Calendar of Events

Hominy Rising – Arts & Awareness on the Greenway
The Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a reflection on the history, ecology and beauty of our Greenway. As part of this celebration we are hosting an art exhibition which will consist of temporary, outdoor art installations and performances.

This fall, the Faith in Arts Institute will bring together artists, creatives, and scholars to celebrate and explore the intersections of faith and arts. The multi-day festival, happening October 13-16, 2021 in the heart of Asheville, NC, will feature a combination of free public performances, lectures, and film screenings, plus intimate registration-only institute workshops and contemplative practices. Events will take place on campus at the University of North Carolina Asheville and downtown at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. A full lineup of participants and performers is below.

Can our experience of the arts – as creators, listeners, viewers, readers – and the ways we talk about those experiences, offer us a way to also talk across what might otherwise divide us? The Faith in Arts Institute proposes this question while providing a platform to celebrate artists and creatives who draw on spiritual or religious practices as an influence in their work and exploring ways that arts have played a role in spirituality and religion. Through workshops, lectures, performances, and exhibitions, the Faith in Arts Institute engages attendees in contemplative and reflective practices while providing a welcoming space intended to evoke open and honest dialogue. Together, performers and presenters will join institute participants in thoughtful discussions, powerful performances, and evocative film screenings.

A limited number of Faith in Arts Institute passes are now on sale for $60 at faithinarts.unca.edu/ and blackmountaincollege.org/faith-in-arts/. Passholders will be admitted to all events including intimate workshops, contemplative practices, and small group conversations which will be limited to Institute participants only. A variety of other performances, screenings, and talks will be free and open to the public as indicated.

For more information including a full schedule, visit faithinarts.unca.edu/

Faith in Arts Institute 2021 Participants and Performers

Kimberly Bartosik – Choreographer

Julie Levin Caro – Art historian, Warren Wilson College

Curt Cloninger – New Media Artist and Author (Hot-Wiring Your Creative Process), UNC Asheville

Marie T. Cochran – Installation Artist and Culture Pollinator

David Hinton – Poet and Translator

Rachel Elizabeth Harding – Historian, Poet, and Essayist

Jessica Jacobs – Poet (Take Me with You, Whenever You’re Going)

Kay Larson – Art Critic and Author (Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism, and the Inner Life of Artists)

Thomas Moore – Pianist

Alicia Jo Rabins – Poet, Musician and Filmmaker, A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff

Christopher-Rasheem McMillan – Performance artist

Aaron Rosen – Writer and scholar

Fall LEAF Festival Tickets are NOW OPEN!

Come Write In! Libraries Encourage Writers to ‘Come Write In’ during November’s NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November.  Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand-new novel.

If you are doing NaNoWriMo this year, the Buncombe County Public Library wants to support you in your endeavors. Join us for the following virtual events throughout the month to keep you invigorated and motivated. All events are free, but you do need to register. To sign up, visit the Library’s event calendar and click on the event on the calendar. Additional events may be added, so be sure to check back throughout the month.

Jumpstart your Creativity with Nina Hart
Wednesday, November 3, 7 – 8:30pm

Nina is a writing coach who has been there, done that with NaNoWriMo and has inspiration to share. This fun, supportive online session will give you tools to keep going when the writing gets stuck.  Sign up and get your creative juices flowing for the rest of the month. Space is limited.

Virtual Come Write-In
Thursday, November 4, 7-8pm

Come Write-In virtually with encouraging BCPL librarians and other writers! We would love to write with you in a Zoom Room.  We’ll have some prompts and space for discussion and encouragement, but mostly this will be a time to schedule yourself for some dedicated writing time while others on the call do the same.

Virtual Come Write-In with Author Beth Revis
Friday November 5, 12-1pm 

Come Write-In virtually with local author Beth Revis. Beth Revis is a NY Times bestselling author with books available in more than 20 languages. She is the co-owner of Wordsmith Workshops and the author of the Paper Hearts series, both of which aid aspiring authors. A native of North Carolina, Beth is currently working on multiple new novels. She lives in rural NC with her son and husband. Visit her at bethrevis.com.

Virtual Rise and Write-In
Saturday, November 6, 9 – 10am

Sometimes it helps to be in the presence of like-minded people with a similar goal. This NaNoWriMo we’re hosting a virtual come write in quiet hour. All you need to do is log in, wave hello, or not, and get to writing.

We’ll have some tips on the screen to help get your thoughts flowing. We promise there will be no ‘get to know you questions’ or writing prompts to complete, just you in a virtual room holding yourself quietly accountable for achieving your novel writing dreams amongst others. One quiet hour on a Saturday morning to start NaNoWriMo off where you can even keep wearing your pajamas or cozy robe.

Virtual Come Write-In
Tuesday, November 9, 7-8pm 

Come Write-In for this librarian-led, hour-long, writing sesh! We’ll have timed word sprints, optional word prompts, and overall good vibes as we all work toward our NaNoWriMo word counts. So drop in, hang out, and get those creative juices flowing!

