Over the last 10 years, NC Scribes writers’ group has grown in attendance and talent. Founded by author Ellen E. Kennedy, the group’s dedicated authors range in age from twenty-one to eighty plus. Until Covid-19, NC Scribes met in person every Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. When they could no longer gather in person, the group leader learned—by trial and error, and with some expert tutoring—how to conduct Zoom meetings, and each member navigated their electronic devices to join.
Weekly, the authors mentor each other and offer constructive criticism for one another’s work. They have penned over 35 books and more than 45 contributions to Chicken Soup for the Soul books and other magazines. The genres are wide-ranging: mystery, military history, poetry, devotionals, historical fiction, and humor, to name just a few. Several have won literary awards. “Whatever the genre, regardless of the participant’s age,” comments founding member Nancy Panko, “we are all equal when we are in front of that screen on Friday mornings. Some have called the weekly gatherings therapy sessions, and often they are.” Group members have collectively supported others in the group experiencing personal crises and similarly rejoiced in other’s successes. Not only do they listen and give constructive critique, but they pray for each other.
In the summer of 2020, the youngest member of the group, Emily Dykstra, mentioned that it would be nineteen years since the 2001 terrorist attack on our country and suggested, “What if we put together a book of our thoughts and impressions of 9/11 in time for the twentieth anniversary?” The members responded with enthusiasm. After all, they are writers, in varying stages of their careers. Thus, the writing of 9/11 That Beautiful, Broken Day began.
In the introduction, Ellen E. Kennedy writes: “September 11, 2001, is one of those ‘Where were you when you heard?’ events. Most writers in the NC Scribes are of retirement age, so the Kennedy assassination is the one they remembered most. For their parents, it was Pearl Harbor. But 9/11 trumps them all for shock, anger, tragedy, and fear.”
Once the writing was underway, the members decided to donate all online proceeds from sales of our book to a charity. With seventeen writers contributing to the literary effort, it seemed the logical thing to do considering the subject matter in the book. Since they are a Fuquay Varina-based organization, some members were aware of the good work done by a local non-profit, Military Missions in Action. As a group, we decided to keep our donations in the community to help our neighbors in need.
The authors in this group have written true stories, essays, and poems that reflect a wide variety of emotions, insights, and perspectives. One writer watched as the doomed flight 93 flew over her house in Pennsylvania. A mother living in a strategic town frantically demanded her child be released from school lockdown; and another contributor, a police detective, watched with pride as his fellow first responders ran towards the catastrophe, not away. This compilation has been characterized by several readers as “gripping” and “inspiring.”
As a group, the seventeen authors hope that this book will inform subsequent generations of the impact that the events surrounding 9/11 had on everyday Americans who live in “flyover country.” They particularly want younger Americans to know that the day after the attacks, American flags were flying from every house and business across the country. The nation was united in shock, grief, and a profound sense of patriotism. Citizens stood shoulder to shoulder against an unseen enemy and had faith that the country could come together in solidarity.
9/11 That Beautiful, Broken Day is the result of an inspired suggestion, put forth by a young woman whose memories of September 11, 2001, are mostly gathered from family stories and photographs. We were all eyewitnesses to history, no matter where we were and when we heard.
“When things are scary, look for the helpers,” the beloved Mr. Rogers said, quoting the sage advice of his mother. Therefore, 9/11 That Beautiful, Broken Day, is dedicated to all those who helped during and after that terrible day.
The Burdens of 9/11
by Nancy Wakeley
I feel the burden of the hero—
of men between fire and falling,
flying and falling,
fighting and falling.
I feel the burden of the hunter—
of souls in wreckage
men in caves,
clues in common life.
I feel the burden of the leaders—
who separated for safety,
joined for strength,
whose voice was not heard but whose will was
done,
and the burden of a people stunned and
sorrowful,
renaming fear and caution,
hope and justice.
The Snow Globe
by Linda Loegel
Once upon a time
I lived in a snow globe
It was a peaceful time and place.
There was snow, but it wasn’t cold.
Birds sang, flowers bloomed,
People were happy.
Then one day,
One fateful day,
Planes crashed into my glass dome
And shattered it to pieces.
Instead of snow,
Ash
Was now falling from the sky.
Jagged pieces of glass lay in a heap.
People cried as their world,
Like mine,
Shattered,
Never to be the same again.
What a Difference
a Day Makes
by Nancy Panko
I was getting ready to go to work and gazed out the kitchen window to take in the gorgeous September day in central Pennsylvania. A news bulletin broke into regular programming on the TV announcing that at 8:46 a.m. an airplane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. My heart skipped a beat. I tried not to panic. My husband was in the city on one of his routine business trips. The house phone started ringing with our children wanting to know where their father was. They became distraught when I told them. I started making phone calls and it seemed like an eternity before I eventually heard his voice telling me that he was safe.
As I hung up the phone, I glanced out the kitchen window to see a large passenger plane flying over our valley. I thought it odd because, although we were in a flight pattern for west-bound aircraft, planes were usually at a much higher altitude. At the same time, a voice on the television reported that aircraft all over the nation were being grounded. I had a strange sense of foreboding. A short time later, a hijacked plane crashed in Shanksville, Pa., one hundred twenty miles from my house, killing all aboard.
[…]
The next day, September 12, 2001, flags were flying from every home and business across the country. We were a nation united in grief, anger, and shock but we stood shoulder to shoulder as patriotic Americans.
