A first draft of history for 2020, told through three very personal efforts to find -- and keep -- human connection amid a pandemic.

We hear from 13-year-old Adiva Kaisary about how 2020 has complicated her relationships with her school friends and new neighborhood. Producer Veralyn Williams brings us a story from WNYC’s own reporter Cindy Rodriguez who faced COVID-19 head-on this year - while living alone as so many have. Finally, reporter Jenny Casas checks in with Chicagoan Niky Crawford, following a social experiment that they crafted to bring strangers in isolation together.

COMPANION LISTENING:

“An Invitation to Dream” (11/2/2020)An exercise in radical imagination for a post-Trump world, with some of our favorite guests.

“Rage, Grief, Joy” (6/18/2020)Stories about catharsis -- and the ways we gather to fight, to grieve, and to show up for each other.

“The United States of Anxiety” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. To catch all the action, tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on WNYC.org/anxiety or tell your smart speakers to play WNYC.

Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.

Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Lessons From a Year in Isolation

Notes from America with Kai Wright