Voices of the Pandemic: Your stories from a dangerous year

KUOW reporters have spent the last year passing the mic to you, collecting your stories in an ambitious oral history project called Voices of the Pandemic.

In this one-hour special, we listen back to some of what you've shared.

Washingtonians have adapted to Covid, but it hasn't been easy. The last year has been one of grief and hard-won joy, of isolation and fragile moments of togetherness.

In this special, we hear some of what you've shared so far.

We hear from nurses, patients; we hear from the isolated Makah tribe and from a man who whisked his elderly mother away to a remote cabin to keep her safe.

We also hear from a struggling student trying to learn English, a grief stricken pastor, and hear from people finding community by singing across vast distances. We hear from people who must work driving buses and delivering food, and from people who've changed careers or changed themselves.

Sit back and enjoy these stories. And then, consider this:

The pandemic isn't over, and we're not done listening. The situation continues to change, and so you will probably have more stories about how you've adapted.

How are you doing now, in this latest stage of the pandemic? Have you learned something about yourself recently that you hope to take into the time after Covid?

If you'd like to share, please fill out our story form. We may contact you to help us add your tale to the (hopefully) final year of our oral history project, Voices of the Pandemic.

Many KUOW Reporters gathered your stories for our Voices of the Pandemic oral history series and to this special. Those reporters include Kate Walters, Esmy Jimenez, Eilis O'Neill, John Ryan, Amy Radil, Ruby de Luna, Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong, Marcie Sillman, Carolyn Adolph, Alison Bruzek, Kristin Leong, Ashley Hiruko, Anna Boiko-Weyrauch, and Joshua McNichols, along with alumni of KUOW's Radioactive Youth Program Luis Hernandez Vargas, Morgen White, Jared Lam and Natalie Newcomb.

This special was written and produced by Joshua McNichols.

Carol Smith was the lead editor for this series, and this program's editors included Deb Wang and Brendan Sweeney.

Alec Cowan wrote the Voices of the Pandemic theme song, along with a few of the other songs used in this special. The remaining songs were licensed by MusicBed.