Still Lives

"My mom leaves dinner outside my bedroom door on a wooden tray and knocks gently. I open and look down: It’s spaghetti with chicken. Once finished, I take the tray into the kitchen, thank her for the food, walk back into my room and close the door. My mother then wipes my bedroom doorknob vigorously with a disinfectant wipe, smokes a cigarette, and turns on the TV news. These are our family dinners since I came down with mild symptoms of what I can only assume to be COVID-19"

Photographer Brittainy Newman shared with us her 'deep story' about the difficulty of isolation, the importance of connection, and how this time became a creative relief for her.