Next Time There's a Pandemic

"During my first post-lockdown massage, I willingly engaged in the requisite chit chat about lockdown experiences with my therapist. He gushed behind his mask: ‘Oh man. It was so great. Every day I woke up, drank coffee, read, rode my bike…’
My therapist’s description did sound pretty great. But it was nothing like my own anxiety-ridden ordeal…
Had I done the lockdown wrong?"

In Next Time There’s a Pandemic, artist Vivek Shraya reflects on how she might have approached 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic differently, and how challenging and changing pervasive expressions, attitudes, and behaviours might transform our experiences of life in―and after―the pandemic. What might happen if, rather than urging one another to "stay safe," we focused instead on being caring? What if, instead of striving to "make the best of it" by doing something, we sometimes chose to do nothing? With generosity, Shraya captures the dissonances of this moment, urging us to keep showing up for each other so we are better prepared for the next time...and for all times. Afterword by J.R. Carpenter.
About the Book:
• Artist and writer Vivek Shraya reflects on how she might have approached 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic differently, and what she wishes we, collectively, might have done differently.
• The book is based on the Kreisel Lecture presented by Shraya; hosted annually by the Canadian Literature Centre. The lecture is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihR1VoCyjeQ.
• Why is the book relevant? It’s topical, succinct, and is a mix of reflective and directive ideas.
• Shraya has authored seven other books in various genres: nonfiction, fiction, memoir, short stories, graphic novels, poetry, and even a children’s book.
• She came out as a trans woman in 2016 and has been a Pride Toronto Grand Marshal.
• Shraya is a director on the board of The Tegan and Sara Foundation, which fights for health, economic justice, and representation for LGBTQ women.
• Her imprint, VS. Books, supports young writers of colour.
• Shraya is currently adapting her debut play, How To Fail As A Popstar for television with the support of CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
• As a musician, Shraya has toured extensively in North America.
• Shraya is a well-established figure in various communities and maintains a high profile. Her Twitter account has almost 15K followers (https://twitter.com/vivekshraya) and her Instagram almost 30K followers (https://www.instagram.com/vivekshraya/).
• Author website: https://vivekshraya.com.

Audience:
This will be an excellent book for a general readership, since we all experienced the Coronavirus pandemic over the past year and more. It will also resonate with readers from racialized communities and LGBTQ communities and artists. We hope that policy makers and academics will also turn to this book when looking to the future.

About the Author:
Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, and film. Her best-selling book, I’m Afraid of Men, was heralded by Vanity Fair as "cultural rocket fuel," and her album Part‑Time Woman was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize. A seven-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, Shraya lives in Treaty 7 territory, where she is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Calgary.

About J.R. Carpenter:
Writer of the afterword, J.R. Carpenter works across performance, print, and digital media. The Gathering Cloud won the New Media Writing Prize 2016. An Ocean of Static was highly commended by the Forward Prizes 2018. This is a Picture of Wind was one of The Guardian’s best poetry books of 2020. J.R. Carpenter was the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Alberta in 2020-21. She lives in Plymouth, UK.

Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, and film. Her best-selling book I’m Afraid of Men was heralded by Vanity Fair as "cultural rocket fuel." She is the founder of the award-winning publishing imprint VS. Books that supports emerging BIPOC writers. A seven-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, Shraya lives in Treaty 7 territory, where she is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Calgary.