Next Time There's a Pandemic

by Vivek Shraya

"During my first post-lockdown massage we had the requisite chit chat about our lockdown experiences. He gushed: ‘Oh man. It was so great. Every day I woke up, drank coffee, read, rode my bike…’ This 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Canada, LGBT, Queer

56 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2022

About the author

Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, and film. She is the author of The Subtweet, Death Threat, even this page is white, The Boy & The Bindi, She of the Mountains, and God Loves Hair; and her best-selling I’m Afraid of Men was her­ald­ed by Vanity Fair as “cultural rocket fuel”. She is one half of the music duo Too Attached, founder of the publishing imprint VS. Books, and an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Calgary.

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We didn't quite make it
But we didn't quite break it
It's easy to walk away
And it's just as easy to stay

Both sides have their merits
But in any marraige
You gotta keep showing up - that's the work
You gotta keep showing up"

"This is why I strongly oppose the ways aesthetic is dismissed as superficial because this - often sexist - trivialization actually speaks to a missed opportunity to extend the art itself, and diminishes the work involved in creative direction."

[Lolz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short read about the way our lives changed during the 2020 pandemic - it still holds up in 2024

[Samantha Fraenkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5

[Reagan Kapasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

For when you want a short read that will make you mindful of others. Among other lessons, this book made me realize how problematic the slogan "stay safe" is - for folks who can't control how others treat them or how safe their home is (if they are fortunate enough to have one).

[Aarav · Rating 2 out of 5]

totally aware of her privilege during the pandemic, but somehow still manages to write like she's hearing only the echo of her own voice. felt like scrolling through a pandemic group chat where everyone’s replies are way too whiny, boring, and long.

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

In her book “I’m Afraid of Men”, Vivek admitted:

"After assessing the available options, eventually ! decided on Manpreet. Manpreet's long single braid, fuzzy sideburns, and tucked-in madras shirts placed her on the unpopular end of the nascent status spectrum. Sporting a mint-green string to hold up my glasses (at my parents' insistence), I was not much more popular than she was, but I sensed that she liked me, or at least looked up to me, since we were among the few brown kids in our split-grade classroom. She was also YOUNGER than me. She was the perfect TARGET.
Every night in bed, I plotted how I would approach Manpreet on the playground at recess and somehow COERSE her to kiss me, my hands holding either side of her head to PREVENT HER FROM ESCAPING. The day I decided to make my move, I found her near the bike racks under the light rain. I bumbled on about class for a while, waiting for the opportunity to follow through with my plan."

!!! Vivek admits to planning and fantasizing to sexually assault a younger and smaller girl !!!
Not all trans women - but if circumstances allowed, this trans woman would have raped a younger, smaller girl.

[Lil Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this expecting it to be about queer BIPOC community throughout the pandemic, and maybe at least a little critique of the Canadian government? (Which failed miserably at handling things). Instead it was just a lot about Vivek Shraya's cancelled gigs and her guilt throughout the pandemic over how good she had it compared to others. I really don't know how you can do an entire lecture on this topic and not even acknowledge the existence of disabled people once. Vivek Shraya is very talented but she wasn't the right choice for this lecture imo. It read as very liberal, individualistic, and trying to be palatable to the masses, which is the last thing we need brown trans femmes to be doing.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this quickly this morning and even though it's been a few years since this was written, I still think a lot of what Shraya says here is relevant and important to consider even today, in a world changed by the covid-19 outbreak. i know this was written to be a lecture, which is why it could be a brief as it is, but i do think this could have been stronger if it had been even just a bit more fleshed out when turning into a book. i wanted to really get deep into the discussions Shraya was having but i left each proposal with my hands not quite as dirty as i wished they could be. overall, though, i still think this is definitely still worth the read.

content warnings: covid-19 pandemic

[Littlebookterror]

A short piece by a talented writer that gives a look into how the pandemic shaped her, personally, but also us, collectively. Shraya's life might look very different from mine (I am not relying on live audiences and big meetups to get paid and I am not a creative person), yet her insights on how she tried to "use" the pandemic productively, the constant surveillance, and the change in how one can (and should) connect to others. It's a very specific perspective that I appreciated nonetheless.
It has wit, it has charm.

And it makes sense how distorted time feels because despite reading several of her other books before this one, I did not even realize that The Subtweet and the 10th anniversary edition of God Loves Hair both came out during that exact time.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big big big fan of Vivek Shraya. I want to read everything she's written! When I read her work, I am never sure if her prose is written for me or not. Usually I know either way. When I read Vivek Shraya's work, I feel invited into a space that isn't mine, and talked to so that I can understand what it's like from another perspective. She is brilliant.

Reading what the pandemic was like for Shraya fueled me to write about what it was like for me, but with her perspective and without all my surfacy *projected* gratitude.

Four stars because this was a very short book and didn't give me the gut punch I need for fives.

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broken into five sections of things that were done in the pandemic or should have been done. Part of a talk series that U of A does, and this one was done virtually because of Covid. I liked getting the perspective of a working artist and their challenges during the pandemic. I love seeing how other people handled the pandemic and what their thoughts are on it, and I especially liked the perspective of what they might do differently.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not fully relatable, of my time during the pandemic. Sounds more sad in reflection of how the artist was suffering, it was hard to read that mood. But gives us a view on how the artists tried to cope during the pandemic - it was hard on many people.a

Short book

[Sam Maciag · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read as we're still trying to get out of the pandemic. I'm curious how I'll feel about this after 10 years have gone by.

[Kab · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDvAn...

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like reading her essays,,, the writting is simple but thought-provoking

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth. I wish we would all “stay caring”…

[dreamgirlreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love you Vivek. My most favorite author discovered post pandemic.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Covers some good concepts, but not with near enough substance.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short read, and entirely too hopeful for my experience with the pandemic.

[Jonathan Manley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this hit home. The author has a very succinct way of striking to the heart of our experiences during the pandemic.

[Paige McClelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This was a very short book! It’s basically a transcript of a talk she shared during a COVID lockdown.

Recently I attended a talk with Vivek Shraya and fell in love with her warmth and openness. I can’t wait to read more by her, as her writing style is very similar to her speaking style.

It was interesting to read this book now that we aren’t in the throes of lockdown. I loved the main themes presented by Vivek. I have a newfound appreciation for what it was like for others who weren’t in my “bubble.”

Hopefully we don’t have another pandemic lockdown, but I think the themes/lessons that Vivek shares can be incorporated into how we treat each other now.