Shelley McKechnie, Editor
After Hurricane Helene and the ensuing destruction, we all found our own ways to cope and to move forward. For Shelley McKechnie, writing was the answer. “It’s what I’ve always done to try to find equilibrium,” she says. “I thought others might be doing that, too. Once I had power back, I asked talented writers and artists to send me what they felt compelled to create in response to the storm.” She then compiled the contributions—essays, poems and artwork—into a book, with profits going toward local recovery.
Stronger Than the Storm also aims to serve as a balm to those who experienced the storm and its aftermath. “We’ve experienced a significant mass trauma together, and I hope the book sparks introspection and conversation so that together we can help each other recover,” McKechnie says. “For readers from afar, I hope the poems, artwork and essays help give them a better sense of what it was like here. Artists and writers are trained to distill powerful emotions and translate them to the page and canvas, and I’m grateful such talented people contributed to this book.”
All profits from sales of the book will be donated to a local nonprofit. In addition, book talks and readings have been held throughout communities, and more are planned. “The discussions are cathartic—the emotion is still raw, and it helps to talk through the mass trauma we all feel,” says McKechnie.
Stronger Than the Storm: Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, February, 2025, anthology, paperback, $24.99, published by Haw Creek Press, Asheville, NC. Learn more at HurricaneHeleneBook.com, or email helenewncbook@gmail.com.
