A Sense of Home, 2020

With so many people around the world confined to their homes in an attempt to slow the progress of Covid-19, we are being challenged in many ways: emotionally, physically, financially, creatively. Our bonds with friends and family, with government and employers, with ourselves.

Creating a space for writers and artists to respond to moment of shared reality is an important and necessary part of Broadsided’s mission. To that end, we offered writers a few highly-structured prompts that engaged with a sense of home at this moment. (See the original call here.)

Our goal: to invite new perspectives on what it means to be confined at home or elsewhere. To find new ways to bend our minds, to escape the worn ruts we travel. We also see shared challenges as opportunities for community-making.

The work we received from writers was rich, wild, varied. The lists of “objects” from the “Home Cento” exercise alone were an inspiration. Once we made our decision, we offered the poems to Broadsided artists to respond to visually–with prompts to guide their work in turn, of course.

Below are the collaborations that resulted.  The prompt pair for each broadside is noted at the bottom of each page, and you have an opportunity to read the responses of both artist and author as they discuss their experiences of this process.

We wondered, when we began this process in April, 2020, if the time it would take us to do things well would push the moment into the past.  Sadly, that is not the case.  The grapplings we will have to do individually and as societies with the effects of the Coronavirus will be part of our lives, we feel, for many months to come. Stay healthy. Care for your loved ones.  Care for yourselves.

We have also begun curating a folio of broadsides focused on “Solace.” They can be found under our archive tag, and also here. We hope you’re well.