PANDEMIC-INSPIRED READS. Although the pandemic isn't over yet, a number of local authors and writers have explored reactions, feelings, thoughts, and put them down to paper to remember the turbulence of the past year and a half. (Submitted photos)

1. Project Bloom: Diverse Reflections On Surviving the Pandemic  

This anthology explores resilience and growth during the pandemic, capturing diverse perspectives of those living through the pandemic. Proceeds from the sale of each book will be donated to agencies supporting mental health issues. Contributors include local writer and disability activist Katherine Schneider and poet Peggy Trojan, among others. Snag a copy on Amazon or at The Local Store.  –Rebecca Mennecke

2. Hope is the Thing: Wisconsinites On Perseverance In a Pandemic

As the pandemic hit in early March 2020, director of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild B.J. Hollars sent out a request to local writers to respond to a prompt: Inspired by Emily Dickinson’s “ ‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers,” Hollars asked local writers to share what gives them hope in the form of prose or poetry, resulting in this collection, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, which is set to release in September.  –Rebecca Mennecke

Check out an upcoming reading on Oct. 7 at The Local Store, featuring a number of contributors.

3. As If Labyrinth: Pandemic-Inspired Poems

Chippewa Falls author Jeannie E. Roberts released a new poetry collection that grapples with her response to the pandemic. A tube of lipstick, a spring wildflower, and a long-ago trip to Mexico all encourage us to examine the “fragility of connection” in our world. Roberts’ work lets us into a world that encourages us to forge on through whatever circumstances come with resilience, retrospection and grace. Snag a copy at The Local Store. –Jessi Peterson