I'm happy to announce my new book, which is titled AfterShock, and which is a compilation of a sketchbook/journal that I kept in the year of recovery after Hurricane Helene devastated our part of the country, its epicenter passing over our little unincorporated town of Swannanoa. The year was difficult, as you can imagine, but it changed not only the course of our rivers and our mountainous landscape; Helene also shed light on weaknesses of our infrastructure, of the siting of many of our buildings, and of our preparedness for natural disasters such as no electricity or water for many of us for very long periods of time.
In spite of the derangement and dislocation of this time, there were joyous events, lovely plants, surprising beauties; and these latter form a main focus of the book. The practice of finding something beautiful every day in spite of collapsing buildings and overturned trees made this period a life-changing event that was not all bad.
If you're interested in owning a copy of the book or have any questions, comment below. I have a limited number that I can sell to you; you can also order a copy from Bookshop.org, the online sales arm of independent booksellers.
