katie howie

::

by_a.thread

::

authentic portraits

::

inspired styling

::

about katie
katie howie

::

by_a.thread

::

authentic portraits

::

inspired styling

::

about katie

by_a.thread :: pandemic stories


a living history of
a 21st century American community exploring what it means to be human during a global pandemic.

we're all connected by a thread.

logistics manager

Jun 12, 2020

logistics manager

" ...Everything you see and touch in your home, work, neighborhood, is shipped from somewhere. Moving cargo from Point A to Point B is not easy... My job demands me to be a controller of everything. The Pandemic is such a hard lesson- we really can control only so much..."

Read More
project manager - apartment management

Jun 11, 2020

project manager - apartment management

" ...I was born and have lived in a place of privilege, that until the last decade of my life and the Black Lives Matter, and Me Too movement began, I wasn't really, truly, aware of... Unworried, unhurried, by the thought that it could be one of MY children or loved ones who suffer similarly..."

Read More
love your neighbor

Jun 10, 2020

love your neighbor

On the way to tell a story... The Church of St. Mark, Merriam Park, St . Paul, Minn.

Read More
human together

Jun 10, 2020

human together

Human. Together.

Read More
registered nurse

Jun 09, 2020

registered nurse

"...She turned to me, laughed loudly, and said, 'Anna! This is what black people experience EVERY DAY! This is so good for all you white people - to be afraid for your lives!'  

THIS is white privilege..."

Read More
school's out!

Jun 09, 2020

school's out!

...Thank you to all the fantastic teachers, staff, kids and parents. The Pandemic has made my family realize how truly Essential school is to the fabric of our communities and to each child's success...

Read More
nail technician

Jun 08, 2020

nail technician

" ...Since The Pandemic I’ve become more reclusive and OCD about being clean. It got even worse when my father contracted the Covid 19 virus which eventually took his life in early May. It hits different when it hits home..."

Read More
rest in power

Jun 08, 2020

rest in power

Flowers from the garden of a by_a.thread participant. Rest in Power, Mr. Floyd.

Read More
small liquor store owner

Jun 07, 2020

small liquor store owner

"...George Floyd’s murder is so close for our family. My husband... is always so conscientious about his actions. I have teased him about his cautiousness myself. George Floyd died 4 blocks from where we used to live (a place we still own). His death turns the teasing into poison in my mouth..."

Read More
one day at a time

Jun 03, 2020

one day at a time

Learning. Listening. Supporting. CHANGING. 

One day at a time. Black Lives Matter.

Read More
black voices must be heard

Jun 02, 2020

black voices must be heard

Listen. Learn. Donate. Repeat.

Read More
true peace

May 31, 2020

true peace

...It's Essential that we all show up for the Communities of Color in our Twin Cities and throughout our nation. White silence is violence.

Consider donating - Wait. Don't just consider it. DO IT. DONATE to the following:                                       

@blackvisionscollective

@mnfreedomfund 

@aclumn 

@blklivesmatter 

@mnfoodshare

Read More
one love

May 30, 2020

one love

Groveland Barbershop, Macalester-Groveland, St. Paul, Minn.

Read More
no place for hate

May 30, 2020

no place for hate

Hate has NO PLACE in Minnesota. Sign by ahava Creative Co.

Read More
oh, minnesota

May 29, 2020

oh, minnesota


Read More
recreation services manager

May 28, 2020

recreation services manager

"...We have employees staffing homeless shelters, serving meals to the community, providing interpretation services, developing virtual programming and figuring out how we address community needs for summer...I think we’ve seen a lot pride, resiliency and caring for one another..."

Read More
critical care & interventional radiology registered nurse

May 27, 2020

critical care & interventional radiology registered nurse

" ...I’m more tired than ever due to long stacked shifts and find it hard to engage when I’m at home due to exhaustion... However, I’m incredibly grateful for my job and passionate about the work I do. Now, more than ever, I believe I was made to be a nurse..."

Read More
classically trained french pastry chef

May 26, 2020

classically trained french pastry chef

" ...I was brought up to thrust my wisdom into the elderly. They are living libraries. Our elders are hit harder than anybody else by the pandemic... I am worried about the elders leaving us so soon when they are supposed to enjoy their time with their kids and grandkids..."

Read More
"i can't breathe."

May 26, 2020

"i can't breathe."

Black lives matter.

Read More
i tira mis u, too

May 25, 2020

i tira mis u, too

due focacceria, St. Paul, Minn.

Read More
seventh grade science teacher

May 25, 2020

seventh grade science teacher

" ...My struggle has been with the existential crisis of what it means to teach science... Good science education doesn’t happen through a screen. I need my students in front of me. They need a lab group to work with. We need each other..."

Read More
photographer & stylist

May 24, 2020

photographer & stylist

"...Telling the stories of our Essential Workers is the best thing I have ever done as an artist. It's given me a way through the pandemic and a way to be of service to others..."

Read More
popcorn saturday

May 23, 2020

popcorn saturday

The Grandview Theatre, Macalester-Groveland, St. Paul, Minn.

Read More
brewery sensory coordinator

May 23, 2020

brewery sensory coordinator

"...We can argue amongst each other all day, but we’ve recently had to have arguments with ourselves... And I think we’ve come to see that life is less binary than we once thought. We can hold different viewpoints at once. And we can change our minds given new information. I pray we remember that..."

Read More
sidewalk swap

May 22, 2020

sidewalk swap

Found while on the way to tell a story...

Read More
clinical professor of psychology

May 21, 2020

clinical professor of psychology

"...Right before the pandemic, my wife and I became first-time parents...To have a pandemic interrupt many of those first-time experiences has been hard, but it has also allowed us to figure it out what works for us..."

