Pandemic Halloween

by Ethan Stanton

Magic princesses wandered 

 the empty street while
           cold witches at the door pointed in justice to their signs reading

      as indicated by the stated policy of the California Department of Health there will be

               no candy in 2020.

   This night is, now,

      like all other nights this haunted year

               masks inside 

                    masks outside

                         costumes worn, in the end, only for ourselves.

                           We are, in our best moments, children willingly trapped 

in the enchantment of playing, building our own worlds,
                                      charmed.

                             In our worst moments, it is madness that casts a spell on us.

                                                                          We zoom alone though distant nightmares.

                          

                                The performance has been cancelled.

                                   The audience is asleep or may never have existed. 

                                        Invisible killers haunt the barren nightscape of our imaginations   

                                            and we

                                        stumblers outside, knockers on the door that is not answered

                                 struggle, struggle, struggle

                                             in the spiked, ghoulish 

                                                                                   dark 

Sent to us on: April 3, 2021

How will the Coronavirus Pandemic shape storytelling for the years to come? 

Calling all Dispatchers!

With support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Creative Writing Institute presents Dispatches from Quarantine: hybrid storytelling events and writing workshops: that examine how Covid-19 has shaped our reality as writers. 

Our last two upcoming events will be with screen and tv writers in August 2023!

We have been broadcasting the public readings and discussions on our youtube channel as well as hosting four creative writing workshops with writers from diverse genres. The project will continue to be interactive as we will encourage viewers/participants to send in their “dispatches” to be published on our blog, keeping it alive as a living document.

 We invite you to submit a dispatch, too: 

Suggested Theme:

What is/was your Covid story?

You can send submissions in any format to us via email at: All genres will be considered for publication on the blog. submissions@dispatchesfromquarantine.co  The theme should be somehow related to this time of Coronavirus. We are particularly interested in posts/ideas/writings from 2022-23.

Submissions can be sent by email to: submissions@dispatchesfromquarantine.co

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