Virtual Come Write-In with Author (and BCPL Librarian) Alexandra Duncan
Wednesday November 10, 3-4pm    

Come Write-In with local author Alexandra Duncan, who is also a Buncombe County librarian. She writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror for teens and adults alike. Visit her online at alexandra-duncan.com.

Virtual Come Write-In Cafe
Friday, November 12, 2 – 3pm

Come Write-In virtually with an encouraging BCPL librarian and other writers! This session will have a caffeinated theme, with some background coffee shop noise, and a virtual cafe atmosphere. This will be a time to schedule yourself for some dedicated writing time while others on the call do the same in a casual and supportive space.

Virtual Come Write-In with Thomas Calder
Saturday, November 13, 11am -12pm

Come Write-In and join local author Thomas Calder for word sprints, discussion, and encouragement as we all work to meet those NaNoWriMo goals!  Take part in an hour of guided writing followed by a brief Q&A to pick Thomas’ brain about his own creative experiences.

Thomas Calder earned his MFA in creative writing from the University of Houston. His work has appeared in Gulf Coast, Miracle Monocle, The Collagist and elsewhere. His debut novel, The Wind Under the Door, was published in March 2021. Learn more at thomas-calder.com.

Virtual Come Write-In with Author Rebecca Petruck
Tuesday November 16, 7-8pm          

Come Write-In with local author Rebecca Petruck. Rebecca Petruck is a Minnesota girl, though she also has lived in Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, England, Connecticut and, currently, North Carolina. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UNC Wilmington. Petruck’s novels are published by ABRAMS/Amulet. You may visit her online at www.rebeccapetruck.com and on Twitter at @rebeccapetruck.

Online Creative Writing Group
Wednesday, November 17, 4 – 5:30pm

Join us for creative writing online! We’ll meet on Zoom and do several rounds of writing prompts. The group is simple – we just write and read our writing to each other.  This is a supportive and fun environment that gets your creative juices flowing with low stakes and lots of fun.

Virtual Come Write-In with Author Jennie Liu
Friday November 19, 4-5pm

Come Write-In with local author Jennie Liu. Jennie Liu is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Having been brought up with an ear to two cultures, she has been fascinated by the attitudes, social policies, and changes in China each time she visits. She lives in Western North Carolina with her husband and two young sons. You can visit her online at www.jennieliuwrites.com.

Virtual Come Write-In
Saturday, November 20, 2021, 11am – 12pm

Come Write-In virtually with encouraging BCPL librarians and other writers! We would love to write with you in a Zoom Room.  We’ll have some prompts and space for discussion and encouragement, but mostly this will be a time to schedule yourself for some dedicated writing time while others on the call do the same.

You Wrote a Novel, So Now What?
Tuesday November 23, 7 pm 

Imagine that it’s December 1. You’ve finished NaNoWriMo and you have a book that’s ready to get out into the world. Congratulations! What do you do next? In this webinar, BiblioLabs Community Engagement Manager Emily Gooding will show you how to format your novel by using the PressBooks resource available to you for FREE from the library.  You will also learn how you can submit your novel to the Indie Author Project and have a digital version of your novel available to readers in the Library!

Virtual Rise and Write-In
Wednesday, November 24, 9 – 10am

Sometimes it helps to be in the presence of like-minded people with a similar goal. With that in mind, we are hosting a virtual come write in quiet hour. All you need to do is log in, wave hello, or not, and get to writing.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and gratitude, we will have some gratitude related quotes and writing prompts available on screen to help inspire you. However, we promise there will be no ‘get to know you questions’ or participation requirements, just you in a virtual room holding yourself quietly accountable for achieving your novel writing dreams amongst others. One quiet hour before the holiday weekend to work on finishing NaNoWriMo strong.

Virtual Come Write-In
Thursday, November 30, 7-8pm

This will be our final Virtual Come Write-In event for 2021. The focus of this online writing session, hosted by local author and librarian Alexandra Duncan, will be writing sprints and last-minute support.

Come Write In! Libraries Encourage Writers to ‘Come Write In’ during November’s NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November.  Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand-new novel.

If you are doing NaNoWriMo this year, the Buncombe County Public Library wants to support you in your endeavors. Join us for the following virtual events throughout the month to keep you invigorated and motivated. All events are free, but you do need to register. To sign up, visit the Library’s event calendar and click on the event on the calendar. Additional events may be added, so be sure to check back throughout the month.

Jumpstart your Creativity with Nina Hart
Wednesday, November 3, 7 – 8:30pm

Nina is a writing coach who has been there, done that with NaNoWriMo and has inspiration to share. This fun, supportive online session will give you tools to keep going when the writing gets stuck.  Sign up and get your creative juices flowing for the rest of the month. Space is limited.

Virtual Come Write-In
Thursday, November 4, 7-8pm

Come Write-In virtually with encouraging BCPL librarians and other writers! We would love to write with you in a Zoom Room.  We’ll have some prompts and space for discussion and encouragement, but mostly this will be a time to schedule yourself for some dedicated writing time while others on the call do the same.

