Edvard Tchivzhel, conductor

Narrator, David Bean

Featuring dancers from International Ballet

STRAVINSKY “The Soldier’s Tale”

Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session 

Sundays

1 till who knows when?

Traditional Irish music is kept alive at Jack of the Wood with our unplugged Sunday session.

Jack of the Wood

95 Patton ave

Asheville, NC 28801

(828) 252.5445

http://www.jackofthewood.com/

Matilda has astonishing wit, intelligence… and special powers! She’s unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the highly loveable Miss Honey. Matilda’s school life isn’t completely smooth sailing, however – the school’s mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments for those who don’t abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils’ saving grace!

Join the Asheville Performing Arts Academy’s Prep Academy in their workshop version of Matilda.

This event is for anyone over the age of 18 who would like to attend a Small Group painting class. All supplies are included, along with the space and the teacher, mask and vaccination cards are required. This is a 2 hours class with a couple 10 minute breaks. It could last up to 3 hours depending on the nature of the class. There is high ph water and two restrooms at the facility but no snacks or drinks are allowed at the tables to keep everything safe at the time. This is a fun class where we mingle and visit, meet new people and are taken step by step through a full painting all supplies are included. You take the painting home with you after the class. The location is on ground level and there is plenty of parking available. The teacher has her masters in studio art with a focus on painting and is happy to guide novis painters step by step through the painting process. Showing them everything from mixing the paint pallet to applying the paint to the canvas. We are centrally located on Merrimon ave. and the location is very easy to find as we are in business here. You can call as well we are in suite #2 at the Beaver Lake Office Suites at 959 Merrimon Ave. We are in the upper buildings right off Merrimon.

ALGORITHM & BLUES: A DATING SKETCH SHOW

By George Awad, Katie Jones, Travis Lowe, and Jason Phillips
Directed by Jason Phillips

Have the dating apps got you down? Does your emotional well-being Hinge on getting a response from a potential love Match(.com)? Why not laugh it off with some locally sourced comedy centered around the joy and awkwardness of dating! Bring a date, or better yet bring your support group and laugh until you cry. All coupled up? Then come for the schadenfreude! An uproarious evening poking fun at the trials and tribulations of modern dating, featuring live music, bad date stories, and dancing Yentas!

Content Warning: Contains adult material

Like most of our events, this event is free. If you decide to attend and purchase the authors’ 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!

Alexis V. Jackson is a Philadelphia-born, San Diego-based writer, poet, and teacher whose work has appeared in Poetry Magazine, Jubilat, The Amistad, La Libreta, Solstice Literary Magazine, and 805 Lit among others. Jackson earned her MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Messiah University. She is a 2021 finalist for the Poetry Foundation’s Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship. Her debut poetry collection, My Sisters’ Country (2022), won the Koré Press’ first book prize. Jackson has served as a reader for Callaloo and Bomb Magazine, and lectures in the University of San Diego’s English Department. For more, visit https://www.alexisvjackson.com

In My Sister’s Country, Alexis Jackson artfully braids together a multi-vocal chorus of Black women’s voices across, over, under, and through time. From Gwendolyn Brooks to June Jordan to the Book of Genesis, Jackson’s poetry sizzles and samples with mischief. It’s gutbucket, daredevil, Double Dutch, next-generation sass. A mixtape of mothers and daughters, blood and beat, this book dances with ghosts. Jackson bends and breaks forms like the sonnet, pantoum, and zuihitsu and introduces the playlist poem as she explores the makings of Black girlhood and womanhood. Staying true to the beauties, traumas, moans and undoings found there, the poet invites readers to consider the ways Black women, who were once considered countryless property, made country out of and in one another, and asks the questions: What are the consequences? How terrifying and beautiful are they? How terrifying and beautiful is the rebuilding, the renaming, of country? Jackson confronts expectations put on Black women through time, family, patriarchy, and religion. “Christ is supposed to give me salvation for my soul,/ but what about my thighs, and my mouth, and my pancreas,” she writes. This is a book of the body, unbound by convention while creating entirely new ones.

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Komal Mathew is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology and Sarah Lawrence College. Her poems have appeared in Poetry, Diode Poetry Journal, Beloit Poetry Journal, Crazyhorse, Narrative,The New Republic, and others. She lives with her family in Smyrna, Georgia, where she is the co-founding editor of Josephine Quarterly. For more, visit https://www.komalmathew.com

For Daughters Who Walk Out Like Sons: In this spectacular debut, notions of what it means to be beautiful–both inside and out– get complicated with a refreshing vulnerability. Komal Mathew makes captivating poems bubbling over with uncommon wisdom and grace. Mathew’s poems yield a faith of transparency and yearning, a lyric pulse arisen from the longing of our souls to be clothed with eternity, our heavenly home: “Though my love for you didn’t end / because the singing ended, the lullaby / moved to a wind that promised a nest…” This lovely book is a festival of light infused with love, bejeweled by the elemental truths in this earthbound life of family, motherhood, and human desire: “Blessed be the one who hears you cry out / like a million pressed stones – / jasper, turquoise, emerald with gold – / and uncovers your breath of bees.

