Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Winter BINGO!
Feb 21 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Fairview Library

Come one, come all—come kids and parents and teens and grandparents and…did I mention that everyone is invited? It’s BINGO time at the library once again! There will be corny jokes, zany prizes, and hardcore competition! Bring your neighbors! Bring your kids! Bring your neighbors’ kids!

Live Stream | James R. Hagerty presents Yours Truly: An Obituary Writer’s Guide to Telling Your Story
Feb 21 @ 6:00 pm
online w/ Malaprop's Bookstore

This live streamed virtual event is free but registration is required. Please click here to register. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.

If you decide to attend and to purchase books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!


YOURS TRULY
Someday, your life story is likely to be boiled down to a few lines. If you leave things to chance, your obituary is almost sure to be solemn, formulaic, and full of errors—an obligatory final chapter written in haste by others. James R. Hagerty, longtime obit writer for The Wall Street Journal, knows how to get the job done right: Do it yourself, starting now, while you still can.  In this heartfelt and reassuring guide, Hagerty explains how to preserve your personal history—from crafting a brief obituary for newspapers and websites, to a more thoughtful and detailed mini-memoir for those close to you. Through his personal stories, on-the-job anecdotes, and insights, you will learn what to include, what to leave out, and how to provide historical context, record oral histories and make the most of details, all with candor and wit. Best of all, you’ll find that reviewing your life story helps you think about what you’re doing with your time on Earth and whether you’re on the right path. It isn’t too late to improve the narrative with a stronger ending. Telling your story your way can be the best gift you ever give to friends and loved ones—and yourself.

James R. (Bob) Hagerty, who grew up in North Dakota, has been a staff reporter and editor for The Wall Street Journal for more than 40 years in the U.S., Europe and Asia. For the past seven years, he has written nearly 1,000 obituaries as the WSJ’s lead obituary writer. His guide to writing life stories, Yours Truly, grew out of that work as he noticed that many telling details and anecdotes are lost when people die. His advice: Don’t leave it to friends and families to sum up your life. For all their good intentions, they’re almost certain to make a hash of it. He also urges people to help others preserve their stories before it’s too late.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Celebrate Black Legacy Month
Feb 22 all-day
Buncombe County Libraires

Join us throughout February as we celebrate Black Legacy Month with programs and events for all ages! In addition to the programs listed below, we will have special story times and exhibits at most of our libraries.

  • Bright Star Touring Theatre: African Folktales – February 1 at 4pm at the Weaverville Library (for children ages 3 and up)
  • Book Club: Jazz by Toni Morrison – Thursday, February 2 a 3pm at the Weaverville Library
  • Book Club: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – Tuesday, February 7 at 6pm
  • Book Club: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict Tuesday, February 14 at 1pm at the Leicester Library
  • Book Club: Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland – February 16 at 2:30pm at the Skyland/South Buncombe Library
  • Book Club: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – February 21 at 7pm at the Fairview Library
  • Black Experience Book Club: The Furrows by Namwali Serpell – February 23 at 6:30pm at the Noir Collective, co-sponsored by the East Asheville library

Drop by your local library and check us out. Email or call if you have any questions.

Our librarians have also put together a Black Legacy Month reading list for all ages.

Black Legacy Month Reading List 2023

Books for Adults

Adult Fiction

  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
  • On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library edited by Glory Edim
  • What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harries
  • Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
  • The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honoree Fannone Jeffers
  • How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemison
  • Deacon King Kong by James McBride
  • Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
  • Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall
  • The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
  • Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
  • Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
  • Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Adult nonfiction

  • Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
  • Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black women in Popular Culture by Zeba Blay
  • The 1619 Project edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones
  • Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
  • Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby*
  • The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
  • All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
  • Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson*
  • You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin*
  • Counting Descent by Clint Smith
  • The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
  • Here For It by R. Eric Thomas*
  • Koshersoul: the faith and food journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty

*especially good on audio because the authors read their work!

Picture books for families to share

  • My Heart Flies Open by Omileye Achikeobi-Lewis
  • Only the Best: The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe by Kate Messner
  • My N.C. From A to Z by Michelle Lanier
  • Shhh! The Baby’s Asleep by JaNay Brown-Wood
  • Curls by Ruth Forman
  • Fly by Brittany J. Thurman
  • Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan
  • Build a House by Rhiannon Giddens
  • Bright Brown Baby, A Treasury by Andrea Davis Pinkney
  • Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

Chapter books for older kids

  • Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistBlended by Sharon Draper
  • Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor
  • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
  • Tristan Strong Trilogy (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Tristan Strong Destroys the World, and Tristan Strong Keeps Punching) by Kwame Mbalia
  • From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
  • Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia
  • Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
  • Operation Sisterhood by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
  • The Door of No Return by Alexander Kwame

Books for teens

  • Quincredible by Rodney Barnes
  • The Legendborn Cycle (Legendborn and Bloodmarked) by Tracy Deonn
  • All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
  • You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
  • Survive the Dome by Kosoko Jackson
  • Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon
  • Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds
  • Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi
  • On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
  • Okoye to the People by Ibi Zoboi
Get Your Go Local Card
Feb 22 all-day
online

The Go Local Card celebrates the interdependence of our businesses to each other, public education and to the youth in our community.

