Tag: Arts in the Time of Quarantine

Virology is often confused with the invisible workings of capital.

When Celes Tisdale led poetry workshops at Attica State Prison, soon after the 1971 uprising, some of the prisoners were still recovering from gunshots.

In a wrenching dialogue, a man searches for human connection, even as he recalls childhood abuse. Translated from the French by Amanda DeMarco.

“Pinch off fist-sized balls and roll these into flat circles. Circles you turned in the morning of the coup.” Short Story

“'I felt no hunger but the habit of food struck me intensely. My nightgown was grubby and torn. My limbs were scraped, spotted with yellow bruises, but I felt no pain.” Short Story

An aging Nigerian bus park preacher dreams of her own church, or even just a shiny megaphone, when she finds herself cut off from her congregation. Short Story

On being awestruck by literature, and the necessary pleasures of intimacy—near and remote—during quarantine.

Two orphans, who believe they are too old to ever be adopted, get a surprise chance. Translated from the Hebrew by Yaron Regev. Short Story

A man seeks intimacy during a time of crisis. 

When bees around the world exhibit a frightening new behavior, a researcher takes comfort in a familiar hive. Short Story

Years after an extinction event nearly wiped out humanity, a team of scientists search Venezuela for signs of life and evidence of what caused the tragedy. Short Story

Beating cancer should be the biggest challenge in his life, not trying to catch a cab in Manhattan. Short Story

In a lost tale of Casanova, the citizens of a country at the center of the Earth must give up their home—and their women—to colonizers. Short Story

An aging AI researcher, alone with her robot companion, must make a difficult decision when the android begins to malfunction. Short Story

Stuck in an apartment with his ex-boyfriend, a man meets with the government agent who will decide whether the couple has really broken up. Short Story

In the aftermath of a flu pandemic that kills most of the population, a survivor, barricaded in Alaska, remembers her life while contemplating a grisly choice. Short Story