About the Project
In 2019 most of us never imagined much of 2020 would be spent indoors. We never imagined working from home every day, or worse, losing our jobs entirely. We never imagined helping our kids complete school days on laptops, or attend birthday parties and concerts through Zoom. COVID-19’s swift arrival changed our lives seemingly overnight and on a massive scale. We’ve been challenged to find new ways to work and to socialize, find alternative formats for our entertainment, and continue living “normal” lives in abnormal times. All of us are experiencing this, and we each have a story – the Delaware Historical Society is collecting yours!
COVID Chronicles Delaware is an initiative of the Delaware History Society, asking Delawareans to reflect on their experiences living through the COVID-19 pandemic and capture them through writing, art, image, or song. Submissions will become part of the permanent Delaware Historical Society digital collection to serve individually and collectively as primary sources for future generations. Some stories will be selected for publication and highlighted on our social media platforms.
How to Participate (spoiler alert: it’s super easy)
To contribute your stories to the COVID Chronicles Delaware:
- Use the form to send us your story
- Direct any questions to covidchroniclesde@gmail.com
Submissions should be Delaware-focused; otherwise, there are few limitations. Whether your entry is about an object, your new daily routine, a good thing that has happened to you, or your virtual meetups, we invite any story you wish to share in any format: text, audio, image, or video! Submit as many stories as you’d like. Each entry deepens our understanding of how we are all affected differently by a shared experience.
Suggestions for Submissions
- Review our FAQ
- Be creative! Tell your story through text, image, audio, or video, whatever format best represents you and your experience.
- For written submissions, consider adding media to help the reader visualize your story.
- If you’re stuck on what to write, use the sample prompts to inspire your journaling.
- Be as detailed as possible but keep in mind that you should only include information you feel comfortable sharing publicly.
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- Have you ever looked at an old photograph and not recognized everyone in it? Did you find it helpful to see names and dates scrawled on the back? Future historians can only recover so much without your help. You might know that Wawa is “the store you walked to,” but for a future historian studying the impact of Wawa on daily life in 21st century Delaware, including that name could be everything! The more detail you include, the easier it will be for them to understand your story.
- When filling out the form, be aware that some fields are optional while others are required. You may request not to have some of your personal information shared publicly, but please be sure to communicate your preferences to us in the notes box on the permission page.
- See our Privacy Policy to learn more about how your information is used and shared
Stories will be featured in our blog COVID Chronicles Delaware and on our social media pages using the hashtag #CovidChroniclesDE
"In the middle of a pandemic, yes, easy to see many affected to being stir crazy, the onslaught of radio and television focuses on a what seems as a Repeat play of the same information, and overall feeling at times as if you are going crazy...I have learned to carve out time in my day for me, creating time to read, to reflect, and as a result better impacts results will occur in the end..."
"Removing the Basketball Hoops at Talley Day Park," by Marjorie
Attention Teachers, students, kids, and caregivers
Follow the link below to COVID Chronicles Delaware for Children & Caregivers where you’ll find a page of fun, kid-friendly activities and access to a special form made just for you!
Recent Posts
Realities from the Frontlines: COVID Chronicles Panel May 2021
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Hey That’s A (New) Way to Say Goodbye
Executive Director, Delaware Historical Society It’s been a full year since the Covid pandemic forever altered how we live. We wear masks, use hand sanitizer, and have more things delivered than ever before ...
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Unmasked: Portraits from the Zoom Room
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Mentions in the Media
