Oliver wrote Alone Together during the COVID-19 pandemic. He writes:

The stay home advisories of spring 2020 required a re-wiring of our hearts. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we covered our smiles, stayed at least six feet away from each other, and learned to wave and bow instead of hug. Actions that used to be considered expressions of aloofness, suddenly became heroic. Staying at home was the best thing non-essential workers could do to be good community members. Deep loneliness joined a long list of hardships plaguing our nation. And yet, as with so many dark times in the past, hope and resiliency revealed themselves as magic beans. Friends and families gathered on video conference platforms. Musicians live-streamed concerts from their living rooms. And entire cities staged 7pm pep-rallies, cheering through their windows for front-line workers. Suddenly, we found ourselves alone together. We saw the greater good in our mutual isolation; we banded without bands; and through our separation, worked toward a bright new dawn.