Pamela Watson lives in London, UK.  She traveled to Australia for a nation-wide book tour just after the UK launch as COVID-19 was ramping up.  One by one, her events were canceled, and the state borders began closing while she and her partner were traveling between events.  They made the quick decision to turn around and barely made it back to Perth in time for shelter in place to go into effect.  Along the way, they saw the attitudes of people change from welcoming to xenophobic.  Pamela describes this adventure as well as the decision to host the remotest book launch in the world in this episode.  Interviewed 22 April 2020.

Watch the book launch (and the road train / truck nearly blow Pamela over) here:  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3577392625669274 

Buy Pamela's Books here:  https://pamelawatson.com/books/ 

Learn more, sign up for an interview, and support healthcare workers at https://storiesofcovid.co  

I end each interview with the same question:  Knowing that books outlive us, what message do you want future generations to have about this time?  The answers are saved for these special bonus episodes.  They are thoughtful, uplifting, and apt.  Enjoy.

Participants quoted:

Nelson Cooper is a resident of San Francisco, but was on an extended trip across Asia when COVID-19 began its spread.  As the news hit, he went from one country to another, wondering if he was safe, how bad it was, and what he should do next.  One day things were fine, the next day they weren't, and he saw it over and over.  Finally, in Bali, he had to make a decision:  return to San Francisco where things looked grim and he'd be without health insurance, or stay in Bali, away from loved ones and without access to specialized medical care. Interviewed 21 April 2020.

Learn more about the project, sign up for an interview, and support healthcare workers at https://storiesofcovid.co

This episode's title is taken from a hilarious story told during this interview.  Megan Sanchez lives in Washington, DC.  She had been in quarantine for five weeks at the time of the interview.  Sanchez honestly shares how the pandemic, quarantine, and the shifting landscape of her work has affected her and her husband.  Interviewed 21 April 2020.

Learn more about the project, sign up for an interview, and support healthcare workers at https://storiesofcovid.co

Meghan Bunchman is a Media Entrepreneur, in that she both teaches students who are entering media and PR careers, as well as works with media outlets.  In this episode, she provides insight into how the media is benefitting from the pandemic, whether intentionally or not, and how to manage your information.  Interviewed 20 April 2020.

Learn more about the project, sign up for an interview, and support healthcare workers at https://storiesofcovid.co 

Mustakim Hasan lives in Bangladesh.  He owns two businesses, one of which is shut down and the other which is waning.  He has chosen to continue to pay his employees despite the lack of cash flow to help stem the economic cascade due to the pandemic.  As he speaks, he conveys the frustration and fear that he is experiencing, as we don't know when this will end or when we'll be safe again.  Interviewed 20 April 2020.

Learn more, sign up for an interview, and support healthcare workers at https://storiesofcovid.co

Hunt Walker lives near Aspen, Colorado.  He traveled early in the pandemic, not realizing its potential effects.  During this interview, he conveys how unusual the pandemic is in that many of us don't remember when we first heard about it, unlike other seminole events of our lives.  He goes on to convey the emotional toll it is having on him, despite his being financially and physically secure.  Interviewed 16 April 2020.

Learn more about the project, sign up for an interview, and support healthcare workers at https://storiesofcovid.co 

Diane McNary lives in Slovakia.  She works primarily with the Roma people, a group that has historically been discriminated against.  Earlier in their work together, the group Diane works with asked to learn to sew.  Diane and her team thought at the time that sewing would be useful for daily life, and that was all.  But as COVID-19 entered their lives, their sewing skills took on a new life, that of creating masks for the rest of the region.  Through their efforts, the group that Diane works with has received outreach and kindness in ways never before seen.  Interviewed 16 April 2020.

If you would like to support their mask making efforts, go to: https://www.classy.org/campaign/dianne-and-shane-mcnary/c101655 

To learn more about Stories of COVID™, to sign up for an interview, or to support healthcare workers, go to:  https://storiesofcovid.co

Natalia was in Guangzhou, China, when the first news of the virus released.  For a time, she wasn't sure what was real.  The media in China wasn't revealing what was happening in Wuhan, and she was getting second hand reports from friends abroad.  Finally, Wuhan locked down, and Natalia knew things were very serious.  She chose to fly to Malaysia for the duration of the pandemic, where she felt safer to weather the storm.  Interviewed 15 April 2020.

Learn more, sign up for an interview, and support healthcare workers at https://storiesofcovid.co

Amy Thome is a digital nomad and world traveler.  The lockdown hasn't affected her work very much, as she has been working remote for four years, but the halt in travel has.  She left for Bali only days after she learned about COVID-19, and fell ill while abroad.  In this episode she conveys the lessons she has learned from the pandemic, both of herself and of the world.  Interviewed 14 April 2020.

Learn more, sign up for an interview, and support healthcare workers at https://storiesofcovid.co