Our community values equitable educational opportunities for everyone and the Go Local Card is an annual fundraiser for Asheville’s city public schools.

Since inception, we have raised nearly $220,000 for our schools. This program connects 4,000 children and their families to a healthy local economy and locally owned businesses that support their school.

… and cards are available for purchase at any one of these businesses through Aug. 2023

Global LEAF classes and workshops
Feb 22 all-day
LEAF Global Arts Center

Current Classes Available

Click on a class to learn more! Once you have purchased a class, a LEAF staff member will reach out with further details! Classes are held Virtually or at the LEAF Global Arts Center in downtown Asheville. Please see class descriptions for more information.

Questions, requests, or scholarship inquiries? Please email [email protected]

  • Quick View

    Select options

    Queer Music Exploration with Kayla Lynn

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • Quick View

    Select options

    Intro to Ukulele Class with Melissa McKinney

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • Quick View

    Select options

    Intro to Guitar Class with Melissa McKinney

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • Quick View

    Select options

    LEAF Lights Program

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • Quick View

    Select options

    All Ages Hip Hop Dance Class

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • LEAF Schools & Streets

    Quick View

    Select options

    LEAF Summer Camp

    $230.00

  • Otto Vazquez

    Quick View

    Add to cart

    The ROK Experience (Virtual)

    $40.00

  • Quick View

    Add to cart

    Adama’s West African Drumming Workshop

    $15.00

Other Classes and Workshops

We are always striving to expand our offerings! If you have an idea for a class or workshop you’d like to see, send us a suggestion!

If you are an artist and would like to host a class or workshop at LEAF Global, please reach out, we would love to hear from you.

For all inquiries, or to reserve a session virtually or in person at LEAF Global please email [email protected]

Summer Camp at Nantahala Outdoor Center Registration Open
Feb 22 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

Teens at a kayak Summer Day Camp

Summer Day Camp is a great option for kids ages 9-17 with any skill level to learn and practice on the iconic rivers and lakes of Western North Carolina. Paddlers from beginner to advanced will receive high-quality instruction from our elite team while having fun and making friends.

 

The Learning Garden: A Hub of Gardening Education in 2023
Feb 22 all-day
Buncombe County Extension Office

After six years of hard work, the dream of using The Learning Garden as a hub for public gardening education is finally a reality. The Learning Garden, located at the Extension Office, 49 Mt. Carmel Road, is offering the public the opportunity to Visit and Learn in the garden on selected 2nd and 4th Thursdays, February – October. The Thursday in-person programs will consist of five garden-specific series. Visitors can walk around before or after the program and soak in our lovely gardens. Our gardens will open at 9:00 a.m. and all the demonstration programs run between 10-11:30 a.m.  To ensure a good learning experience, attendance will be limited and registration will be required.

Dahlia_labbradolci_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr

Dahlia Series
February 23
 – Getting Your Dahlias Ready for Planting
August 3
 – Disbudding Dahlias for Better Blooms
October 26 – Dividing and Storing Dahlias

 

Naturally dyed cotton_by Lucia Garcia Gonzalez_CC 1.0_Flickr

Dye Garden Series
May 4 – Planning Your Dye Garden
June 22 – Introduction to Natural Dyeing
July 27 – Fresh Indigo
August 24 – Botanical Printing: Printing with Leaves and Flowers
September 28 – Dyeing with Hopi Black Sunflower
November 9 – The Magic of Indigo

Rose Garden Series
March 9 – Pruning Roses
April 6 – Climbing Roses
April 13 – Rose Pests and Pathogens
May 20 – Growing Beautiful Roses (Saturday Seminar)

 

Sun & Shade Garden Series
May 11 – Planting a Native Butterfly Host Plant Garden
June 29 – Foodscaping Edible Plants in Flower Beds
August 31 – Dealing with “the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” Plants
Sept 14 – Native Butterfly Life Cycles in the Fall Garden

 

Vegetable Garden Series
March 23
 – Building an ADA Compliant Raised Garden
April 26
 – Planting Root Crops: Leeks, Onions, Carrots, Parsnips
May 25 – Planting a Seed Saving Garden
June 8 – Common Vegetable Garden Pests
July 13 – Kid Friendly Gardening
                                       August 10 – Preserving Your Vegetable Harvest

In addition to the Thursday programs listed above, The Learning Garden will present a series of ninety minute (+/-) hands-on seminars covering various gardening topics. These in-person programs will be held at The Learning Garden on selected Saturday mornings, February – September.

