Play & Book Excerpts
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Young People of the Pandemic
(Independently Published)
© 2020 Nancy S. Nelson
Editor Nancy Nelson, M.S., ATR, is an art therapist who has had experience working with teens and young adults. When the pandemic hit, she realized that the Gen Zers would be highly impacted by the pandemic and that their voices needed to be heard.
"A primary goal in compiling this anthology was to present a wide spectrum of experiences and responses to the worldwide pandemic. Of equal importance was to obtain a glimpse into the writers’ internal lives while in the midst of external turmoil. The book contains work that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. There are amusing anecdotes, unusual poetic formats, as well as long stories. Submissions were chosen with an attempt to represent a literary and geographical variety.
While editing this book, I became increasingly confident that Gen Z will bring this country, and the world, into a better place. It is my hope that you, the reader, will also find inspiration in these pages." ~ Nancy Nelson
"A primary goal in compiling this anthology was to present a wide spectrum of experiences and responses to the worldwide pandemic. Of equal importance was to obtain a glimpse into the writers’ internal lives while in the midst of external turmoil. The book contains work that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. There are amusing anecdotes, unusual poetic formats, as well as long stories. Submissions were chosen with an attempt to represent a literary and geographical variety.
While editing this book, I became increasingly confident that Gen Z will bring this country, and the world, into a better place. It is my hope that you, the reader, will also find inspiration in these pages." ~ Nancy Nelson
Teddy Cooper, 13 (West Harrison, New York)
Submission 2: June 16, 2020
I know that at this point it may seem like a cliché, but I believe that during this quarantine everyone has learned something new. During this unique past school year of online learning, I was able to have a firsthand experience that even our teachers have as much to learn as us students. After one class of mine, where we had an independent assignment, I felt that I had not performed to the best of my abilities for the simple reason that I had more distractions accessible to me than ever before, which distracted me from my work that day. Since I felt that I could have done better, I decided to tell my teacher the truth, which was that I had been exposed to more distractions than at any given moment that I had faced during all of my time in school. The response that I received from that teacher was very different from what I had expected. Instead of shaming me for not being able to focus on my work, that teacher was able to take from my email that it was hard for children and adults alike to stay motivated during this difficult time. This teacher then told me that, based on my experience, she had learned to empathize with her students in the future, specifically during an unpredictable time. I learned from this experience both that what I say can impact how someone else views the world, as well as that I should always be sincere because it can end up being rewarding for me. This teacher’s response also allowed me to reflect on how just from being honest I may have been able to change another student’s experience in the future. Even though I had my doubts about telling my teacher the truth, in the end I can reflect on the decision and realize how my choice benefited me and others. I appreciate how my teacher reacted to my decision and I want people to know that she helped teach me a very powerful lesson.
~ ~ ~
Submission 2: June 16, 2020
I know that at this point it may seem like a cliché, but I believe that during this quarantine everyone has learned something new. During this unique past school year of online learning, I was able to have a firsthand experience that even our teachers have as much to learn as us students. After one class of mine, where we had an independent assignment, I felt that I had not performed to the best of my abilities for the simple reason that I had more distractions accessible to me than ever before, which distracted me from my work that day. Since I felt that I could have done better, I decided to tell my teacher the truth, which was that I had been exposed to more distractions than at any given moment that I had faced during all of my time in school. The response that I received from that teacher was very different from what I had expected. Instead of shaming me for not being able to focus on my work, that teacher was able to take from my email that it was hard for children and adults alike to stay motivated during this difficult time. This teacher then told me that, based on my experience, she had learned to empathize with her students in the future, specifically during an unpredictable time. I learned from this experience both that what I say can impact how someone else views the world, as well as that I should always be sincere because it can end up being rewarding for me. This teacher’s response also allowed me to reflect on how just from being honest I may have been able to change another student’s experience in the future. Even though I had my doubts about telling my teacher the truth, in the end I can reflect on the decision and realize how my choice benefited me and others. I appreciate how my teacher reacted to my decision and I want people to know that she helped teach me a very powerful lesson.
~ ~ ~
Kelly Stanton, 17 (Boston, Massachusetts)
Daydreaming
In the midst of the pandemic, I start to daydream. I have been daydreaming for a long time before the coronavirus even started, but the time spent alone and away from other people makes my imagination run wild. I like to imagine what my life will be in five or ten years, away from all of this madness.
In this daydream, I live simply. I live in a small house on the edge of a field, near the woods and the mountains. It’s just me and the person I love. We take care of all types of animals. There’s a cat in the house, and two dogs that run around outside while we work. We leave out sugar water for the hummingbirds and turn our front lawn into a great pollinator garden. Chickens hop around and peck in their little coop.
I imagine myself learning how to use a sewing machine, and making clothes and quilts. I’ll hang my fresh laundry out to dry on a clothesline in the sun. I make pasta, jam, and bread from scratch. Outside, we have a large garden full of vegetables and fruit trees. Sometimes there’s a hive full of honeybees to get fresh honey from. I get to live sustainably and take care of the Earth I call home.
My life isn’t perfect. Maybe the rosebush won’t bloom, or all of my teacups will be chipped, but it’s my life and I love it all the same.
Why does this life sound so appealing to you? You may be asking. Won’t you get awfully lonely out there away from everything? Yes, that’s the whole point. Elizabeth von Arnim’s The Solitary Summer describes a woman having a rejuvenating summer away from everything. She takes walks and takes care of her plants. Most importantly, she lives simply and happily. I want that too. I, too, want to get away from it all.
