We are now a few weeks past the cosmic event that rocked Northeast Ohio. To be honest, I’m still shaken up from the awe of watching the sun flash into that darkness, surrounded by the bright corona. The moment stopped time, made me feel like I was one tiny ant in the vastness of the universe. I was crying and trembling, and I think my husband just wanted me to shut up so he could listen to Pink Floyd.
Photo by Ed Dubiel, my long-suffering spouse
I had so much anxiety leading up to the eclipse. During the last North American eclipse, in 2017, there was a stampede on glasses at libraries across the country. Here in Ohio, we only had a partial, but we also did not have glasses at my library. We fended off hundreds of questions, and that only escalated on the way to 2024’s. We were preparing for this event for literal years.
I also didn’t realize how controversial the eclipse would be in terms of watch parties and traffic, so of course I was stressed about everyone making it home okay. It turned out that Cleveland didn’t even get the brunt of the travel. Many people went to the south, and they ended up getting severe thunderstorms. Here, we had a beautiful day. I still can’t believe how wonderful it was.
I have to say, though, I was honored to be asked to write about the eclipse. Editor Kaye George has brought together a group of talented authors to create eclipse-based anthologies. My story “Date Night” appears in the 2017 anthology, DAY OF THE DARK; “Dark X” appears in this year’s, DARK OF THE DAY. I wrote these stories before I realized how powerful totality would be, but I hope I did it justice.
Proceeds from these anthologies go to EarthSky, a website dedicated to all things astronomical. If you want to support a good cause and escape into these great stories, pick up a book (or two!)
Buy DAY OF THE DARK
Buy DARK OF THE DAY
My library is also participating in glasses recycling with Astronomers without Borders, and since it was posted on their website, we are receiving glasses from all over the country. They will be shipped to folks who want to watch the annular solar eclipse in South America later this year. So the glasses craze has not yet ended, but it’s wrapping up. And now so many of us know what it’s like to be reduced to a grain of sand in this incredible universe.