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If you’re able, we hope that you’re staying home and practicing social distancing to help flatten the curve of COVID-19. It may not feel like it, but it’s one of the best ways to help your neighbors here and across the globe during this pandemic. If your job or other aspects of your life make it impossible for you to stay home, we appreciate your service and hope you’re practicing good hygiene etiquette. And if you don’t have a home at which to stay, this Street Sense article has a bevy of resources. Know that we care about you and we’re thinking of you.
City Paper is practicing social distancing too, but we want to make it a little more social, a little less distant, and a lot less boring. That’s why we’re starting this City Paper Arts Club! Over the coming weeks we’ll be watching movies and TV and reading books together and discussing them. And we want you to join us! Read and watch along with us and participate in the conversation. Everyone could use some group arts and culture therapy during this unprecedented time.
Here’s how to participate:
Tonight, (Wednesday, March 18) at 6:30 p.m. we’ll be watching The Day After Tomorrow. It’s a disaster film with a surprising amount of heart, showing that listening to scientists is imperative and coming together to save ourselves is our duty. You can stream it on HBO Go or rent it from most video on demand providers. Arts editor Kayla Randall and multimedia editor Will Warren will discuss the film in the coming days. To participate in the conversation, share your thoughts and questions on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #CityPaperArtsClub, and we’ll incorporate them into the discussion!
We’re also reading The Plateau by Maggie Paxson. It’s a book about a real community in France that consistently rises to the occasion and offers refuge in the face of crisis. We could all use a story like that now. Get your copy of the book (we recommend purchasing it from a local store or as an audio book) and start reading. Join in the conversation using the hashtag #CityPaperArtsClub by March 30!
Our second movie and book pairing will be 28 Days Later and The Water Dancer, for those of you who like to get an early start.
We’re all in this together. Be safe, be kind, and we’ll see you (virtually, of course) this evening to watch our first movie!
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