by Ian Halperin
First published 2020
Ian Halperin arrived in Medellin to write about the city's transformation from a cartel stronghold into a thriving center of technology and art. Six days into his assignment, Colombian immigration officials appeared at his hotel door. Most foreigners had already fled the country. Those who remained faced mandatory quarantine in their rooms as Covid-19 spread across the globe. Confined to his hotel room during the pandemic's early months, Halperin responds to his isolation by creating a collection of poems, stories, and photographs. His verses capture the virus's unpredictable mutations and its devastating impact on communities worldwide. The work celebrates frontline workers and essential personnel while examining how world leaders handled the crisis. Through lyrical observation, Halperin explores humanity's response to a disease that brought normal life to a halt. The collection reveals both the fragility of human systems and the resilience people discover when forced into unexpected circumstances.
Genres: non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, current-affairs
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-narrative, social-commentary
Setting: Colombia, Medellin
Period: 2020
117 pages · Paperback · Independently published
Content warnings: medical-trauma