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

Regal’s My Way Matinee program gives everyone a chance to enjoy the movies with the lights up and the volume down. This becomes a safe space where guests are free to express themselves by singing, crying, walking around, and talking while a feature film plays on the big screen. This month’s title, “Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania” will be shown February 25th and 28th. Purchase Tickets for 2.25 Purchase Tickets for 2.28

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.

Camp at the Nature Center consists of fun, educational experiences designed to involve campers in the wonders of the natural world. Camps are for children born between August 1, 2013 and July 31, 2017 and will run from July 3 through August 11. Our summer camp offerings and structure are different this year, so please visit our website to learn more about these changes, including registration.

New in 2023: A lottery system for registration will open the week of February 20 to 26. Each prospective camper’s information will need to be added to the lottery list for each individual camp session they are interested in attending.

Only sign up for the session(s) your child(ren) are able to attend.  By signing up for the lottery, you are agreeing to enroll if selected.  Selections will be generated randomly.

If your registration request is selected, you will receive an email in early March with instructions and a deadline for completing registration.  Priority will be given to siblings applying for the same camp session but cannot be guaranteed.  Individuals on the waitlist and those that do not get selected will be alerted by mid-March.

Registration by lottery will be employed to ensure equity of access for all interested participants, with the aim of reducing stress and the impact of technical issues, while increasing flexibility for families hoping to register.  We strongly recommend that prospective participants enter the registration lottery at the beginning of the time window to enable time for any needed troubleshooting.

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.

Camp at the Nature Center consists of fun, educational experiences designed to involve campers in the wonders of the natural world. Camps are for children born between August 1, 2013 and July 31, 2017 and will run from July 3 through August 11. Our summer camp offerings and structure are different this year, so please visit our website to learn more about these changes, including registration.

New in 2023: A lottery system for registration will open the week of February 20 to 26. Each prospective camper’s information will need to be added to the lottery list for each individual camp session they are interested in attending.

Only sign up for the session(s) your child(ren) are able to attend.  By signing up for the lottery, you are agreeing to enroll if selected.  Selections will be generated randomly.

If your registration request is selected, you will receive an email in early March with instructions and a deadline for completing registration.  Priority will be given to siblings applying for the same camp session but cannot be guaranteed.  Individuals on the waitlist and those that do not get selected will be alerted by mid-March.

Registration by lottery will be employed to ensure equity of access for all interested participants, with the aim of reducing stress and the impact of technical issues, while increasing flexibility for families hoping to register.  We strongly recommend that prospective participants enter the registration lottery at the beginning of the time window to enable time for any needed troubleshooting.

Wee Trade is a Pop-up Children’s Consignment Event occurring twice a year in WNC for over 20 years. Shoppers can find deals up to 70-90% off retail on items for infants to teens including maternity. SAVE THE DATE!
Friday, February 24: 2pm-7pm
Saturday, February 25: 10am-5pm (Wee Trade Family Fun Day- free activities for children and Wee Trade Bounce)
Sunday, February 26: 10am-2pm (most items 50% off)

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

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.

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

Regal’s My Way Matinee program gives everyone a chance to enjoy the movies with the lights up and the volume down. This becomes a safe space where guests are free to express themselves by singing, crying, walking around, and talking while a feature film plays on the big screen. This month’s title, “Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania” will be shown February 25th and 28th. Purchase Tickets for 2.25 Purchase Tickets for 2.28

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.

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.