Interview 042 with Lorna Martin

Listen to Black American Lorna Martin — from Brooklyn and now living in Queens, New York — talk about living as a retired New York City public school teacher during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her experience was “one of renewal: mind, body, and spirit.” She describes how learning to schedule her time using Google calendar allowed her to schedule poetry slams, poetry classes, book club events, and dance classes. She wrote a digital book with her grandchildren: “Conversations with G-Ma.” She scheduled weekly read-alouds with her grandchildren on her Google calendar. She also participated in “Art Across America” with friends and family, which included virtual Sunday gallery walks and Discord displays of their work. Listen to Lorna Martin talk about participating in a protest of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. In 2021 she drove to Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia visiting her son and family and friends. She flew to California to surprise visit her son and grandchildren. In February of 2021 she flew to Peru and climbed Machu Picchu. In May of 2020, sadly Lorna Martin lost a friend who fell in an airport in Florida and never came out of her coma. In 2021 Lorna Martin flew to Peru for her friend’s memorial. In December of 2020, sadly Lorna Martin’s only sibling passed away in South Carolina. She honored his life with a video and virtual memorial with family. She found her brother’s manuscript about his life story in his home, which she shared with her family. “I took an unhealthy situation and made it healthy.” -Lorna Martin sums up her pandemic experience. “We’ve got to hold on to our joy. Our joy is deep within…and if we hold onto our joy during those times, then we can also understand that we can move forward to help other people overcome what they’re going through.” -Lorna Martin