In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene inundated western North Carolina with record rainfall that caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides, leading to more than a hundred storm-related deaths, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. Residents were without electricity and internet for days, if not weeks, and without drinkable water for almost two months. In the hurricane’s aftermath, residents gathered at Firestorm Books in Asheville, leaving supplies for those in need and information about where to find more. Without access to the internet, and with the roads leading out of the city rendered impassable, they sought assistance—and community—at the bookstore.
As Alyson Sinclair, publisher of the Rumpus, witnessed this heartening scene, she felt an uncertainty similar to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “When we had COVID,…
You're reading a preview of
Poets & Writers (Digital) - 1 Issue, March/April 2025