Drabble Forms & Author Talk with Arlene Hemingway

Want to write and don’t know where to begin? Nurture your intuition? Or just have some FUN writing? Drabble writing may be for you! Derived from Monty Python’s Big Red Book, the drabble form is a short work of fiction—a complete story—with precisely 100 words, no more, no less. Sound easy? Surprisingly, it’s not! But you will learn to distill the essence of a situation and convey it with power and concision. You will also learn how to create a great drabble, and take a crack at your first! I promise it will be an adventure and bring you both new skills and insight. Got an idea for a book? Something that you needed to talk to someone about? A problem to solve? Drabbling can be a path for getting you there!

She will also be sharing from her book, A Twist of Lemon: 100 Curious Stories in Exactly 100 Words.

About the Author:
After graduating with a Master of Science Degree from Juilliard School of Music with a major in organ, Arlene became a piano teacher and a vocal music teacher in a Long Island public school system, and served as organist for religious services of various faiths. She performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Radio City Music Hall, worked numerous other musical events in New York, and launched a composer’s new work at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

Following her professional retirement from music, Arlene concentrated on other healing arts: She is a certified hypnotherapist and Reiki Master, and holds additional certifications in Regenesis (a method of reprogramming DNA) along with other techniques. During a visit to a writer’s group in Farmingdale, NY, Arlene discovered the “drabble,” a short work of fiction of precisely one hundred words in length. She was hooked! A recent move to the Asheville, North Carolina area gave her more room to breathe, listen, and write.

When asked about a relationship to Ernest Hemingway, her reply is often, “I’m the other Hemingway; the one without the six-toed cats.” Arlene has discovered that every person, place, or thing is rich with stories wanting to be told… and she has just scratched the surface.

Kids’ Comedy Tour: Wildly funny, this educational and entertaining tour features the perfect blend of Asheville’s history and kid-centric comedy. Geared specifically toward the 5–12 year old crowd, you’ll explore the town with our famously outlandish tour guides leading the way.

• Perfect for birthday parties
• Makes for memorable school field trips
• Tickets are $27 per person
• Beverages available for purchase at the LaZoom Room
• Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue

This musical comedy cabaret will have you questioning your dining dos and don’ts for years to come. After waiting tables for nearly 20 years, one-of-a-kind comedian Darron Cardosa created a blog to release his frustrations about the industry: Writing stories on the Internet, he explained, seemed better than attacking annoying customers with a fork. Now a widely renowned, side-splitting live show, Darron offers a glimpse into the inner monologues of tired waitstaff everywhere — all with a musical twist. Contains adult content.

Get Hypnotized as the “Most Asheville” Thing to Do in Downtown Asheville This Weekend. SATURDAY NIGHTS Hypnotist Jon Dee Show all the LAUGHS behind the Subconscious Mind. GUARANTEED to have a Fantastic Time but also to leave with more Hope, Smiles and Belief that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

John Crist is one of today’s fast-rising stand-up comedians, with more than one billion video views, over five million fans on social media and sold-out shows from coast to coast making Pollstar’s Top 100 Global Tours list in 2019 with over 197,000 tickets sold. Widely known for viral videos like “Honest Football Coach,” “Every Parent at Disney,” “Brands that need to be CANCELLED” plus hundreds more. John Crist has performed all over the world and in 2021 began his multi-city national theater tour called “Fresh Cuts” selling out theaters all over the United States. John has been seen on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, Barstool Sports, and Buzzfeed just to name a few.

In 2022, John released his second special “What are We Doing” on YouTube and released his best-selling book “Delete That” in the fall. John also has a weekly podcast called “Net Positive”. When asked where he finds the inspiration to write jokes, Crist says, “I grew up in the deep south, my dad is a pastor, and I was the third of eight homeschooled children. My first job was at Chick-fil-A. Coming from a background like that, how do you NOT write jokes?!”

And he’s on tour now!

This musical comedy cabaret will have you questioning your dining dos and don’ts for years to come. After waiting tables for nearly 20 years, one-of-a-kind comedian Darron Cardosa created a blog to release his frustrations about the industry: Writing stories on the Internet, he explained, seemed better than attacking annoying customers with a fork. Now a widely renowned, side-splitting live show, Darron offers a glimpse into the inner monologues of tired waitstaff everywhere — all with a musical twist. Contains adult content.

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

• Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
• 90-Minutes – tours run daily
• 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
• $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

Charles Davidson, minister and author of Foster’s Pie Pan: Stories of Grace Abounding in a Fallen World, will read from his new book and sign copies for purchase at Calvary Presbyterian Church. Profits from the event benefit Homeward Bound of Western North Carolina. Jim Lowder will speak briefly about the work of Homeward Bound.

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

• Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
• 90-Minutes – tours run daily
• 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
• $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

• Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
• 90-Minutes – tours run daily
• 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
• $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

WILD (Women in Lively Discussion) Book Club

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

• Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
• 90-Minutes – tours run daily
• 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
• $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

The Malaprop’s Book Club, hosted by Jay Jacoby, explores a diverse selection of fiction and nonfiction books determined by member suggestion. Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM. The club will meet virtually until further notice. To join the club, please email [email protected]

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

• Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
• 90-Minutes – tours run daily
• 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
• $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

Join us this month as we discuss Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.  We will meet in person at the Weaverville Library with the option to join in via ZOOM. Only ZOOM participants need to register.  Copies of this title are available at the library as long as supplies last. Newcomers are always welcome.

Crime and Politics Book Club

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

• Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
• 90-Minutes – tours run daily
• 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
• $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

Modelface Comedy presents AVL Underground Comedy

James Hamilton is one of the sharpest up-and-coming comedic voices in the country. He is an Emmy-award winning writer and is preparing to record his debut stand-up album with ASpecialThing Records. James currently writes and regularly appears on VICE TV’s Vice News Tonight. He was a co-writer for the feature-length documentary, The Neutral Ground (Tribeca Film Fest 2021, POV on PBS), which was executive produced by Roy Wood Jr. and nominated for an Emmy and a Critics Choice Award. James won The Moth NYC GrandSlam with his story on the topic of “Over My Head” and, before that, was a featured writer for NBC’s Scene Showcase. James was previously a member of the sketch comedy group Stupid Time Machine, whose work was featured in Funny or Die, Bustle, and Upworthy. He has performed around the country and at some of North America’s top comedy festivals, including San Francisco SketchFest, Austin’s Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival, and Toronto Sketchfest.

ages 18+

doors at 7:30, show at 8pm

Tickets $15 advance, $18 day of

The nation’s largest comedy club network, The Comedy Zone brings top-notch comedians to the stage for the best in late-night laughs! This weekend features headliner Reno Collier in the Tina McGuire Theatre at the Wortham. A former P.E. teacher, Reno has a unique outlook on life that endears him to a wide range of audiences. In addition to selling out comedy clubs nationwide and a half-hour special on Comedy Central Presents, his national tours look more like a comedian’s wish-list than a resume, including theater and arena tours with the legendary Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy. Reno’s past TV credits include NBC’s Late Friday, The Martin Short Show, and TBS’s Blue Collar Comedy: The Next Generation. Contains adult content.