Community-Published Book to Launch on First Anniversary of the Storm

Hot Springs, NC – On the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, the community of Hot Springs is releasing a book unlike any other: Through Our Eyes: A Community’s Photographic Memory of Hurricane Helene More than a traditional photo book, it is the collective story of a town battered by floodwaters, yet bound together by resilience, memory, and hope.

The book was created through an open call for photographs, stories, and oral histories from residents who lived through the storm and its aftermath. Hundreds of submissions poured in—from first responders and neighbors who helped pull families from danger-r, to snapshots of the rebuilding process that continues today. The result is a vivid, community-published record: A book built by Hot Springs, for Hot Springs, and one that resonates far beyond the mountains, offering a rare, ground-level view of how a community isolated by disaster turned inward- and to each other- to survive. 

Featuring over 200 curated images contributed by more than 45 community members, along with oral histories from those who helped lead the response in the days after the storm, the full-color book will be available at launch in both hardcover and paperback editions.

“This project is about more than remembering a storm,” said local Hot Springs community organizer Kevin Reese. “It’s about honoring the people who carried each other through it, and ensuring that the story is preserved for generations to come.”

The project is supported by a Digital Opportunities grant from Dogwood Health Foundation made available by the Spring Creek Community Center. In partnership with the Libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the eBook edition of Through Our Eyes will be made Open Access, ensuring that anyone can freely read and share it. In addition, the underlying source materials—including photographs, transcripts, and audio recordings—are being preserved and made openly available for researchers, educators, and future generations.

The book is also the first release from the Million Memory Project, a new publishing initiative dedicated to creating community-published books across Appalachia and beyond. Founded by publishing entrepreneur Mitchell Davis—previously a founder of BookSurge (acquired by Amazon and now Kindle Direct Publishing) and BiblioLabs (acquired by Lyrasis)—the Million Memory Project combines professional publishing expertise with grassroots storytelling.

“Books at their best preserve history, amplify voices, and bring communities together,” said Davis. “Rebuild Hot Springs embodies all of that. It shows what can happen when neighbors, institutions, and storytellers work side by side.”

Ingram Content Group will feature the project at the upcoming North Carolina Library Association Conference, highlighting its innovative publishing model as an example of how communities can take ownership of their own stories.

“Libraries are the living memory of our communities, and Through Our Eyes is a remarkable example of that purpose in action.  Ingram Content Group is proud to partner with the Million Memory Project and the Libraries at UNC-Chapel Hill to bring this beautifully produced print edition to readers alongside the open access digital version. This is what collaborative publishing at its best looks like — neighbors telling their own stories and the library community ensuring they endure for future residents to appreciate,” said Carolyn Morris VP, Ingram Library Services.

The Through Our Eyes: A Community’s Photographic Memory of Hurricane Helene book will officially launch the weekend of September 26–28, 2025, in parallel with one-year anniversary events in Hot Springs. Pre-release copies for patrons are available now, and the book will be available more widely after the launch events in late September.

For more information or to order a copy, visit www.rebuildhotsprings.org/book

Media Contact:

Kevin Reese
Rebuild Hot Springs Area
828-380-0201