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Marianne Worthington is a poet, editor, and cofounder of Still: The Journal. She lives and teaches in southeastern Kentucky. Her work has appeared in Oxford American, CALYX, Grist, Cheap Pop, Appalachian Review, Feed, Ethel, Chapter 16, and other outlets. With Silas House she co-edited Piano in a Sycamore: Writing Lessons from the Appalachian Writers’ Workshop, and is author of a poetry chapbook Larger Bodies Than Mine, which won the Appalachian Book of the Year Award. For more, visit https://marianneworthington.com

Skillfully divided into three distinct yet harmonious parts, cantillating local, familial, and personal histories, The Girl Singer is a collection of lyrical and descriptive poems that offer unique insight on famous and infamous Appalachian tales from this life and the next. Part family history, part music, and part nature walk, The Girl Singer beautifully weaves Feminism, Appalachian culture, and country music into one thread. Worthington’s attentive eye and heart are reflected in the starkly striking and painful images she paints in the poems. Every poem, whether describing a connection with Appalachian wildlife, retelling the lyrics of a classic country tune, reflecting on the speaker’s bloodline, or giving voice to famous musical figures of the past, strikes a powerful chord and creates a sisterhood for singing old songs in new ways.

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Mildred Kiconco Barya is a writer and poet. She has written short-stories and essays for various publications, features and travel articles for newspapers. Her first collection of poetry titled: Men Love Chocolates But They Don’t Say won the National Award for poetry publication 2002. She is also the author of the poetry collections The Price of Memory and Give Me Room to Move My Feet. Barya is Assistant professor of Creative Writing and World Literature at University of North Carolina-Asheville. Learn more at http://mildredbarya.com/.

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros formed in 2018 by Weir along with Don Was and Jay Lane.

WORTHAM CENTER PRESENTS

Asheville’s own Justin Ray has has earned a reputation as a fiery and compelling trumpet soloist, comfortable in a wide variety of styles. He has toured 45 countries, appeared on Grammy-winning recordings, and has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the world.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Justin received a scholarship after high school to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston where he graduated with a Degree in Music Education and performed with a number of different ensembles. He completed his Masters Degree at the University of Southern California and fast became one of the most in-demand jazz trumpeters in the region, performing with artists including Bill Cunliffe, Alan Pasqua, Joe LaBarb

Reserved Seat Tickets are available with Dinner reservations – You must call the venue at 828-575-2737 to make dinner reservations and secure those tickets.

General Admission Tickets are available for the main stage balcony only. Seating in the balcony is first come, first serve. Dinner service is NOT currently being offered for general admission tickets.; drink service is available at the downstairs bar on the main floor.

You must call the venue at 828-575-2737 for Reserve Seat Tickets and to make dinner reservations.

Proof of Vaccination or Negative Covid Test w/i 48 Hours :: Masks are Required

All ticket sales are final.

There are few artists capable of appealing to music fans of all stripes, and Alan Doyle is one of them. From the moment he burst onto the scene in the early 1990s with his band Great Big Sea, Canadians fell in love with the pride of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, whose boundless charisma and sense of humour was eclipsed only by his magnetic stage presence.

His influence is now being heard in a new generation of artists as his solo work continues to endear him to roots music fans everywhere. That’s clearly evident on Alan’s new EP Rough Side Out, which finds him collaborating with Canadian country music superstars Dean Brody and Jess Moskaluke, while at the same time offering his own distinctive interpretation of contemporary country.

The seeds for Rough Side Out were planted in 2012 when Brody asked Great Big Sea to record the song “It’s Friday” with him for the Platinum-selling album Dirt. For Alan, that was the moment he realized the door to the country music world was open for he and other east coast Celtic-leaning artists, and since then he’s warmly embraced building closer ties. “My personal journey with the whole thing has been very organic,” Alan says. “When my parents weren’t listening to traditional folk music, they were listening to country music on the radio. So, when I began creating my own musical identity, I was inspired by artists who were able to blend those two worlds.”

The same could be said of the songwriting and production team on Rough Side Out, which includes Alan’s frequent collaborators Donovan Woods and Todd Clark. Both have been bringing a new sensibility to Nashville, in part due to their individual backgrounds within the Canadian independent music scene, making Rough Side Out a natural progression of their past work with Alan.

“The songs on this record all have strong personal meaning to me,” he says. “I believe the best songwriters in any genre are the ones who can look in their own backyard and find something they want to sing about. In a way, that’s why I wanted to call this record Rough Side Out. It’s a Newfoundland expression I love and have used before that refers to clapboard that’s only sanded on one side. Houses in Newfoundland always have the rough side out because it holds the paint better, but it’s also a metaphor for who we are as people. Most of us have the rough side out— in the best possible way, of course.”

