California COVID Diaries

The California State Library is working with local libraries to collect COVID-19 stories from across the state. Californians of all ages have responded by sending in original essays, poems, photographs, videos and works of art. The content presented on this website represents only a fraction of the hundreds that have been submitted and were selected to showcase the variety of experiences around the state.

If you have writing or a photo from your COVID-19 experience and would like to help record California’s response to this pandemic for future generations, please send it to us.

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  The Cure
  VaccineVaccineVACCINEIt can protectKeep the community safe VirusVirusVIRUSWalking down the streetMy face doesn’t changeUnder my maskI am AsianMisconceptionsI didn’t bring the virusWhy am I nervousFeel unsafe?I encounter the hate virusVerbal insults and physical attacksBruise me PleaseSTOPHatinga viral warLove is our eternal vaccineLet us heal Submitted by Maggie Xu, Santa Clara County – Saratoga.
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  Something in the Air
  “Something in the Air” is an art quilt about the COVID virus, how it felt to learn the virus was airborne, and how despite everything there was still beauty in the world. Submitted by Lani Longshore, Alameda County – Livermore.
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  Easter Drive Through
  Submitted by Roslyn Bell, Sacramento County – Sacramento.
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  Life Through the Zoom Screen
  It is odd to admit that I was excited when our school announced that we would be starting classes online. The feeling of trying a new way of learning, instead of the conventional way of sitting in a classroom greatly interested me. Doing school in the comfort of my own home was appealing in its […]
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  Stronger than COVID
  Foreword by Ama Karikari Yawson, Editor and Publisher We blinked, and our entire way of life changed. We could no longer run in and out of supermarkets. Instead, we were greeted by long lines and the mandate to wear masks and remain six feet apart from all other patrons. Toilet paper, bleach, hand sanitizer, and […]
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  Not So Miserable
  As the smoke cleared and the overhead light shone down onto the stage, the silhouettes of revolutionary French fighters proudly stood frozen in time. “Cut!” our director yelled, walking towards the stage with a bouquet of flowers for the performers, “And that’s a Les Mis: The Movie wrap!” Nobody in the room could move; we […]
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  Jab
  What a difference a jab makes, twenty-four little hours…as the song goes so did my symptoms. Exactly twenty hours after my first jab, I developed a low-grade fever, ringing in my ears, sore arm, headache and weakness that lasted twenty-four hours. I was grateful that my symptoms were mild. My second dose is in four […]
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  At Home, Art Therapy, Mixed Media Art Journal
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  Fantaisie
  That last day of school in March 2020 still remains a vivid memory. I remember cheers of joy during 3rd period as students received alerts that school had been canceled. There were also expressions of worry and uncertainty, for teachers knew that the school would not be reopening for weeks, even months. Looking back, it […]
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  Our Lost and Found Robotics Season
  One day last March, my entire Robotics team and I arrived at school with our suitcases in hand, buzzing with excitement to travel to our first competition of the season. We squeezed ourselves into a tightly-packed bus for the three-hour journey to the Central Valley competition site. We had spent the past two months working […]
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  To Run Alone
  Distance running is a unique sport. You don’t need to master many skills, nor is there much strategy. Yet, many still consider it a difficult sport because of the mental and physical endurance a runner needs. Although the pandemic has impacted my high school running career, it has also allowed me to reflect on why […]
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  Running through a Pandemic
  I am a runner. Even though I’m not the fastest runner on my team, I love the sport with all my heart. To me, the best feeling in the world is finishing a run, lying on the grass, and laughing at totally random things with my friends. People always say that running is a solo […]

Please note, the views and opinions expressed are those of the authors of each work and do not necessarily represent those of the California State Library or its staff.