On September 27th, 2024, residents in Swannanoa and all over Buncombe County woke up to find Hurricane Helene had transformed the landscape in ways that few ever imagined possible. Warren Wilson College was also among those affected, but would have been a story of tragedy and loss became one of hope and recovery. In this first-year seminar, we will use the impact of Helene as a springboard into learning about the many resources at your disposal within the greater Warren Wilson community. We’ll learn how the college has responded to adversity, we’ll talk about climate resilience, and we’ll look at the ripple effects this event has had on the residents of Western NC and try to put the impact into measurable contexts. What are our responsibilities to each other as citizens and residents of the Swannanoa valley, in the wake of the hurricane, and how is life different than it was before? How can we be better prepared for a similar event in the future, and what can be done in the meantime? The original writing component in this seminar is keyed to creative non-fiction and short essays, but short fiction and poetry are also possibilities. We will also dedicate some time every week to community engagement, in which we meet some of the folks in our community who were most affected by the storm, so we can hear their stories.
- Teacher: Alyssa Beckitt
- Teacher: Caleb Whitaker