Writing was a touchstone for Anne Lovering Rounds, Associate Professor of English at Hostos Community College, during the dark early aughts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In April and May of 2020, she dedicated herself to writing poems and prose reflecting on the pandemic in New York City, much of which is now featured in her newly published book of poetry, “Clearing the Stage: A Suite from/for Pandemic Times.” The chapbook is her third published work.
Published by Bottlecap Press, “Clearing the Stage,” is comprised of three parts: “Prologue,” “Specimens,” and 
“Not/Epilogues.” Poems in the “Specimens” section reflect the early stages of pandemic in the Spring of 2020, drawing language from Walt Whitman, and were written as part of an annual tradition held among faculty in Hostos’ English department. “Every April is National Poetry month, and for as long as I’ve been at the College, the creative writers in the department engage in writing a poem a day then. Since we were at home in April of 2020, I was able to do that more easily than in previous years,” she explained.
Rounds added: “As the pandemic was unfolding, it was difficult not to try to reflect it. I felt compelled to incorporate other New York voices of the past, to try to find some sort of grounding or tradition in a moment that felt like a new crisis.”
The sections “Prologue” and “Not/Epilogues” were prompted by a project she worked on with podcast producer and violinist Carson Marshall in May of 2020. Making more use of “you” rather than “I” in these works, Rounds invites readers to sit with the unrest and tension caused by the pandemic and release, rather than try to heal or absolve the trauma of the unprecedented time.
Rounds hopes readers will walk away feeling like poetry is accessible and relevant. “I’m inviting readers to consider their own experiences throughout the pandemic, by presenting this particular snapshot,” she shared.
Originally hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Rounds has been a member of the Hostos faculty since 2012. She graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in English and Classics and holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University. She has published two previous collections of poetry, her award-winning debut “Variations in an Emergency” and “Little Double Elegy for All of You.”
You can learn more about and purchase “Clearing the Stage: A Suite from/for Pandemic Times” here.