Journaling as a rights-based intervention during pandemic times: An interview with the creators of the Pandemic Journaling Project

Abstract The Pandemic Journaling Project (PJP) is a combined virtual journaling platform and research study that chronicles the experiences of ordinary people during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview, PJP cofounders, Sarah S. Willen and Katherine A. Mason, speak with PJP Postdoctoral Fellow Heather Wurtz about the role of human rights in how PJP was conceived, designed, and implemented. They describe how PJP contributes to a broader effort to advance social justice through the collection and preservation of archival accounts of historically underrepresented communities. Willen and Mason also share some insights into what they are beginning to learn about human rights from the contributions of PJP participants. They conclude with a brief discussion of how they plan to disseminate findings across academic and public arenas, as well as some of the next steps for PJP in terms of future research and social engagement.