Pandemic – Ascribe Writers

Are We What We Read?

June 28, 2021June 26, 2021 Tracey Richardson Leave a comment

You’ve heard that old saying, you are what you eat. In other words, you are a product of what you consume. Okay, so in its literal sense, it’s talking about food, but what about books? When we read a book, does it have the ability to shape how we think? How we feel? In other words, can it change us?

Of course books have that kind of power. Books can change lives. Books can save lives. Books can open eyes and minds. But what I want to talk about is how the books we read reflect our mood and feed our mood, and ultimately can change our mood.

Yes, books are a drug in that respect. They’re medicine. At least for me. The pandemic has taken a toll on most people’s mental health, and I’m no different. And not just the pandemic, but the Trump-inspired nonsense down south, the residential school saga, the racist mass killing in London, Ont. It’s been a tough fifteen months. No, make that a shitty fifteen months.

You Just Never Know

May 31, 2021May 31, 2021 Joan McAndrew 2 Comments

What does one do when a year of pandemic stretches on and on promising never to go away? What does one do when the faith one had in the ‘powers that be’ wanes to such an extent that one can no longer imagine a future of any predictability whatsoever? Well, if you are me, you have a “wake up” stroke.

The literal meaning of that phrase is that a stroke occurred very deep within my brain while I slept on April 21, 2021. Fortunately, the literal side of things are all on the mend and my rehabilitation will be complete on June 10^th. The part that’s going to take substantially longer is the figurative side of that “wake-up” event.

Hiraeth

April 19, 2021April 19, 2021 Bernice Connell Leave a comment

The Welsh word, hiraeth, is new to me. It is pronounced: here-eyeth, with a roll of the ‘r’ if one is so inclined and able. Scholars advise that translation of hiraeth to English is not definitive but I find that, with it’s varied and elusive definitions, hiraeth is the perfect word to describe my mood and mindset these days.

I have been a little off-kilter recently; easily distracted and anxious. My mother would have described this as feeling discombobulated. With higher than usual work stress, extended periods of isolation and our community being under the cloud of a worsening pandemic, my reactions seem logical and situational. Worry is a largely wasted emotion so I’m trying not to worry.

Writing From The Middle

February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 Joan McAndrew Leave a comment

Photo credit: Unsplash.com ~ fotografierende

A few very bright sunny days had arrived in the middle of ‘The Lockdown Winter’ as I refer to it. I’ve had trouble focusing on writing since December 26^th. I can’t imagine what is worth writing about, as I am only conscious of the things I am not allowed to do at the moment. The way my brain works this thought took me scurrying down the familiar rabbit hole of “why am I so stuck?”

The Way Ahead is Lined with Hope

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 Andrée Levie-Warrilow Leave a comment

I have long been fascinated by quantum physics, poetry, and the musings of what is reality, and it shows in my writing. I go about coolly accepting the unreality of the universe, peering enthralled at the night sky, knowing I’m only seeing the light energy of stars that ceased to exist aeons ago. Read more

Bah Humbug

December 14, 2020December 21, 2020 Joan McAndrew Leave a comment

Bah Humbug (def’n): An expression used when someone does not approve of or enjoy something that other people enjoy, especially a special occasion such as Christmas. (Cambridge Dictionary)

The BAH HUMBUG Christmas of 2020 is coming, steadily advancing, crawling along, daring us to disregard all the Public Health Warnings that bombard us daily with the dangers of Covid-19. Upwards of one half the population of Ontario is in the Grey Zone … locked down once again. We are all cautioned not to travel, not to shop except for essentials and to stay home to protect ourselves and others.

How Are You Going to Write About 2020?

November 8, 2020November 8, 2020 Tracey Richardson Leave a comment

I don’t have to tell you that 2020 has been a poop sandwich.

The world wide pandemic, a political and social disintegration for our neighbours to the south thanks to Trumpism, a record year for hurricanes and devastating wildfires. It’s a long and unforgettable list in a long and unforgettable year.

If you’re a fiction writer, it’s a dream year in terms of material. I mean, EVERYTHING is happening. Peoples’ lives have changed dramatically. Our daily life is perhaps forever altered in some very meaningful ways. Read more

Thanksgiving 2020

October 12, 2020October 12, 2020 Joan McAndrew 1 Comment

An early Thanksgiving in Canada, with the prospect of another Covid-19 shutdown looming over us, has brought on the “winter blues” a few weeks earlier than usual. The common phrase “it gets dark so early now” has many people beginning to hibernate. The colour display this weekend on the back roads of Grey County was breath taking. Yet my morning musings seem to draw me unwillingly into the yawning void of the future.

In two months the first year of the newest pandemic Covid-19 will be logged into each of our ship-of-life books. The world moved incredibly fast in my life time (1946 – 2020) and it seems destined to continue to do so. As maudlin as it may seem I keep struggling with the question:

“What am I leaving behind?” or put it another way “What of me lasts?”

Tag: Pandemic