Summary

This series of 24 haiku poems, handwritten across 4 pages of A4 archival paper, references daily life in the State of Victoria during a period of COVID-19 lockdowns and isolation. The author Louise Hopewell, an established haiku poet and prose writer based in Fitzroy North, wrote these poems during the second period of lockdowns in Victoria, between July-October 2020. She reflected in late 2020: 'Stuck working from home since March 2020, by the time Lockdown 2.0 arrived, I was creatively exhausted. I decided to reignite my creativity by writing a haiku a day. By the time the second lockdown ended, I had penned over 250 haiku, mostly inspired by my daily wander in the park opposite my house.'

Simple yet evocative, these poems reference a range of daily lockdown experiences such as: the sounds of nature, mask-wearing, working from home, social distancing, empty playgrounds, children's chalk drawings, cancelled events and as lockdowns end, picnic rugs unfurling. They also provide a lasting reminder of the importance of creative writing and creative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the various ways that individuals were able to seek solace and reprieve in creative pursuits.

Physical Description

24 haiku poems handwritten over 4 pages of A4 archival paper

More Information