I’m tired of being indoors all of the time, but I understand why I must do it. Once the virus stops spreading, I want to get away from it all. I’m sick of my own carbon footprint, my own harshness, and the person that I am today. I’m tired of the stringent suburbia that I live in. I know I sound crazy, but I think the minute I get away from the overconsumption, pollution, greed, and instability of the city, I will be happy.
One day, the pandemic will be a distant memory, and we’ll all get to live the lives we want to. We’ll get there, I promise.
~ ~ ~
Daydreaming
In the midst of the pandemic, I start to daydream. I have been daydreaming for a long time before the coronavirus even started, but the time spent alone and away from other people makes my imagination run wild. I like to imagine what my life will be in five or ten years, away from all of this madness.
In this daydream, I live simply. I live in a small house on the edge of a field, near the woods and the mountains. It’s just me and the person I love. We take care of all types of animals. There’s a cat in the house, and two dogs that run around outside while we work. We leave out sugar water for the hummingbirds and turn our front lawn into a great pollinator garden. Chickens hop around and peck in their little coop.
I imagine myself learning how to use a sewing machine, and making clothes and quilts. I’ll hang my fresh laundry out to dry on a clothesline in the sun. I make pasta, jam, and bread from scratch. Outside, we have a large garden full of vegetables and fruit trees. Sometimes there’s a hive full of honeybees to get fresh honey from. I get to live sustainably and take care of the Earth I call home.
My life isn’t perfect. Maybe the rosebush won’t bloom, or all of my teacups will be chipped, but it’s my life and I love it all the same.
Why does this life sound so appealing to you? You may be asking. Won’t you get awfully lonely out there away from everything? Yes, that’s the whole point. Elizabeth von Arnim’s The Solitary Summer describes a woman having a rejuvenating summer away from everything. She takes walks and takes care of her plants. Most importantly, she lives simply and happily. I want that too. I, too, want to get away from it all.
I’m tired of being indoors all of the time, but I understand why I must do it. Once the virus stops spreading, I want to get away from it all. I’m sick of my own carbon footprint, my own harshness, and the person that I am today. I’m tired of the stringent suburbia that I live in. I know I sound crazy, but I think the minute I get away from the overconsumption, pollution, greed, and instability of the city, I will be happy.
One day, the pandemic will be a distant memory, and we’ll all get to live the lives we want to. We’ll get there, I promise.
~ ~ ~
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Audrey Gabriel, 19 (Peabody, Massachusetts)
Submission 1: June 12, 2020 Arcade lights flashed their tired bulbs, flickering to an indefinite sleep. Rusted swings sat patiently still on warm spring days, nobody coming to fill the park with that familiar song of childhood creaks. Pews collected dust, classrooms fell silent. The stop light turned green, then red, green, then red. Nobody came, nobody went. Empty stadiums. Empty fields. Empty parking lots. Empty shelves. While the world outside froze like a scratch in a record, we all held our breath and waited for the music to play again. Inside was a different story.Inside was a makeshift orchestra-- a house full of kids home from college, a businesswoman realizing that mornings in her apartment are a delight compared to sitting in rush hour, a pet rejoicing that their human is no longer a passerby. The music never stopped playing, it was simply quieter. Pick up the out-of-tune guitar, play an off-key melody. You never had the time to learn before. Bring out the baking pans, forego the stand mixer. You hand whisk things—it takes longer. Read. Everything on your list that you’ve put off for when you were less busy. Listen to audiobooks when your eyes get tired. Write your own story when you grow bored with the plot. And when the outside world wakes from her rest, When the fair comes to town again and the families flock to the parks, When places of worship are filled with choirs of rejoice, when students take their spots at their desk with refreshed minds, Remember that it was never just the places that were special. It was the people within them that made it extraordinary. |
Nancy Nelson, editor, had the help of the following young women:
Sophia Larson (age 20), assistant editor, was completing her freshman year at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst when Nancy contacted her in April 2020. Sophia was responsible for transcribing the book’s entries onto Google Docs and helping Nancy with editing tasks via zoom for six months. She also helped design the book cover. In high school, Sophia was a Scholastic Art & Writing Awards winner. Sofia Haskel (age 19) was a freshman at Tulane University when she became Nancy’s Chief Compiler at the recommendation of her aunt. She designed the book’s website ypopbook.com and an Instagram page. Sofia also acted as organizer of Zoom meetings with 18 compilers who discussed the submissions. Entries were then chosen by Nancy and the compilers for clarity of response, geographical and socio-economic diversity, and a variety of composition. Partial proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to:
Save the Children Coronavirus Response Fund United Negro College Fund Scholarships The American Art Therapy Association |
Nancy S. Nelson
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Nancy S. Nelson, M.S., ATR, is a creative arts therapist who lives and works in New York City.
Trained at Mount Sinai Hospital, she served for sixteen years on the staff of The Child Life Center, Department of Pediatrics at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Nancy is a graduate of Columbia University and received her master’s degree from The College of New Rochelle. For forty years, she has maintained a private practice in art therapy and psychotherapy. She has authored two previous books: The Doodle Dictionary (Doubleday, 1992) and The Doodle Diary (Random House, 2008). Follow Nancy on:
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