Letter from the Editors, Fall 2020: The Quarantine Issue
2020 has been a rough year for everyone. We started out with high hopes for the new decade and went about our seemingly normal lives. Then, in what seemed like an instant, the entire world shut down. Offices and schools sent students and workers home. Restaurants closed for indoor dining, some closed for good. Employees adapted to new work environments, either working from home or being protected from the public by a face mask and shield. Some lost their jobs. Some lost their homes. Some lost their lives.
As COVID-19 cases have risen and fallen, businesses all over the country have tried to stay afloat through restrictions, closures, and new policies. People have been forced to adjust their lifestyles, staying home while still trying to get fresh air and socialize. Even those who crave closeness and companionship have embraced social distancing for the safety of themselves, their families, and their communities. There has been a palpable sense of dread in the air that cannot help but weigh on us all.
As we made it to the Fall semester, peeping inside and outside of our Zoom screens from different countries and time zones, it’s been an experience that has revealed to us our own strength, resilience, and determination.
After almost a full year of sheltering in place, staring at the same four walls, we couldn’t sit idly by anymore. We petitioned SPS to give us a project we could work on while we waited for businesses to begin hiring again. We needed something to show for this year—something more than disappointment, pent-up frustration, and fear.
So we assembled a special issue of Dovetail featuring art and writing made during and in response to the quarantine. As editors, we were focused on two things: presenting real experiences of people coping with the pandemic and leaving our readers with a sense of hope and reassurance that they are not alone. We are so grateful for the incredible number of submissions we received in such a short submission period, especially to those authors who worked tirelessly with us over the Thanksgiving holiday to produce some amazing final drafts.
This edition is our effort to reach out and embrace you, to be the warm hug we’ve all been longing for. As you begin turning the pages (or scrolling down the screen!) we hope you enjoy these beautiful pieces of prose, poetry, and art. May they fill you with a sense of peace and hope in these dark and uncertain times.
Sincerely,
The Editors
Ida Aldana, Lena Benenstein, Surina Jain, Noelle LeBlanc, Tiana Moe, and Michael Ripa