The Plague Papers: An introduction

   On March 19, 2020, California’s Governor Newsom issued the nation’s first shelter-in-place order. Soon, many other states followed, and our lives altered drastically as millions of people retreated into their homes, abruptly cut off from their communities, families, and jobs.  In their new pandemic reality, many anxious, isolated, and bored individuals were suddenly seeking ways to fashion new lives from what they had on hand, to reconstitute community by online presence, and to reach beyond themselves to the world. 

   Museums have long had a presence online, but in the pre-pandemic world, most people were probably too busy to pay them much heed. However, virtual art galleries, zoos, science museums, and natural history museums, among other varieties, have become an increasingly important route to education and adventure for those sheltering-in-place as the facilities themselves have shut down. More than ever, the multifarious creations of human minds and of the natural world draw us away from the chaos and confusion of the pandemic and other global disasters. 

  In this anthology, the only one of its kind to my knowledge, we have asked writers to choose individual items from these collections, and to tell us about them in poetry or prose. The works are listed alphabetically by the names of the museums in which the objects are located. Like other forms of Ekphrasis, the resulting works may interpret the work in question, imagine its creation, comment on the difference between the work online and in person, or spin a narrative about it, but with the aid of the link included with each piece, readers can immediately visit the museums and see for themselves what all the fuss is about. This book will introduce them to institutions they may explore for themselves online and perhaps, after the danger has passed, in person.

Robbi Nester

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