Join us online for a conversation with Michelle Fishburne, author of Who We Are Now: Stories of What Americans Lost and Found During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Michelle Fishburne did the unthinkable during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic: she motor-homed 12,000 miles all over the United States and sat down with hundreds of people face to face. People shared what their lives were like, what made them struggle, and what surprised them. The personal histories in this book show a diversity of American lives and offer a glimpse into what people across America lost and found during the pandemic's critical first year. Perdue Farms president Jim Perdue and Rehoboth RE/MAX agent Sharon Palmer are two of the 100 people featured.

Michelle Fishburne never intended to be an author. Sometimes life turns you upside down, dumps you on the floor, and asks, “so what are you going to do about it?” That’s what happened to Michelle Fishburne in 2020. In January, she suddenly lost some of her hearing and most of her balance. During the COVID-19 spring, she lost her job as the national director of public relations and partnerships for an organization she loved. In June, her youngest graduated from high school, making Michelle an official empty-nester. At the end of July, the lease on her house ended. Michelle moved all her stuff to storage because she did not know where she would work next, so buying or renting a house didn’t make any sense. No home, no job, no kids underfoot. That’s what she didn’t have. An RV, a camera, curiosity, and years of storytelling experience. That’s what she did have. And thus, Who We Are Now was born.

We invite you to support the author by purchasing a copy of their book from Browseabout Books by clicking HERE. Call-in orders are accepted at (302) 226-2665 or you can stop by the store to purchase a copy. For store hours, please visit their website. Each copy purchased comes with a signed archival bookplate.

NOTE: this meeting is being conducted through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER to receive instructions for joining the meeting.

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Basic written instructions for using Zoom may be found here and a brief video tutorial may be found here. Closed captioning is available for this session. Information on enabling closed captioning in Zoom may be found here.