Hope Is the Thing

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Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic

B. J. Hollars

A collection of essays and poems reflecting on the meaning of “hope” in the face of a crisis that hit everyone on both a personal and a global level.

216 pages, 5.5 x 8.5
Paperback: $24.95 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-977-2
Ebook: $12.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-978-9
Publication Date: 9/14/2021

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Description

In March 2020, as a pandemic began to ravage our world, writer and professor B. J. Hollars started a collaborative writing project to bridge the emotional challenges created by our physical distancing. Drawing upon Emily Dickinson’s famous poem “ ‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers,” Hollars called on Wisconsinites to reflect on their own glimpses of hope in the era of COVID-19. The call resulted in an avalanche of submissions, each reflecting on hope’s ability to persist and flourish, even in the darkest times. Hope Is the Thing gathers together these reflections in a powerful collection that underscores the power of resilience and community in times of crisis.

As the one hundred essays and poems collected here demonstrate, hope comes in many forms: a dad dance, a birth plan, an unblemished banana, a visit from a neighborhood dog, the revival of an old tradition, empathy. The contributors represent a cross-section of voices from across Wisconsin—from truck driver to poet laureate, from middle school student to octogenarian, from small business owner to seasoned writer. The result is a book-length exploration of the depth, range, and multifaceted definitions of hope, as well as an important record of what Wisconsinites were facing and feeling through these historic times.

Author Bio

B. J. Hollars is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and the founder and executive director of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. He has written more than ten books, including Wisconsin for Kennedy: The Primary that Launched a President and Changed the Course of History from WHS Press, and edited three anthologies. He lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.