COMMUNITY NEWS: VCFA Alumnx Collection to Support Hurricane Helene Recovery
Author, editor, and VCFA MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults alumnx Nora Shalaway Carpenter (WCYA ’12) is set to release her latest anthology, SPINNING TOWARD THE SUN: Essays on Writing, Resilience, and the Creative Life, March 18, 2025 with Burlwood Books.
In addition to her award-winning young adult novels, Shalaway Carpenter has been at the editorial helm of several celebrated anthologies, including Rural Voices (Penguin Random House 2020) and her co-edited collection with fellow VCFA alumnx Rocky Callen (WCYA ’19), Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes (Penguin Random House 2023). SPINNING TOWARD THE SUN is one of Shalaway Carpenter’s most unique collections to-date, as it is not only a collection, but a call to action.
In response to Hurricane Helene—the tropical cyclone that caused widespread devastation across the Southeastern United States in late 2024—100% of the project’s proceeds will go to ongoing Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. The proceeds will be evenly distributed between the nonprofits Beloved Asheville and World Central Kitchen, “two key organizations dedicated to both long-term community rebuilding and immediate support for frontline workers and residents in the aftermath of Helene.” Shalaway Carpenter herself is based in Asheville, North Carolina, one of the communities most heavily impacted by Helene.
As Shalaway Carpenter writes of the collection, SPINNING TOWARD THE SUN features “… essays donated from a diverse group of nationally-celebrated authors and Western North Carolina powerhouse creatives, including New York Times-bestseller Alan Gratz, National Book Award finalist and two-time Newbery winner Erin Entrada Kelly, and Coretta Scott King & Newbery winner Alicia D. Williams. SPINNING TOWARD THE SUN is part craft manual and part life companion, offering both inspiration and hands-on guidance to fellow creatives and anyone dealing with tough times.
SPINNING TOWARD THE SUN also serves as a heartfelt act of solidarity, of how we can all play a role in helping heal our communities—and each other—when we need it most.”
Nearly a dozen VCFA voices came together to support this incredible project. WCYA alumnx Sean Petrie (WCYA ’11) (pictured left with Shalaway Carpenter) is the founder of the book’s publisher, Burlwood Books, “an independent press based in Austin, Texas, with a mission to foster accessible and inclusive art in all its forms.” In addition to the book finding its home with a VCFA alumnx publisher, the collection features writing from WCYA alumnx Nora Shalaway Carpenter, Sean Petrie, Sarah Aronson (’06), Tanya Aydelott (’19), Rob Costello (’12), Jess Rinker (’14), Lindsey Stoddard (’11), Linda Washington (’12), Lyn Miller-Lachmann (WCYA ’12), and writing from WCYA faculty emeritus Will Alexander and Liz Garton Scanlon. None of the project’s writers will receive any payment or proceeds from the book, additionally serving as a reminder, as Shalaway Carpenter and her team write, “… that we all have the capacity to help our communities—with our time, our energy, and our creative gifts.”
Support SPINNING TOWARD THE SUN today, and learn more about Nora Shalaway Carpenter at noracarpenterwrites.com.
Plus, don’t miss Nora Shalaway Carpenter and fellow SPINNING TOWARD THE SUN contributors Rob Costello and Erin Entrada Kelly on Thursday, March 20 from 5-6pm ET at their free, public, VCFA event, “How to Get Noticed by Anthologists.” The trio will cover the ins and outs of how writers contribute to anthologies. Read more about their upcoming event and register in advance here.