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This is not an interview episode. This is me, Alexa Bigwarfe, speaking from the heart on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, honoring two women in the Women in Publishing community who took their grief and turned it into books that matter. Ann Van Hine's husband Bruce, an FDNY firefighter, responded to the towers and never came home, leaving her to rebuild a life with two young daughters. Her book, Pieces Falling: Navigating 9/11 with Faith, Family, and the FDNY, is the story of that rebuilding, and it has earned her a platform as a speaker and voice for 9/11 families and first responders' spouses. Holly Little lost her brother on 9/11 and spent 25 years processing that loss before publishing 9/11: Reflections of the Past 25 Years, which releases today. Both authors embody the mission of Women in Publishing: to amplify women's voices and show that grief, when channeled into storytelling, becomes a way to honor the dead and help the living. Alexa also reflects on her own 9/11 story—serving in the Air Force when the towers fell, and how that day redirected the course of her career and her life. This episode is a reminder that the words we write, the stories we share, and the visibility we build around them are how we make sure the most important stories do not get lost.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Grief becomes purpose when you decide to do something with it. Both Ann and Holly took the worst days of their lives and built something that serves others. Ann moved into speaking and memorializing; Holly spent 25 years processing before she was ready to write. There is no timeline for grief, but there is power in choosing what to do with it.

First responders' families carry a particular grief. Ann's story is about rebuilding without the man she was supposed to spend her life with, and raising two daughters without their father. Being a first responder's spouse means living with daily risk; losing that person to that risk creates a specific kind of absence. Her book speaks to anyone who has lost someone they love to service.

Humanizing history is an act of resistance. Ann's work at the 9/11 Tribute Center Museum taught her that statistics and images are not enough; people need to see the individual lives changed forever by that day. When you write a memoir about loss, you are insisting that one person's story matters, and that person's absence is felt.

You cannot get invisible and expect your message to land. Alexa holds up Ann as a model for what amplification looks like: she pitches her story, does interviews, appears in media, has earned awards and reviews, and keeps showing up. If you write a book and do nothing with it, the book cannot do its work. Visibility is the price of impact.

25 years is not too late to tell your story. Holly spent a quarter-century processing her brother's death before she was ready to write. That timeline is not a failure; it is the time it took for her to be ready. The book comes out today, on 9/11's 25th anniversary, which means it will reach people who need it now, not years ago.

9/11 changed America, and it changed all of us differently. Alexa served in the Air Force when the towers fell. That day redirected her entire career path. For Anne, it meant becoming a widow and single mother at a specific moment in her daughters' lives. For Holly, it meant losing a sibling whose absence has shaped 25 years. The event is unified; the grief is specific to each person.

Books are how we tell people they are not alone. In a culture that loves stories—underdog wins, brave people, relatable journeys—books are the medium through which we say "I went through this too, and you will survive it." That is the work authors do, regardless of genre. That is why these two books matter on this day.

Remember means continue to lift each other up. Alexa's closing message is not about looking back in sorrow; it is about building community, amplifying voices, and making sure that the women in the publishing community and women everywhere know they are not alone in their grief or their resilience.

Ann Van Hine

Ann Van Hine's husband, Bruce, was an FDNY firefighter who responded to the towers on September 11, 2001, and never came home. Since 2006, she has volunteered as a docent at the 9/11 Tribute Center Museum, where she learned the importance of humanizing history. She is the author of Pieces Falling: Navigating 9/11 with Faith, Family, and the FDNY, which has earned a five-star Chanticleer Book Review award. Ann is a sought-after speaker who has built a visible platform through interviews, media appearances, and continued advocacy for 9/11 families and first responders' families. She continues to raise her two daughters and honor Bruce's memory through her writing and public work. Get the book here.

Holly Little is a lawyer, mother, and Bible teacher whose brother lost his life on September 11, 2001. She spent 25 years processing that loss before writing 9/11: Reflections of the Past 25 Years, published today on the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Her memoir invites readers to look beyond the statistics and images of 9/11 to honor the individual lives forever changed that day. Through her brother Todd's story, she explores how grief becomes purpose, how faith sustains us when answers do not come, and why remembering still matters. Find her book here.

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