By Nancy Lynée Woo
FROM: Long Beach Post

As we adjust to our new reality, poets, writers and arts organizations have quickly risen to the occasion, creating virtual opportunities for people to connect while isolated at home.

“Even though we’re physically separated we can still be very creatively close. There’s a lot we can do to stay connected,” said Danielle Mitchell, founder of The Poetry Lab which normally offers in-person, community poetry workshops.

Based in Pomona, The Poetry Lab got its start in Downtown Long Beach in 2013, the brainchild of Mitchell and the late Markus Manley, founder of WELabs.

Last week, when it became clear that social distancing could help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, Mitchell immediately sat down to rethink her approach. She was disappointed to cancel her upcoming events, but like many in the literary world, she noticed organizers and writers quickly pivoting.

“The ability to adapt rapidly to change is a creative trait,” she said. “We’re not sitting around saying, ‘Everything is canceled, the end.’ It seems like every hour something new pops up, some kind of virtual event that definitely wasn’t scheduled three days ago.” Read Rest of Article Here