Saturday Seminars
February 18 – Tool Selection and Sharpening
March 18 – Pruning Trees and Shrubs
April 22 – Gardening for the Birds
May 20 – Growing Beautiful Roses
June 17 – Pollinator Plants in The Learning Garden
September 16 – Bulbs for All Seasons

Each of the programs in The Learning Garden will be announced individually through this blog and on our website two weeks before each program.  Each announcement will include instructions on how to register. Mark your calendar and register to attend as many as you can.

Wilderness Medicine + Survival Skills at Nantahala Outdoor Center
Feb 22 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

LEARN MORE THIS YEAR

Brush up on your wilderness medicine or learn new survival skills! SOLO Southeast & NOC are offering over 200 courses in 2023 and classes in locations across the southeast.

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Bryson City, NC
  • Chattanooga, TN
  • Collegedale, TN
  • Greenville, SC

Find your next course with SOLO Southeast and be prepared for the unexpected!

PacJAM Registration Open for Winter Session
Feb 22 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center
Building Community One Tune at a Time
Pacolet Junior Appalachian Musicians (PacJAM) provides an opportunity for area youth and adults to experience community through the joy of participating in traditional music.
PacJAM offers sessions each fall and winter/spring semester, as well as an intensive day camp one week each summer for youth.
Students of all skill levels ages 6-late teens and adults are invited to join us for instruction in traditional music. Click here to learn more.
Our winter program will run every Wednesday from January 18 – March 22 from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM for Beginner & Intermediate students, & 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM for advanced students.
Proud recipients of the South Arts 2022
In These Mountains Projects Grant
“Southern Black Chefs in the White House” with Adrian Miller
Feb 22 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Highsmith Student Union, Blue Ridge Room (202/203)

Adrian Miller will give a lecture entitled “Southern Black Chefs in the White House” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Room on February 22, 2023 as part of the Thomas Howerton Distinguished Professor Speaker Series, “Diverse Roots at the Common Table: Culinary Conversations in the American South.” Adrian is a culinary historian whose books have twice won a James Beard Award for Reference and Scholarship; he was recently featured in High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, a Netflix documentary based on Jessica Harris’s book by the same name. He also served as a special assistant to the president under the Clinton Administration, and served as the deputy director of the President’s Initiative for One America.

Books will be available for purchase at the event through Malaprop’s Bookstore.

Attendees who wish to attend via Zoom may pre-register here.

For more information, contact Erica Abrams Locklear at [email protected].


Accessibility

UNC Asheville is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. If you have any questions about access or to request reasonable accommodations that will facilitate your full participation in this event, please contact the Event Organizer (see below). Advance notice is necessary to arrange for accessibility needs.

Visitor Parking

Visitors may park in faculty/staff and non-resident All Permit lots from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and on weekends, holidays, and campus breaks. Visitors are not permitted to park in resident student lots at any time.
Prior to 5pm, any visitor (regardless of their reason for visit) need to adhere to the current practices listed on the parking website. Get your visitor parking permit here

Hybrid | UNCA presents “Southern Black Chefs in the White House” with Adrian Miller
Feb 22 @ 6:00 pm
UNC Asheville Highsmith Student Union Blue Ridge Room

Adrian Miller will give a lecture entitled “Southern Black Chefs in the White House” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Room on February 22, 2023 as part of the Thomas Howerton Distinguished Professor Speaker Series, “Diverse Roots at the Common Table: Culinary Conversations in the American South.” Adrian is a culinary historian whose books have twice won a James Beard Award for Reference and Scholarship; he was recently featured in High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, a Netflix documentary based on Jessica Harris’s book by the same name. He also served as a special assistant to the president under the Clinton Administration, and served as the deputy director of the President’s Initiative for One America.

This is a free event. In-person seating is open to the public. 

Attendees who wish to attend via Zoom may pre-register HERE.

Books will be available for purchase at the event through Malaprop’s Bookstore and may also be ordered online below.

For more information, contact Erica Abrams Locklear at [email protected].


Accessibility

UNC Asheville is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. If you have any questions about access or to request reasonable accommodations that will facilitate your full participation in this event, please contact the Event Organizer (see below). Advance notice is necessary to arrange for accessibility needs.

Visitor Parking

Visitors may park in faculty/staff and non-resident All Permit lots from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and on weekends, holidays, and campus breaks. Visitors are not permitted to park in resident student lots at any time. Find a campus map here.
Prior to 5pm, any visitor (regardless of their reason for visit) need to adhere to the current practices listed on the parking website. Get your visitor parking permit here.

Foodie Book Club
Feb 22 @ 7:00 pm
online

Foodie Book Club

A book club for home cooks, foodies, industry folks, and anyone in-between.  We will be focusing on all sorts of food writing. Somethemes will be (but not limited to): food critics, chef memoirs, wine, food history, and food politics.

