Illustrations by Giacomo Gambineri 5Cover artwork by Sophy Hollington
The ThreadI absolutely adore it when The Times pub-
lishes literary fi ction in its pages. Be it an
excerpt from a long novel or short stories, I
will devour that writing for a snack because
I always discover new works and authors
I’ve never heard of before. The July 12
issue, The Decameron Project, is delight-
ful, bittersweet and dreaded raw emotion
blended in an enduring smoothie of anx-
iety. I didn’t know what the Decameron
was, and I was thankful for the introduc-
tion explaining it. The stories forced me to
just sit and absorb. Mia Couto’s piece was a
verbal aurora that sticks with me long after
reading. I had never heard of him before
and now I want to read more of his writ-
ing. I’m still reading the issue as it’s taking
me some time to get through because of
the heavy subject matter and veil of dread.
But I enjoy the stories and really appreciate
the works. They help me express my own
worries about the chaos outside.
Maria, Jersey City, N.J.I had a very vivid dream on Saturday night.
I dreamed about my Sunday New York
Times arriving on my doorstep. As I took
out the magazine, it was fi lled only with
puzzles and no upsetting news. I sat next
to my father (recently deceased), working
on the puzzles, and we looked out together
at a beautiful pink sunrise. I was so happy.
After I awoke and retrieved my actual Sun-
day magazine, behold, it was fi lled only
with fi ction and illustrations. My dad was
still gone, but I spent the morning in a
fuguelike state reading beautiful writingcourse for juniors. Thank you for design-
ing this fascinating and imaginative
response to the pandemic.
Sara Brock, Port Washington, N.Y.I want to congratulate Mr. Victor LaValle.
I had tears in my eyes reading this story.
As a lover of New York City, I have always
enjoyed meeting people under the strang-
est of conditions. I must also confess that
while this was the fi rst piece by this author
I have ever read, it will not be the last. I
came across continents, traveled through
time — and I am glad to be here.
Anna OzerWhat an outstanding combination of cre-
ative words and art! The choice of Sophy
Hollington as the artist to interpret the
words of creative writers was inspired!
Thoughtful versatility in style and impres-
sive work! Thank you!
Giulio Maestro, Cornville, Ariz.When the pandemic started, I said to
my co-worker: ‘‘Well, I guess we have to
hole ourselves up and tell stories to pass
the time. You know, like in the ‘Decamer-
on’?’’ All I got for a reply was silence and a
blank stare. Thank you, New York Times,
for calling this The Decameron Project —
thousands of lonely English majors feel a
little less alone today.
MP, MichiganThe Decameron Project was riveting,
brilliant, bleak, heartbreaking and hope-
inspiring. Although the stories were
solicited for this time of pandemic, the
themes of love and death are universal
and timeless.
Sandra P. Th omas, Knoxville, Tenn.Send your thoughts to [email protected].‘Thank you for
designing this
fascinating
and imaginative
response to
the pandemic.’Readers respond to the 7.12.20 issue.RE: THE DECAMERON PROJECT
For our special all-fi ction issue, we asked 29
authors to write 29 new short stories inspired
by the pandemic.THE STORY, ON
INSTAGRAM
Make this a
Netflix special
@linsanitydesignthat took me away while also relating to
everything I was experiencing. The sun-
rise was resplendent. And I was so happy.
Keren Alpert, Naples, Fla.From the gripping cover art by Sophy
Hollington to the last story by Edwidge
Danticat, the July 12 Times Magazine
collection of fi ction was a delight and a
consolation, showing us the wide range
of our private lives during these Covid-
19 days. Wonderfully curated and full of
surprises and strong voices.
Marni JacksonI always start reading The Times Magazine
at the back — with the crossword puzzle
and Spelling Bee — so I kept reading from
back to front the delightful short fi ction,
fi rst by the authors I recognized and then
others that drew me in. Consequently, I
ended with Rivka Galchen’s introduction,
‘‘Lifesaving Tales.’’ This was a surprisingly
satisfying way to clarify the signifi cance of
what I had just read. I’m glad I encoun-
tered the stories as I did. I am glad I read
them under any circumstances.
Nancy Posey, Brentwood, Tenn.I ordered a ‘‘print to order’’ copy of The
Decameron, which arrived with not a
word of explanation other than an English
translation of Boccaccio’s work with foot-
notes. I read it as a very young person,
and again 50 or so years later I got to read
the original in order for your wonderful
magazine section to count.
Susan Black, Ann Arbor, Mich.I can’t put down this week’s issue of The
Times Magazine. I found The Decamer-
on Project so inspiring, and I would love
to use these stories with my students in
September as part of a creative-writing