Poetic Representations of COVID-19 Narratives: An Exploration of Emotional Experiences During the Pandemic

Abstract

In pivotal moments of history like the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to attend to and preserve the stories of different people experiencing the same phenomenon in their own ways. This project analyzed the public’s emotional experiences during the pandemic using methods of narrative and poetic inquiry. After reading 105 entries from the Pandemic Journaling Project, an online platform where people anonymously published journal entries reflecting on their pandemic experiences, narratives were categorized based on ten prominent emotional themes: anger, anxiety, fatigue, fear, loneliness, longing, loss, loss of control, stress, and uncertainty. Found poems were constructed for each emotion using words and phrases from the entries listed under each category, inserting poetic elements of structure, shape, and rhythm. By framing the project around emotion, the feelings aroused by the pandemic are brought forth in an evocative manner for consideration, interrogation, and presentation.