On February 12, 2009, Continental Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence Center, near Buffalo, New York, killing 49 passengers and crew on the plane and one person on the ground. The year that followed the crash saw the families of the victims coalesce into a powerful voice demanding changes in pilot-training and flight safety. That same year also saw a major metropolitan community wrestling with its worst air disaster ever. The Empty Chair: Love and Loss in the Wake of Flight 3407 was published on the first anniversary of the crash and The Still Empty Chair: More Writing Inspired by Flight 3407 was published on the second anniversary. Edited by poet Gunilla Theander Kester and novelist and playwright Gary Earl Ross, The Empty Chair and The Still Empty Chair are not-for-profit titles, any proceeds of which will go toward the cost of a 3407 Memorial. These books are collections of remembrances, essays, and poems not only from the families and friends of several victims but also from the community. Amid the shock, grief, and calls for change, one thing that arose from the ashes of this tragedy is hope.
The Writer's Den, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-557-28906-6
164 pages, $12.00
The Writer's Den, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-257-09789-0
114 pages, $15.00
Daniel Kester, Gunilla Theander Kester, and Gary Earl Ross take part in the 3407 Memorial Walk from the crash site to the airport on February 12, 2010.
(Photo by Harry Scull of the Buffalo News)