Read More
certified nurse-midwife

May 20, 2020

certified nurse-midwife

"...Midwifery literally means 'with women', and since the pandemic began I cannot be with women in the same way. They can't see my face behind a mask. I hate to admit that I don't want to be in their room, sitting with them in their labor bed, for hours on end like a midwife should be..."

Read More
grocery worker

May 19, 2020

grocery worker

"...We are trying really hard to keep everyone safe. We are not being careless about wearing masks and we are constantly wiping things down with disinfectant. Because of The Pandemic I feel like I’ve grown more responsible and I have more pride in my work..."

Read More
shine on

May 19, 2020

shine on

Spyhouse Coffee, Macalester-Groveland, St. Paul, Minn.

Read More
family medicine physician

May 18, 2020

family medicine physician

"...Currently I sometimes feel safer working at the hospital or clinic than I do at the grocery store. In the healthcare settings I know what I am exposed to and how to prevent it. In the grocery store, there are people who think they don't need to take appropriate precautions..."

Read More
...connected by a thread

May 18, 2020

...connected by a thread

"What was it you always said?

We're connected by a thread..."

The National, The Pull of You

Read More
salon owner & stylist

May 17, 2020

salon owner & stylist

"...My shop has been closed since March 18 until further notice. But, there has been some good. I am now fully stocked up on family time... However. I’m angered by the way this administration has handled just about everything... "

Read More
letter carrier

May 15, 2020

letter carrier

"...I worry most about customers who are alone. Most of the closest relationships I’ve had day to day on my routes have been with elderly people who live alone... knowing that I might be the only person they talk to for that day, I treasure that contact..."

Read More
emergency medicine physician

May 13, 2020

emergency medicine physician

" ...it's OK to come to the ER if you don’t have Covid-19 but are concerned about other symptoms you are experiencing. We will do everything we can to try to prevent you from becoming infected while we diagnose the myriad of other dangerous conditions that cause illness and death... "

Read More
no contact. delivery only.

May 13, 2020

no contact. delivery only.

But we were born for Connection. Where does that leave us?

Read More
flight attendant

May 12, 2020

flight attendant

"...The uncertainty of it all is of course terrifying. The airline industry always has its ups & downs, (see what i did there?) but... simply not knowing if i will have a job due to furloughs in a few months is scary..."

Read More
priest in the episcopal church

May 11, 2020

priest in the episcopal church

"...I have been so inspired by members of our faith community who are loving and serving others in innovative ways that are safe, loving, and ethical... Thanks to virtual meeting platforms, phones, and the United States Postal Service we can remain spiritually connected and engaged..."

Read More
mothers

May 10, 2020

mothers

Hey, Moms! You are loved. And so, so Essential ❤️

Read More
digital & technology solutions manager

May 10, 2020

digital & technology solutions manager

"...I struggle with how COVID-19 deaths are talked about in relation to the aging population. The statistics thrown around about how the majority of deaths are due to the elderly and care facilities. These are our most vulnerable people, they are loved, they are cherished, they are important..."

Read More
theater teacher & director

May 09, 2020

theater teacher & director

"...When the pandemic first happened, I had no idea how I was going to teach these classes... My students deserve a similar (if not better) experience than students who have taken these courses in the past. So I'm working my butt off to keep the classes active and interesting..."

Read More
magic exists...

May 07, 2020

magic exists...

"Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars..."

Read More
home health RN case manager

May 07, 2020

home health RN case manager

"...I cannot disconnect from the feelings that my patients feel. If I did I think it would be time to change careers. But in the meantime; it leaves me drained which leaves my family with a lot less of what they so badly need right now..."

Read More
chef & writer

May 06, 2020

chef & writer

"...Hospitality people are born hustlers - we know how to pivot and persevere - but things are going to be very different and very difficult for a long time coming. There’s going to be a lot of reckoning, re-examining and reinvention..."

Read More
critical care nurse practitioner

May 05, 2020

critical care nurse practitioner

"...people with Covid19 are some of the sickest people I've cared for in my 18-years in critical care... I've seen people pull through and leave the ICU waving to us. I've also seen the other side. We try everything we know to do and it still doesn't work. And it's crushing..."

Read More
lt. col. - air guard minnesota

May 05, 2020

lt. col. - air guard minnesota

Lt. Col David Raab prefers the image to appear without a quote.

Read More
chief of staff

May 04, 2020

chief of staff

"...I worry for my husband who has a weakened immune system. I worry for my children who are missing their friends, and feel like this will never end. I worry for my grandmothers who are 85 and 93, living alone and in assisted living (respectively)..."

Read More
hospital medicine

May 03, 2020

hospital medicine

"...The hospital is always a scary place but right now it’s an especially lonely, scary place not just for the patients but also for all the staff... I fear that people will return to their self centered ways and forget the vulnerable, forget the suffering and forget that feeling of just wanting to help..."

Read More
all out of toilet paper

May 02, 2020

all out of toilet paper

Read More
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6

chapters

early pandemic murder of george floyd & civil unrest pandemic summer & covid fatigue back to school pandemic election surge, restrictions, & pandemic holidays winter solstice & vaccination arrival inauguration & a national strategy a new normal

recent stories

waiting
Apr 07, 2021
following the thread (vaccination) :: lieutenant governor
Apr 05, 2021
registered nurse & mother
Apr 05, 2021

© 2022 katie howie
 all rights reserved

Made with Pixpa
Share
http://www.katiehowie.com/byathread?page=5 Copied