The Foodie group meets virtually on the last Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. (EST), beginning in June 2022.  Please email [email protected] for the Zoom meeting info.

Thursday, February 23, 2023
Celebrate Black Legacy Month
Feb 23 all-day
Buncombe County Libraires

Join us throughout February as we celebrate Black Legacy Month with programs and events for all ages! In addition to the programs listed below, we will have special story times and exhibits at most of our libraries.

  • Bright Star Touring Theatre: African Folktales – February 1 at 4pm at the Weaverville Library (for children ages 3 and up)
  • Book Club: Jazz by Toni Morrison – Thursday, February 2 a 3pm at the Weaverville Library
  • Book Club: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – Tuesday, February 7 at 6pm
  • Book Club: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict Tuesday, February 14 at 1pm at the Leicester Library
  • Book Club: Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland – February 16 at 2:30pm at the Skyland/South Buncombe Library
  • Book Club: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – February 21 at 7pm at the Fairview Library
  • Black Experience Book Club: The Furrows by Namwali Serpell – February 23 at 6:30pm at the Noir Collective, co-sponsored by the East Asheville library

Drop by your local library and check us out. Email or call if you have any questions.

Our librarians have also put together a Black Legacy Month reading list for all ages.

Black Legacy Month Reading List 2023

Books for Adults

Adult Fiction

  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
  • On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library edited by Glory Edim
  • What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harries
  • Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
  • The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honoree Fannone Jeffers
  • How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemison
  • Deacon King Kong by James McBride
  • Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
  • Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall
  • The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
  • Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
  • Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
  • Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Adult nonfiction

  • Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
  • Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black women in Popular Culture by Zeba Blay
  • The 1619 Project edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones
  • Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
  • Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby*
  • The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
  • All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
  • Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson*
  • You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin*
  • Counting Descent by Clint Smith
  • The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
  • Here For It by R. Eric Thomas*
  • Koshersoul: the faith and food journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty

*especially good on audio because the authors read their work!

Picture books for families to share

  • My Heart Flies Open by Omileye Achikeobi-Lewis
  • Only the Best: The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe by Kate Messner
  • My N.C. From A to Z by Michelle Lanier
  • Shhh! The Baby’s Asleep by JaNay Brown-Wood
  • Curls by Ruth Forman
  • Fly by Brittany J. Thurman
  • Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan
  • Build a House by Rhiannon Giddens
  • Bright Brown Baby, A Treasury by Andrea Davis Pinkney
  • Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

Chapter books for older kids

  • Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistBlended by Sharon Draper
  • Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor
  • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
  • Tristan Strong Trilogy (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Tristan Strong Destroys the World, and Tristan Strong Keeps Punching) by Kwame Mbalia
  • From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
  • Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia
  • Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
  • Operation Sisterhood by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
  • The Door of No Return by Alexander Kwame

Books for teens

  • Quincredible by Rodney Barnes
  • The Legendborn Cycle (Legendborn and Bloodmarked) by Tracy Deonn
  • All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
  • You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
  • Survive the Dome by Kosoko Jackson
  • Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon
  • Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds
  • Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi
  • On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
  • Okoye to the People by Ibi Zoboi
Get Your Go Local Card
Feb 23 all-day
online

The Go Local Card celebrates the interdependence of our businesses to each other, public education and to the youth in our community.

Our community values equitable educational opportunities for everyone and the Go Local Card is an annual fundraiser for Asheville’s city public schools.

Since inception, we have raised nearly $220,000 for our schools. This program connects 4,000 children and their families to a healthy local economy and locally owned businesses that support their school.

… and cards are available for purchase at any one of these businesses through Aug. 2023

Global LEAF classes and workshops
Feb 23 all-day
LEAF Global Arts Center

Current Classes Available

Click on a class to learn more! Once you have purchased a class, a LEAF staff member will reach out with further details! Classes are held Virtually or at the LEAF Global Arts Center in downtown Asheville. Please see class descriptions for more information.

Questions, requests, or scholarship inquiries? Please email [email protected]

  • Quick View

    Select options

    Queer Music Exploration with Kayla Lynn

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • Quick View

    Select options

    Intro to Ukulele Class with Melissa McKinney

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • Quick View

    Select options

    Intro to Guitar Class with Melissa McKinney

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • Quick View

    Select options

    LEAF Lights Program

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • Quick View

    Select options

    All Ages Hip Hop Dance Class

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • LEAF Schools & Streets

    Quick View

    Select options

    LEAF Summer Camp

    $230.00

  • Otto Vazquez

    Quick View

    Add to cart

    The ROK Experience (Virtual)

    $40.00

  • Quick View

    Add to cart

    Adama’s West African Drumming Workshop

    $15.00

Other Classes and Workshops

We are always striving to expand our offerings! If you have an idea for a class or workshop you’d like to see, send us a suggestion!

