they’re coping with the pandemic, and express what they’re grateful for.
“So, how have you been?”
Alvina states that she has been “pandemic fine” and is hanging in there with plenty of emails and editing work that needs to be done. She still has her jigsaw puzzles, Pringles, and regular zoom dates with friends to keep her happy during this unusual time. Unfortunately, at the time of this episode recording, Alvina had just learned of the death of Carolyn Reidy, president and CEO of the American publishing company Simon & Schuster. She died of heart attack on May 12th, 2020.
Alvina and Grace talked about how deaths during the pandemic are the quieter traumatic events happening inside the big trauma. There are so many deaths and people are dying alone because they can’t have loved ones by their sides. It’s hard to think about people losing their loved ones and not being able to have any closure.
Grace has been really busy, so busy that she was even trying to get out of doing this podcast and suggesting a week off! However, as a podcast listener herself, she knows how bummed she feels when those podcasts take a week off and they don’t have a new episode. It also makes her ultimately feel good to do the episode, connect with Alvina, and share with their listeners. On the home front, she is now taking the morning shift of homeschool and then can do her own work in the afternoon which she prefers. The morning shift was hard because she would things rolling only to be caught off mid-day. She’s still finding it really hard to do all the business-y things and also find time for creative work.
How will the pandemic change us?
The main thing that has changed and will change for Grace is that she is no longer traveling for school visits and book events. Although it’s a burden financially and she may have to find other ways of streaming income, she believes that staying home is a good thing. There may be (especially when school starts back up) more opportunities to work on writing and creating at home. She is thinking perhaps it’s time to let go of trying to be a better speaker and focus more on the creative work. This reminds her of the Kids Ask Authors podcast when she had Christopher Myers on as a guest and they answered the question:
What one thing would you give up to be a better writer or artist?
Christopher said he’d give up sleep. Grace is thinking now that she might give up public speaking in order to be a better writer and illustrator.
There are a few new things that will change Alvina from the pandemic. Her hair has always been short but she’s thinking it might be time to just let it grow out again. She’ll probably continue jigsaw puzzles, become more of a plant person, (pre-pandemic, she was never home enough to take care of them properly), and staying healthy by not eating out as much! The Book Friends talk about being introverted and extroverted and how that can ebb and flow through different phases of their life. As an extrovert before social-distancing, the hardest change for Alvina in the time of Covid is the lack of social activity and travel. Some people may become too fearful to start traveling again when this is all over, but she feels the opposite way. She can’t wait to have trips to look forward to again, and not just personal vacations but even to book events and work trips.
What are we grateful for?
Grace is grateful that they recorded this episode, that she got to see daffodils bloom! She’s happy she’s not traveling so much and she can witness the beauty of Spring coming alive. She is grateful that she finally finished the duck novel that she’s been working on with her daughter!
Alvina is grateful that all of her friends and family are safe and healthy.
2-Minute Book Review with Alison Morris
The Great Indoors by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Ruth Chan.
Has the novelty of spending so much time at home warn off for you? If so then you may relate to the woodland creatures in The Great Indoors, a delightfully comic picture book written by Julie Falatko and illustrated by Ruth Chan.”
Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.
