Asha Broetje Bairstow
This year has definitely been challenging for a number of reasons. In school, with classes and interactions entirely virtual, feeling unique, and like an individual hasn't happened easily. I am just a face behind a screen to many people I meet, so my sense of self has been greatly challenged and pushed. My laptop has become essential to my daily life, for my work and my relationships. I'm already not the most outgoing, social person, but losing the connections created by in-person classes has changed my relationship with school and those around me. Rarely leaving my bedroom because it's the only space I have to do my work, it has become easy to follow a monotonous routine and feel overwhelmed by the drastic shift in our lives. I, similarly to many others, have definitely been tested. I am now back home in Washington State, and this photo was taken of me with my dog in my bedroom. Being able to physically interact with different people than I have been these past few months, I think, will help me in many ways, but it may also create new challenges. Working on this anthology has pushed me to engage with and explore my role within society. It has encouraged me to take into consideration my positionality and intersectionality, and to recognize the diversity of experiences and perspectives out there. Moving digital and virtual has allowed for amazing approaches to literature, and I think it has allowed us to stay connected, which has been increasingly important throughout this quarter and this year.
