Is there an ‘after the virus’, or is covid-19 and a world of future pandemics simply something we will have to live with for an indefinite period of time? In all honesty, no one knows the answer to that, which is why it is so destabilising.

The covid pandemic poses huge challenges for Scotland – but also a unique opportunity to rethink who we are as a country, where

we are heading, and how to restructure our economy, culture, politics and relationships in addressing the deep disparities the virus has exposed. Bringing together the unique voices of some of our best creative writers, poets and commentators, this book makes a significant contribution to rethinking our future. It explores what ‘after the virus’ could look like, and how it might be possible. Here are the hopeful voices we need for a time of both uncertainty and exploration.