If you are an artist and would like to host a class or workshop at LEAF Global, please reach out, we would love to hear from you.

For all inquiries, or to reserve a session virtually or in person at LEAF Global please email [email protected]

Journeyperson Program NOW FREE! 12-Month Farm Support Cohort
Feb 23 all-day
Organic Growers School

The upcoming Journeyperson course is now available AT NO COST! Due to some timely grant funding, we can offer this in-depth farmer training for farmers in years 3-7 with no associated tuition fee! The course consists of monthly cohort meet-ups and 2-3 in-depth workshops, plus mentorship!

 

In addition, a select number of participants will also receive matched FUNDS for your farm savings account (Savings Incentive Program) and money to spend on a professional development opportunity of your choosing! Want to attend a workshop on livestock management? OGS will contribute towards that fee! Are you saving money for a farm asset? OGS will contribute up to a certain amount to that investment.

 

The Journeyperson Program is for farmers who have been independently farming for three or more years and are serious about operating farm businesses in the Southern Appalachian region.

Join the Journeyperson Info Session on Zoom!

November 15th at 7:00 pm

Sign up here

Summer Camp at Nantahala Outdoor Center Registration Open
Feb 23 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

Teens at a kayak Summer Day Camp

Summer Day Camp is a great option for kids ages 9-17 with any skill level to learn and practice on the iconic rivers and lakes of Western North Carolina. Paddlers from beginner to advanced will receive high-quality instruction from our elite team while having fun and making friends.

 

Wilderness Medicine + Survival Skills at Nantahala Outdoor Center
Feb 23 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

LEARN MORE THIS YEAR

Brush up on your wilderness medicine or learn new survival skills! SOLO Southeast & NOC are offering over 200 courses in 2023 and classes in locations across the southeast.

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Bryson City, NC
  • Chattanooga, TN
  • Collegedale, TN
  • Greenville, SC

Find your next course with SOLO Southeast and be prepared for the unexpected!

West Asheville Library Book Discussion–in person. The Other Doctor Gilmer by Dr. Benjamin Gilmer
Feb 23 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
West Asheville Library

We’ll be discussing The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, A Murder and An Unlikely Fight For Justice by Dr. Benjamin Gilmer. All are welcome to join us!

Elementary After-School Volunteer Creative Peacemakers
Feb 23 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Deaverview Apartment Community

We are seeking volunteers to assist us in our small after school program for children in West Asheville in low-income housing.  We provide a safe and nourishing environment, healthy snacks, and creative activities.  Our program currently meets during the school year on most Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:00-5:00pm. You may volunteer for one or two days a week. 

Volunteer Responsibilities:

  • Assist with serving snacks
  • Interact with children during activity time
  • Supervise games and outdoor free time
  • For people with background in education, there is also an opportunity to assist with curriculum development and program planning and administration

Requirements:

  • Background check
  • Orientation booklets will be provided
  • Masks are required if unvaccinated
Birding for Kids
Feb 23 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
North Asheville Library

Join us for an educational program with the North Carolina Arboretum to explore the unique features and diversity of birds! Come ready to hear about the ecoEXPLORE program, learn about a few WNC bird species, and try to spot birds living around the library.

Discussion Bound: Prosperity Gospel: Portraits of the Great Recession featuring guest speaker, Keith Flynn
Feb 23 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

With photography by Charter Weeks and text by Keith Flynn, this book documents the effect of “The Great Recession of 2008” on the lives of many working Americans and has been compared to Walker Evans and James Agee’s Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, which chronicled the Great Depression of the 1930s. Flynn and Weeks interviewed and photographed over 100 people in homeless camps, dirt racetracks, gold stores, homes, churches and other environments within a 200-mile radius of Asheville, North Carolina. Despite the government’s claim that the recession was over in 2009 (perhaps true for bankers and automobile manufacturers), it was far from over for millions of ordinary American workers and continues unabated today because of the economic collapse from the pandemic. This is an important historical document raising the issues of social collapse, economic inequality and the disintegration of the financial security that was once the foundation of the American economy. Keith Flynn is the award-winning author of 6 books of poetry, most recently The Skin of Meaning, and 2 books of prose, including The Rhythm Method, Razzmatazz, and Memory. Flynn is also the Founder and Managing Editor of The Asheville Poetry Review, which was established in 1994. Charter Weeks has been a documentary photographer for over 50 years with projects in Asia, Europe, Africa and the US. Weeks’ work has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the US and published in Virginia Quarterly Review, Photographers Forum, South Loop Review and Guernica Magazine, among others.

