Book Launch - Stronger than the Storm: Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina

Join Buncombe County Special Collections in celebrating the launch of Stronger Than The Storm: Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina! 

A book discussion will include editor Shelley McKechnie, writers, and artists. This free event will be held in Pack Memorial Library's Special Collections Reading Room in partnership with Malaprop's Bookstore / Cafe.

About the book: In September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, then roared hundreds of miles inland to the mountains of western North Carolina. Record-breaking winds, rain, and floods damaged or destroyed homes, businesses, roads, and forestland across the region. More than 100 neighbors lost their lives. Power and water were out for weeks. North Carolina's governor called it "the worst storm in our state's history."

To start to process the devastation, more than two dozen of the region's finest writers and artists turned to their craft in the first few weeks after the storm. They've distilled emotions and events that are far too big to convey in photos or videos, and have captured the sense of selfless community spirit that has now enveloped our mountain towns.

Includes full-color artwork, essays, and poems.

All book profits benefit local recovery efforts.

Shelley McKechnie lives in Asheville, NC. She's run three companies, held leadership positions in several others, led a global nonprofit organization, worked as a photojournalist, and has written more than 100 by-lined articles for national magazines. In partnership with a Gambian community organization, she started an entrepreneurship program for teen girls in West Africa that's still going strong and is now led by program graduates. Shelley holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA in English from Cornell University. In 2015 she was selected for the inaugural class of Presidential Leadership Scholars, a joint initiative of the presidential libraries of Presidents George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and Lyndon Johnson. She enjoys long-distance bike riding and is working to expand the greenway network in North Carolina. Her favorite role is mom.