Hope is looking forward to a daily visit from the neighbor's dog, noticing the consideration of fellow walkers who cross the street to give each other distance, or planting a garden that will take years to reach maturity and wondering what the world will look like then. For some it's a simple pleasure, a call to action, or a glimpse of empathy; it's backing bread without yeast or finding ways to connect with friends, family, and coworkers without breathing the same air. For others hope is found in the past-a life-changing skill honed in the wake of polio, or an Ojibwe dance of healing that provided comfort during a previous pandemic. As COVID-19 ravaged the world and changed our lives, the people of Wisconsin found myriad ways to hope, as captured in this collaborative writing project by writer and professor B. J. Hollars. Taking inspiration form Emily Dickinson's famous poem "'Hope' is the thing with feathers," Hollars called upon Wisconsinites to reflect on where they were finding hope in an era of lockdowns, social distancing, and fear of a deadly virus. One hundreds of their pieces are collected here, representing a diverse cross section of voices, from truck driver to poet laureate, from middle school student to octogenarian, from small business owner to seasoned writer.

The result is a book-length exploration of the depth and range of hope experienced in times of crisis, as well as an important record of what people were facing and feeling through these historic times. Book jacket.