Keith Flynn is the award-winning author of eight books, including six collections of poetry: most recently Colony Collapse Disorder (Wings Press, 2013) and The Skin of Meaning (Red Hen Press, 2020), and two collections of essays, entitled The Rhythm Method, Razzmatazz and Memory: How To Make Your Poetry Swing (Writer’s Digest Books, 2007), and Prosperity Gospel: Portraits of the Great Recession (RedHawk Publications, 2021). From 1984-1999, he was lyricist and lead singer for the nationally acclaimed rock band, The Crystal Zoo, which produced three albums: Swimming Through Lake Eerie (1992), Pouch (1996), and the spoken-word and music compilation, Nervous Splendor (2003). His latest album is Keith Flynn & The Holy Men, LIVE at Diana Wortham Theatre (2011). He is the Executive Director and producer of the TV and radio show, “LIVE at White Rock Hall,” and Animal Sounds Productions, both which create collaborations between writers and musicians in video and audio formats. His award-winning poetry and essays have appeared in many journals and anthologies around the world, including The American Literary Review, The Colorado Review, Poetry Wales, Five Points, Poetry East, The Southern Poetry Anthology, The Poetics of American Song Lyrics, Writer’s Chronicle. The Cimarron Review, Rattle, Shenandoah, Word and Witness: 100 Years of NC Poetry, Crazyhorse, and many others. He has been awarded the Sandburg Prize for poetry, a 2013 NC Literary Fellowship, the ASCAP Emerging Songwriter Prize, the Paumanok Poetry Award and was twice named the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet for NC. Flynn is founder and managing editor of The Asheville Poetry Review, which began publishing in 1994.

DISCUSSION BOUND

This monthly discussion is a place to exchange ideas about readings that relate to artworks and the art world, and to learn from and about each other. Books are available at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café for a 10% discount. To add your name to our Discussion Bound mailing list, click here or call 828.253.3227 x133.

Hybrid | Mary B. Moore, Susan O’Dell Underwood, and Margaret Mackinnon
Feb 23 @ 6:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore and Virtual

Join us for an evening with Mary B. Moore, Susan O’Dell Underwood, and Margaret Mackinnon sharing their latest works of poetry and prose.

This is a hybrid event, meaning there is an option to attend virtually and a limited number of seats are available to attend the event in-store. The event is free but registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance. 

Please click here to register for the VIRTUAL event. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.

Please click here to register for the IN-PERSON event. Note the important event details on the RSVP form.

This event includes a book signing. If you would like a signed book but can’t attend in person, use the order comments field when you order below to request a signed copy and tell us to whom the book should be personalized.

If you decide to attend and to purchase books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!


Mary B. Moore’s five poetry books include the full-length collections Dear If (Orison Books, 2022); Flicker (Dogfish Head Award)and The Book Of Snow (Cleveland State University Poetry Center); and the chapbooks Amanda and the Man Soul (Emrys Prize, 2017) and Eating the Light (Sable Books Contest 2016). Her poems have won awards from NELLE, Terrain, Asheville Poetry Review and Nimrod and have appeared lately in CalyxPoetry, Prairie Schooner, Gettysburg Review, Birmingham Poetry Review, The Nasty Women Poets Anthology, and Fire & Rain, Eco-Poetry of California. She also wrote a critical study of women sonneteers and Petrarch, Desiring Voices, Women Sonneteers and Petrarchism, SIU Press, 2000. A native Californian, she lives in Huntington WV with a philosopher and a cat. 

Susan O’dell Underwood grew up on small family farms in Sullivan County, Tennessee, and McDowell County, North Carolina. She is a Professor of English and the Director of the Creative Writing Program at Carson-Newman University, where she has been teaching since 1990. She earned my MFA in Creative Writing/Poetry from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her PhD in English from Florida State University. She is the author of the poetry collection THE BOOK OF AWE (Iris Press, 2018) and two chapbooks of poetry; FROM (2010) and LOVE AND OTHER HUNGERS (2014). In 2004 she won the Tennessee Arts Commission Literary Grant for GENESIS ROAD which was revised and published by Madville Publishing in 2022. Her second full-length poetry collection, SPLINTER, is due from Madville Publishing in late spring of 2023.

Margaret Mackinnon’s work has appeared in many journals, including Poetry, Image, and Blackbird. Her first book, The Invented Child, won the Gerald Cable Book Award and the 2014 Literary Award in Poetry from the Library of Virginia. Naming the Natural World received the Sow’s Ear Poetry Review chapbook prize in 2018. Her new book, Afternoon in Cartago, was selected by Maggie Anderson as the 2021 winner of the Richard Snyder Memorial Publication Prize and was published in October, 2022 by Ashland Poetry Press. Margaret Mackinnon lives in Richmond, Virginia.   

 

The 3R Daniel Fast Registration
Feb 23 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Dana Community Park Center

Join us on February 23, 2023 at the Dana Community Center and register for a health event that can transform your life! Discover the power of a highly effective, simple, and pure diet (not a starvation plan!) as we explore how to reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, and unwanted weight.