Virtual Come Write-In with Author Beth Revis
Friday November 5, 12-1pm 

Come Write-In virtually with local author Beth Revis. Beth Revis is a NY Times bestselling author with books available in more than 20 languages. She is the co-owner of Wordsmith Workshops and the author of the Paper Hearts series, both of which aid aspiring authors. A native of North Carolina, Beth is currently working on multiple new novels. She lives in rural NC with her son and husband. Visit her at bethrevis.com.

Virtual Rise and Write-In
Saturday, November 6, 9 – 10am

Sometimes it helps to be in the presence of like-minded people with a similar goal. This NaNoWriMo we’re hosting a virtual come write in quiet hour. All you need to do is log in, wave hello, or not, and get to writing.

We’ll have some tips on the screen to help get your thoughts flowing. We promise there will be no ‘get to know you questions’ or writing prompts to complete, just you in a virtual room holding yourself quietly accountable for achieving your novel writing dreams amongst others. One quiet hour on a Saturday morning to start NaNoWriMo off where you can even keep wearing your pajamas or cozy robe.

Virtual Come Write-In
Tuesday, November 9, 7-8pm 

Come Write-In for this librarian-led, hour-long, writing sesh! We’ll have timed word sprints, optional word prompts, and overall good vibes as we all work toward our NaNoWriMo word counts. So drop in, hang out, and get those creative juices flowing!

Virtual Come Write-In with Author (and BCPL Librarian) Alexandra Duncan
Wednesday November 10, 3-4pm    

Come Write-In with local author Alexandra Duncan, who is also a Buncombe County librarian. She writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror for teens and adults alike. Visit her online at alexandra-duncan.com.

Virtual Come Write-In Cafe
Friday, November 12, 2 – 3pm

Come Write-In virtually with an encouraging BCPL librarian and other writers! This session will have a caffeinated theme, with some background coffee shop noise, and a virtual cafe atmosphere. This will be a time to schedule yourself for some dedicated writing time while others on the call do the same in a casual and supportive space.

Virtual Come Write-In with Thomas Calder
Saturday, November 13, 11am -12pm

Come Write-In and join local author Thomas Calder for word sprints, discussion, and encouragement as we all work to meet those NaNoWriMo goals!  Take part in an hour of guided writing followed by a brief Q&A to pick Thomas’ brain about his own creative experiences.

Thomas Calder earned his MFA in creative writing from the University of Houston. His work has appeared in Gulf Coast, Miracle Monocle, The Collagist and elsewhere. His debut novel, The Wind Under the Door, was published in March 2021. Learn more at thomas-calder.com.

Virtual Come Write-In with Author Rebecca Petruck
Tuesday November 16, 7-8pm          

Come Write-In with local author Rebecca Petruck. Rebecca Petruck is a Minnesota girl, though she also has lived in Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, England, Connecticut and, currently, North Carolina. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UNC Wilmington. Petruck’s novels are published by ABRAMS/Amulet. You may visit her online at www.rebeccapetruck.com and on Twitter at @rebeccapetruck.

Online Creative Writing Group
Wednesday, November 17, 4 – 5:30pm

Join us for creative writing online! We’ll meet on Zoom and do several rounds of writing prompts. The group is simple – we just write and read our writing to each other.  This is a supportive and fun environment that gets your creative juices flowing with low stakes and lots of fun.

Virtual Come Write-In with Author Jennie Liu
Friday November 19, 4-5pm

Come Write-In with local author Jennie Liu. Jennie Liu is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Having been brought up with an ear to two cultures, she has been fascinated by the attitudes, social policies, and changes in China each time she visits. She lives in Western North Carolina with her husband and two young sons. You can visit her online at www.jennieliuwrites.com.

Virtual Come Write-In
Saturday, November 20, 2021, 11am – 12pm

Come Write-In virtually with encouraging BCPL librarians and other writers! We would love to write with you in a Zoom Room.  We’ll have some prompts and space for discussion and encouragement, but mostly this will be a time to schedule yourself for some dedicated writing time while others on the call do the same.

You Wrote a Novel, So Now What?
Tuesday November 23, 7 pm 

Imagine that it’s December 1. You’ve finished NaNoWriMo and you have a book that’s ready to get out into the world. Congratulations! What do you do next? In this webinar, BiblioLabs Community Engagement Manager Emily Gooding will show you how to format your novel by using the PressBooks resource available to you for FREE from the library.  You will also learn how you can submit your novel to the Indie Author Project and have a digital version of your novel available to readers in the Library!

Virtual Rise and Write-In
Wednesday, November 24, 9 – 10am

Sometimes it helps to be in the presence of like-minded people with a similar goal. With that in mind, we are hosting a virtual come write in quiet hour. All you need to do is log in, wave hello, or not, and get to writing.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and gratitude, we will have some gratitude related quotes and writing prompts available on screen to help inspire you. However, we promise there will be no ‘get to know you questions’ or participation requirements, just you in a virtual room holding yourself quietly accountable for achieving your novel writing dreams amongst others. One quiet hour before the holiday weekend to work on finishing NaNoWriMo strong.

Virtual Come Write-In
Thursday, November 30, 7-8pm

This will be our final Virtual Come Write-In event for 2021. The focus of this online writing session, hosted by local author and librarian Alexandra Duncan, will be writing sprints and last-minute support.