Just over a month ago, Voices of the Coronavirus Pandemic: The Chancellor Carine M. Feyten Collection began accepting submissions of items that would give voice to the emotions and hardships people have endured due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To date, 45 items including poems, photos, personal narratives, letters, podcasts and videos have been submitted to the collection. Faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members have submitted stories and creative works the may be viewed in the digital collection. Some of the items include:

• A photo of Cheryl Thaxton (nursing, Dallas) donning full personal protective equipment (PPE) including mask and face shield
• An Instagram story submitted by Kristin Clark (library), showing her “home office” — working from her kitchen table with her children nearby
• “Missing You When You’re Not Gone,” a poem by TWU student Karen Valero, written to her husband who is a health care worker
• A collage of photos of respiratory therapist Joa Christensen in PPE and showing the marks left by the equipment

The collection also includes communications from its namesake, TWU Chancellor Carine M. Feyten. The collection was named in her honor due to her position as a role model to others through her communications during the first few months of the pandemic. Kimberly Johnson, director of special collections for the TWU Libraries, said her staff has completed the addition of the chancellor’s communications from March, and the work is continuing.

“Because webpages and their content can change over time, we are making sure to harvest both physical and electronic copies of all the communications,” Johnson said. “We also will be reviewing all of the social media channels for the university to harvest posts relating to the coronavirus.”

Submissions to the collection continue to be accepted. Visit the collection website for more information.