Also, you can choose to participate in testing that will show you where you started and how far you progressed during the program. Normally, these tests are pricey, but in the 3R Daniel Fast program you get the initial and final tests for just $15/person.

The full program will include easy-to-follow food demonstrations and recipes, as well as Bible and science-based health lectures given by physicians. Learn how to pray fervently and effectively and take home daily devotional materials to help you grow.

This event is the perfect opportunity to take control of your health and start living your best life. Register at the Dana Community Center on February 23 and don’t miss out on this 21-day, life-changing experience!

Friday, February 24, 2023
Celebrate Black Legacy Month
Feb 24 all-day
Buncombe County Libraires

Join us throughout February as we celebrate Black Legacy Month with programs and events for all ages! In addition to the programs listed below, we will have special story times and exhibits at most of our libraries.

  • Bright Star Touring Theatre: African Folktales – February 1 at 4pm at the Weaverville Library (for children ages 3 and up)
  • Book Club: Jazz by Toni Morrison – Thursday, February 2 a 3pm at the Weaverville Library
  • Book Club: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – Tuesday, February 7 at 6pm
  • Book Club: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict Tuesday, February 14 at 1pm at the Leicester Library
  • Book Club: Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland – February 16 at 2:30pm at the Skyland/South Buncombe Library
  • Book Club: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – February 21 at 7pm at the Fairview Library
  • Black Experience Book Club: The Furrows by Namwali Serpell – February 23 at 6:30pm at the Noir Collective, co-sponsored by the East Asheville library

Drop by your local library and check us out. Email or call if you have any questions.

Our librarians have also put together a Black Legacy Month reading list for all ages.

Black Legacy Month Reading List 2023

Books for Adults

Adult Fiction

  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
  • On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library edited by Glory Edim
  • What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harries
  • Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
  • The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honoree Fannone Jeffers
  • How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemison
  • Deacon King Kong by James McBride
  • Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
  • Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall
  • The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
  • Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
  • Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
  • Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Adult nonfiction

  • Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
  • Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black women in Popular Culture by Zeba Blay
  • The 1619 Project edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones
  • Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
  • Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby*
  • The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
  • All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
  • Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson*
  • You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin*
  • Counting Descent by Clint Smith
  • The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
  • Here For It by R. Eric Thomas*
  • Koshersoul: the faith and food journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty

*especially good on audio because the authors read their work!

Picture books for families to share

  • My Heart Flies Open by Omileye Achikeobi-Lewis
  • Only the Best: The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe by Kate Messner
  • My N.C. From A to Z by Michelle Lanier
  • Shhh! The Baby’s Asleep by JaNay Brown-Wood
  • Curls by Ruth Forman
  • Fly by Brittany J. Thurman
  • Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan
  • Build a House by Rhiannon Giddens
  • Bright Brown Baby, A Treasury by Andrea Davis Pinkney
  • Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

Chapter books for older kids

  • Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistBlended by Sharon Draper
  • Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor
  • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
  • Tristan Strong Trilogy (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Tristan Strong Destroys the World, and Tristan Strong Keeps Punching) by Kwame Mbalia
  • From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
  • Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia
  • Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
  • Operation Sisterhood by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
  • The Door of No Return by Alexander Kwame

Books for teens

  • Quincredible by Rodney Barnes
  • The Legendborn Cycle (Legendborn and Bloodmarked) by Tracy Deonn
  • All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
  • You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
  • Survive the Dome by Kosoko Jackson
  • Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon
  • Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds
  • Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi
  • On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
  • Okoye to the People by Ibi Zoboi
Get Your Go Local Card
Feb 24 all-day
online

The Go Local Card celebrates the interdependence of our businesses to each other, public education and to the youth in our community.

Our community values equitable educational opportunities for everyone and the Go Local Card is an annual fundraiser for Asheville’s city public schools.

Since inception, we have raised nearly $220,000 for our schools. This program connects 4,000 children and their families to a healthy local economy and locally owned businesses that support their school.

… and cards are available for purchase at any one of these businesses through Aug. 2023

Global LEAF classes and workshops
Feb 24 all-day
LEAF Global Arts Center

Current Classes Available

Click on a class to learn more! Once you have purchased a class, a LEAF staff member will reach out with further details! Classes are held Virtually or at the LEAF Global Arts Center in downtown Asheville. Please see class descriptions for more information.

Questions, requests, or scholarship inquiries? Please email [email protected]

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    Queer Music Exploration with Kayla Lynn

    $15.00 – $50.00

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    Intro to Ukulele Class with Melissa McKinney

    $15.00 – $50.00

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    Intro to Guitar Class with Melissa McKinney

    $15.00 – $50.00

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    LEAF Lights Program

    $15.00 – $50.00

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    All Ages Hip Hop Dance Class

    $15.00 – $50.00

  • LEAF Schools & Streets

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    LEAF Summer Camp

    $230.00

  • Otto Vazquez

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    The ROK Experience (Virtual)

    $40.00

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    Adama’s West African Drumming Workshop

    $15.00

Other Classes and Workshops

We are always striving to expand our offerings! If you have an idea for a class or workshop you’d like to see, send us a suggestion!

