The COVID Poetry & Art Project

This project is now complete!

Browse through the entire body of work. These 16 poets and artists embody both talent and a belief in the power of the arts to transform our tumultuous world. We are so grateful to each of them for lending their words and images to this group effort.

Bonnie Narazday—poet

Alessandra Ricci—visual artist

Lydia Lawrence—poet

Grace Cavalieri—poet and visual artist

Kim Drew Wright—poet

Hiram Larew—poet

Bettina Brunner—visual artist

Mike Maggio—poet

Susan Notar—poet

Zeina Azzam—poet

Sally Toner—poet

Pamela Murray Winters—poet

Lynne Smokler Grossman—poet

Kathy Cable Smaltz—poet

Linda Ankrah-Dove—poet

Sistah Joy Alford—poet

Almost a year into this global pandemic, it’s hard to believe how much COVID-19 has changed our world. This is a crisis that isolates us, contains us, and keeps us apart. At the same time, it’s a crisis that joins us together, connecting all of humanity in our common struggle against an invisible but terrifying villain. And as we think about what we can do with our collective strength, this pandemic also highlights the importance of social justice, economic equality, and basic human rights like healthcare.

At DCTRENDING we strive to report on the intersection between the arts, culture, and social justice. We noticed pretty early on in the pandemic that the arts could play an important role in making our new reality the kind of place we want to live. We’ve seen the power artists have during this crisis—both to bring injustices to light and to bring us together as people. When we reached out to Mike Maggio—local poet, fiction writer, activist, and DCTRENDING contributor—about working together on a COVID-themed project, we learned he already had something wonderful in the works. Mike brought poets and artists from all over the world together, as he published their pandemic-themed work on his website. Keep reading for more about this project, in Mike’s own words. We are honored and excited to choose the work we most connected with and share with you some of these fine poems and visual art. And as the COVID Project of Poetry and Art enters into phase two, we are expanding by interviewing all participants so you can learn more about their art and how each has approached creating art in times of turmoil and uncertainty.

We hope that you are safe and healthy. Wishing you all the best in isolation and looking forward to the time we can all see each other in person!

- Norah Vawter (Local Authors Editor) and Cecilia Mencia (Eounder & Editor-in-Chief)

From the COVID POETRY & ART PROJECT Founder, Mike Maggio

Back in May of 2020, when COVID was raging, I decided to see how folks were dealing with the pandemic. I posted a call for poems. The response was overwhelming. I was planning one month showcasing poets on my website; instead, the call spread like the virus itself. Poets and artists, including a grocer from upstate New York and a poet from New Zealand, found their way to me. I finally had to close the call when I realized I could be doing this ‘til the end of the year. That’s how concerned everyone was.

DCTRENDING, a major cultural voice in Washington D.C., got wind of this project, and we both decided that this would be a worthy endeavor to pursue together. And so the project took off and continues, as the pandemic also continues.

Just before the project got started,  someone suggested we do a fundraiser to help those affected by the rampant economic crisis. We contacted the Arlington Food Assistance Center, and the fundraiser was off and running.

All told, poets and artists from around the country and, indeed, from around the world participated. It was a wonderful way to spend a quarantined summer.

DCTRENDING will be sharing some of the creative work that resulted from this collaboration endeavor. My thanks to them and to the poets and artists who participated. Let’s hope we get past these tragic days as soon as possible. In the meantime, stay safe and mask up.

- Mike Maggio