Starfish on a Beach The Pandemic Poems

Starfish on a Beach: The Pandemic Poems grew out of the first months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. When some of them were posted on Facebook, readers responded immediately to identify with her take on what we were all experiencing. These poems reflect the fear, isolation, and horror we felt as society—as we watched public life close down, people were urged to stay distant from one another, wear face masks, and wash our hands frequently. Many of us lost jobs; some of us lost businesses. We saw beloved family members and friends sicken, and some of them die. We watched helplessly as sources of income disappeared and the future seemed uncertain. But I also began thinking about other aspects of life through the lens of this situation: Have we brought this plague upon ourselves by our carelessness and lack of accountability to global warming? Does our social organization really meet our needs? Why are some communities suffering so much more than others? These poems reflect all this and more. They are offered in concern, anger, and also hope for a different future. These poems predate the killing of George Floyd, so the focus remains on health and isolation.

Margaret Randall is a feminist poet, writer, photographer and social activist. She is the author of over 150 books. She is the recipient of the 2019 Haydée Santamaría Medal from Casa de las Americas in Havana, and the prestigious 2019 Poet of Two Hemispheres Prize, presented by Ecuador’s Poesía en Paralelo Cero. In 2017, she was awarded the Medal of Literary Merit by Literatura en el Bravo, Chihuahua, Mexico. The University of New Mexico granted her an honorary doctorate in letters in 2019. In 2020 she was given the George Garrett Award by AWP.