The Wilma Dykeman Awards for UNDERREPRESENTED WRITERS

Celebrating Excellence in Writing

We have an award winner for 2025 ! María Edna Campos has written a poem, titled Juntos Somos Asheville, which captures the post-Hurricane Helene pain and resiliency of folks living in western North Carolina. See below for the author's English translation.
Together We Are Asheville
by María Edna Campos
  • Although we are not from here
    We are Asheville
    And those of us who are from Here
    We are Asheville
  • The surprise, the fear, the water, the tears,
         of those who were lost
    We were not Asheville but
          we suffered with Asheville
    Now we walk toward the future
    We are Asheville
    Together we console each other
         in our different languages and
         different cultures
    Together we are strong
    Together we are Asheville
    God willing
         Forward Together
María Campos and her husband had left Asheville on a trip to Texas 10 days before Hurricane Helene hit. They frantically tried to reconnect.
We look forward to amplifying voices that inspire and inform!
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