As many found escaping the realities of the pandemic to be necessary, diving into fantastical stories instead, others found comfort in putting their truest experiences on the page. Judith Alexander Brice discusses just this and more in today's chat about her pages penned in pandemic.
What does the pandemic currently look like in your city?
This is hard to answer as I am immunosuppressed, so I have stayed away from much of the city. The areas that I have frequented initially looked very quiet and subdued from the outside, and now are open but there seem to be fewer people on the streets. In some areas where I have driven, some people. despite the mask requirement, although fewer and fewer, still go without masks. Strikingly, many people, like me and like my husband have taken this opportunity to avail themselves of the parks and the other day, the day after it was clear that Biden was elected, a plethora of people were out and about in one of our lovely parks, Frick park, so much so that the park trails were over-run with people outside, celebrating the day. As I am handicapped and need to use a walker, it was striking that even the widest trails which I generally can use with no problem, and generally might see 2 or three people in a two hour walk, were completely over-run with walkers and runners. It was amazing!
What are some favorite books you've read during quarantine?
I have been focusing on poetry: M.S. Merwin, Michael Simms, and Billy Collins.
If you haven't been reading, what are some books you're most looking forward to reading?
I can't wait to read Obama's memoir.
Have there been any movies, tv shows, podcasts, etc. that have helped keep you at ease the past few months?
I have watched a couple of live Metropolitan opera broadcasts, and some historical movies about important American heroes, for example, John Lewis.
How has the pandemic affected your writing?
I have been writing more and have focused a lot on writing about how the pandemic has affected my life.
Are there any projects you are excited to keep working on? If so, can you give us any details (no spoilers please!) about your project?
I am finishing up a chapbook on Living with the Pandemic.
If asked ten years from now what the past few months have taught you about being a writer, what would come to mind?
I hope that I will be alive in 10 years, it being that I am 76 years old now!!! I think I have learned how to focus, and throw caution and the usual daily chores to the wind. When you need to write, you need to write; messy house aside!
Have there been any fellow writers or people in your life who have helped you stay connected during the pandemic?
I am very lucky. My husband is a wonderful poet and we are our own first and best editors. Besides that, we love our work, and find that it is incredibly stimulating to talk about what we have read and what we are thinking about our craft. In addition we are in two different poetry groups, one that meets through zoom, weekly--the other that meets monthly, and each is different, the one focusing on the initial creative process in response to a prompt, the other that focusses on the finished process--both with honest and reciprocal discussion. These are treats and keep me going, in addition to the delight of almost daily discussion with my husband about our work.
Is there anything that worries you about the changes being incited in the publishing world in light of recent events?
My husband and I have participated in some delightful zoom readings, but without the live readings, I fear it will be more difficult to sell our books, and with the number of book stores dwindling down to the level of minuscule, (even before the pandemic, and now even worse,)it is even more difficult to share the books, and the excitement and the joy of poetry, let alone to sell the books. People won't buy books, and enjoy the books and spread the word, if they can't hold the books and read the books.
Where is your favorite place to write? Has this changed during the pandemic?
I write at my desk on my computer in a corner of our sunroom.
Without too many spoilers, what is your favorite poem you've written since the pandemic began?
Check out my poem "Fledgling Times."
While the future is just as unknowable as ever, what is something you are most looking forward to this year?
I have only one son, now age 40, and I can't wait till the time it is safe for him to make the trip from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh.
Is there any advice you would give to young writers during this time?
Write down words you like, and use them in your poems. Don't worry about not writing a lot or not having a career in writing; life takes circuitous paths, and each of those paths will make you a better writer, add depth to your thoughts.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Thanks for asking these questions. Something to think about. Something to write about in my next poem!!!
ABOUT Judith Alexander Brice
Judith Alexander Brice is a retired Pittsburgh psychiatrist whose love of nature and acquaintance with illness inform much of her work. She has had over 80 poems published in journals and anthologies, including The Golden Streetcar, Voxpopulisphere.com, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Magnolia Review.com, The Piker Press and Annals of Internal Medicine. On two occasions, Judy received awards in The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Prize, sponsored by The Paterson Literary Review. Judy has authored three poetry books: Renditions in a Palette, Overhead From Longing, and Imbibe the Air, the latter, forthcoming in January 2021. Her poem, “Mourning Calls,” from her second book, Imbibe The Air, was set to music by Tony Manfredonia, and can be heard on his website.
To learn more, follow Judith and her writing journey on Facebook.
Thanks for chatting, Judith!
