Who We Lost: A Portable Covid Memorial

Poet Greenwald (Other Prohibited Items) offers a touching tribute to people who have died of Covid-19 and a helpful guide for those who wish to memorialize them. In the first few months of the pandemic, Greenwald created WhoWeLost.org as a memorial space for people to honor their loved ones and “to find meaning in the loss or transform it into something fulfilling.” Some of the stories detail the onset and progression of the disease; others don’t mention it at all. Catherine Wright Flores recalls how her father, a pilot, dealt with the grief of losing his wife to cancer by flying other patients and their family members to the Houston cancer center where she was treated. Elsewhere, Kim Kuperschmid reflects on the twice-weekly brunches she shared with her father, New York City anesthesiologist Max Hoffman describes intubating a Covid-19 patient (“our collective sigh of relief muffled by the whir of the ventilator working harder than it ever has”), and Pastor Mera Cossey Corlett remembers wrestling with her own bout of Covid before her friend succumbed to the disease. In the book’s final section, Greenwald offers writing prompts, such as recalling a loved one’s favorite recipe or addressing them in a letter. Poignant and practical, this is a wonderful resource for those seeking an outlet for their grief. (May)