Castleton University Media & Communication Professor David Blow ‘89 recently published his second book. Unlike his first – which rounds up stories and columns from his time as a journalist – Blow’s second book turns the spotlight on the work of his students. “COVID Chronicles” collects blog posts from 18 students in his fall Media Writing Class, focusing on their personal experiences navigating life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The personal accounts reflect on adjusting to remote learning, managing changes in their mental health, family members being diagnosed with COVID-19 and their own fear of catching the virus, being afraid to leave their homes, and more.
“I was trying to think of some cool assignment – not cool, even – but some thought-provoking assignment. I start Media Writing with a personal story, so they write that, and I was thinking that this could be a way to just purge their souls a little bit. What I started getting was just so powerful and well-written. It was just so raw,” Blow said. “It was halfway through the semester when I really started thinking these needed to be shared. They bought into it. They were all about it. There’s a lot of talented writers in that class, and when you’re writing from your heart – and you’re not having to write an essay and look up sources – it really kind of pours out.”
Many students found the positives in the pandemic, like time spent with family they’ve missed while away at college.
Student Mason Svayg reflected on listening to his dad’s old cassette tapes, enjoying sushi for dinner every Sunday night, and adventures with his two dogs.
Students also shared the struggles they’ve encountered – each with their own reasons.
Student Lily Doton shed light on bias and inequality during COVID-19. Doton wrote about witnessing a rise in racism against East Asian people and her own unease as a Vermonter of Asian descent.
“I've really struggled seeing everything that's going on in other parts of the country, even though I don't directly feel unsafe here,” Doton said. “I think it's messed with my mental state a little bit, but I wrote about those feelings too and that's helped me cope with it.”
“Lily’s pieces really struck me and I felt that needed to be shared,” Blow said.
Student Marty Kelly III wrote about his experience racing at Albany-Saratoga Speedway – the feeling of looking out and seeing barren stands – and concerns about the holidays and what impact the pandemic would have on them.
"I think the pandemic has made me more aware of how different people deal with stuff like this, and how seriously world events can affect other people, even if they don't seem like a big deal to me. A lot of students were seriously buried with this pandemic, and it made their lives a lot more difficult and stressful, and the continuation of this virus has made me reflect on that quite a bit,” Kelly said.
No two stories are the same. Blow highlights the different experiences of each student in a short introduction at the start of each of the book’s 18 chapters
“Otherwise, it was just me compiling their work, and I like to have a little piece in this. Each brought something so different and I wanted to tease it. I wanted to tease what the reader’s going to read here shortly. I thought that was important,” he said.
Blow’s motivation for collecting the blogs into one book was to shed light on these individual experiences, using the students’ own words.
“I’m trying to think about all that they’ve lost. It bugs me when people put them down as privileged and selfish. They’re losing a lot,” Blow said. “Think about the climate of the world, too. You’ve got climate problems, you’ve got political upheaval … So, throw a pandemic on top of everything else. It was the imperfect storm for sure for these guys and people should know that. I think what better way to convey that than their own words. This is all them.”
The cover art, which depicts a student in a cap and gown sitting in front of a laptop with a panel of masked students behind him, was created by students Jasmin Gomez and Anthony Richichi.
Blow hopes to create a scholarship or find a way to give back to students in the class with proceeds from the book.
“That would be the coolest thing if I can create a scholarship based on this crappy time,” he said.
COVID Chronicles can be purchased on Amazon.