If you are an artist and would like to host a class or workshop at LEAF Global, please reach out, we would love to hear from you.

For all inquiries, or to reserve a session virtually or in person at LEAF Global please email [email protected]

Organic Growers School 30th Annual Spring Conference
Feb 24 all-day
online w/ Organic Growers School

2023 Save the Date Spring
                                      Conference Flyer-1 (2)

Registration will open on December 1, 2022

The Organic Growers School is excited to announce the 30th Anniversary of our Spring Conference, which will take place at Mars Hill University on February 24-26, 2023. This year’s conference will continue our non-profit’s mission to support, inspire and educate people to farm, garden, and live organically by providing affordable, practical, and hands-on education.

This three-day event consists of 60 90minute workshops organized into 15 themed tracks, such as Mushrooms, Herbs, Gardening, Farming, and Sustainable Living. The first day is dedicated to day-long workshops at off-campus sites around Western North Carolina.

OGS is excited to announce a sliding-scale ticket price structure for the event! The event has been the most affordable in the region, but investing in continuing education can still be out of reach for farmers and aspiring growers. OGS will also offer a small pool of scholarships if our sliding scale price is not affordable.

Whether you are an enthusiastic local eater, food system advocate, new to growing, or have a few farming years under your belt, we hope you’ll join us to kick off the new season with the growing community!

Summer Camp at Nantahala Outdoor Center Registration Open
Feb 24 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

Teens at a kayak Summer Day Camp

Summer Day Camp is a great option for kids ages 9-17 with any skill level to learn and practice on the iconic rivers and lakes of Western North Carolina. Paddlers from beginner to advanced will receive high-quality instruction from our elite team while having fun and making friends.

 

The Learning Garden: A Hub of Gardening Education in 2023
Feb 24 all-day
Buncombe County Extension Office

After six years of hard work, the dream of using The Learning Garden as a hub for public gardening education is finally a reality. The Learning Garden, located at the Extension Office, 49 Mt. Carmel Road, is offering the public the opportunity to Visit and Learn in the garden on selected 2nd and 4th Thursdays, February – October. The Thursday in-person programs will consist of five garden-specific series. Visitors can walk around before or after the program and soak in our lovely gardens. Our gardens will open at 9:00 a.m. and all the demonstration programs run between 10-11:30 a.m.  To ensure a good learning experience, attendance will be limited and registration will be required.

Dahlia_labbradolci_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr

Dahlia Series
February 23
 – Getting Your Dahlias Ready for Planting
August 3
 – Disbudding Dahlias for Better Blooms
October 26 – Dividing and Storing Dahlias

 

Naturally dyed cotton_by Lucia Garcia Gonzalez_CC 1.0_Flickr

Dye Garden Series
May 4 – Planning Your Dye Garden
June 22 – Introduction to Natural Dyeing
July 27 – Fresh Indigo
August 24 – Botanical Printing: Printing with Leaves and Flowers
September 28 – Dyeing with Hopi Black Sunflower
November 9 – The Magic of Indigo

Rose Garden Series
March 9 – Pruning Roses
April 6 – Climbing Roses
April 13 – Rose Pests and Pathogens
May 20 – Growing Beautiful Roses (Saturday Seminar)

 

Sun & Shade Garden Series
May 11 – Planting a Native Butterfly Host Plant Garden
June 29 – Foodscaping Edible Plants in Flower Beds
August 31 – Dealing with “the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” Plants
Sept 14 – Native Butterfly Life Cycles in the Fall Garden

 

Vegetable Garden Series
March 23
 – Building an ADA Compliant Raised Garden
April 26
 – Planting Root Crops: Leeks, Onions, Carrots, Parsnips
May 25 – Planting a Seed Saving Garden
June 8 – Common Vegetable Garden Pests
July 13 – Kid Friendly Gardening
                                       August 10 – Preserving Your Vegetable Harvest

In addition to the Thursday programs listed above, The Learning Garden will present a series of ninety minute (+/-) hands-on seminars covering various gardening topics. These in-person programs will be held at The Learning Garden on selected Saturday mornings, February – September.

Saturday Seminars
February 18 – Tool Selection and Sharpening
March 18 – Pruning Trees and Shrubs
April 22 – Gardening for the Birds
May 20 – Growing Beautiful Roses
June 17 – Pollinator Plants in The Learning Garden
September 16 – Bulbs for All Seasons

Each of the programs in The Learning Garden will be announced individually through this blog and on our website two weeks before each program.  Each announcement will include instructions on how to register. Mark your calendar and register to attend as many as you can.