Fittingly, the EP’s first single is a reunion with Dean Brody, “We Don’t Wanna Go Home,” a rousing ode to having the perfect night out at your favourite watering hole. It’s a theme that carries on from Rough Side Out’s opening track, “We’re Gonna Love Tonight,” a celebration of freedom that bears all the hallmarks of an Alan Doyle anthem aimed at bringing people together. And what country music excursion would be complete without a classic duet? That was the basic idea behind recording “What the Whiskey Won’t Do” with Jess Moskaluke, a thrilling first-time experience for Alan.

“I’ve always wanted to do this kind of duet,” he says. “I’d written songs like that for other people but never for myself. I had the title in my back pocket for a while, and it was a case of just waiting until the right circumstances came along. And being such a fan of Jess, she was the perfect person to sing it with, mainly because her voice has so much more range than mine!”

The song describes a couple turning to the bottle in order to get over each other and serves as a reminder of the dangers of overindulgence. Along with the EP’s other great ballad, “It’s OK,” “What the Whiskey Won’t Do” underscores Alan’s long-time work in support of addiction and mental health organizations. However, in a purely musical vein, Alan felt a lot of personal satisfaction in capturing a note-perfect cover of John Mellencamp’s “Paper in Fire,” led by his renowned fiddle player Kendel Carson.

“I think in some ways that song really tied the whole project together,” Alan says. “First off, it’s a song I’ve always loved and always wanted to record. But to do it justice, you really need the right players, and the people we had for these sessions could absolutely nail it. The song also shows the change in how country music is perceived. I think if Mellencamp released The Lonesome Jubilee today, it would be regarded as a country album.”

Listening habits have indeed changed dramatically and looking back it’s incredible how the humble group of Newfoundlanders who formed Great Big Sea—with a simple goal of bringing their modern take on the music of their home province to mainstream ears—made such an indelible mark on a national scale. But with songs like “When I’m Up (I Can’t Get Down),” “Ordinary Day,” and their cover of R.E.M.’s “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” now ingrained upon the Canadian consciousness, there can be no disputing Great Big Sea’s status as one of the country’s most influential bands of the past three decades.

Now as we enter a new decade of music, the notion of genres feels even more antiquated. Connecting with as many listeners as possible continues to be Alan’s top priority, and he cheekily admits he tried to stack the deck in his favour with the EP’s final track “I Gotta Go.” It’s a tailor-made concert staple if there ever was, containing the soon-to-be immortal line, “20 songs if they love me, only 18 if they don’t.” At this point, it would be hard to find any Alan Doyle fan who would choose to leave a show until he’s expended every ounce of energy on stage.

Ultimately, Rough Side Out is an Alan Doyle record, which remains a category all its own.

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that helps communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Activities of the American Red Cross Western North Carolina Chapter include: Blood Services, Training Services, Disaster Services, and Home Fire Campaign.

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and one blood donation can save up to three lives. Help support lives in North Carolina by signing up to become a Blood Drive Volunteer today.  

Time Commitment:

Blood drives occur M-F and volunteers are expected to attend one blood drive a month to remain an active volunteer. This position is flexible as volunteers can sign up for shifts that work for their schedule and instructions for shift selection will be sent after responding to the opportunity.

Volunteer Roles:

• Warmly greet donors and assist with registration in reception area.
• Assist with initial intake and hand off through blood donation process.
  • Ensure donors have relevant information and all questions are answered appropriately.
  • Maintain proper sanitizing and cleanliness of reception and hospitality areas.
• Attend canteen area in support of donors.
  • Thank donors for their contribution.
  • Alert staff immediately if a donor shows signs of feeling unwell.
• Inform donors of current and upcoming donation promotions.
  • Make reminder/cancellation calls.
  • Reschedule donor appointments.
  • Perform follow-up activities as directed.

Volunteer Requirements:

• Modeling excellent customer service behaviors.
• Knowledge of technology needed for position (training provided)
  • Donor checkin, donor tablet, rapid pass, donor app.
• Comfortable working with people from diverse communities and backgrounds
• Dependable, punctual, and professional
• Adhere to all Red Cross guidelines
• Ability to remain calm in crisis situations
• Adhere to CDC safety guidelines regarding COVID-19 precautions
• Safety First! Our need for volunteers is constant and our guidelines reflect the latest CDC safety recommendations and follow the national and local government laws. COVID-19 vaccination will be required for in-person volunteer roles beginning January 3, 2022.

Turn the Dallas Asheville into a giant game board with this fun scavenger hunt adventure. Combine the excitement of the Amazing Race with a two and a half-hour city tour. Guided from any smart phone, teams make their way among well-known and overlooked gems of the city, solving clues and completing challenges while learning local history. Start when you want and play at your pace. Price is per team, not per person. Find details and Redeem your ticket as a Prepaid Code online at www.UrbanAdventureQuest.com.

It can be ruff out there for our canine companions, but we have pawsitively great news. Buncombe County’s first-ever dog park is now open at our Sports Park in Candler. While this is a soft open, the park features two fenced-in play areas; one for large dogs and one for smaller pups. “We do have plans to add other amenities and water fountains,” exclaims Recreation Services Program Coordinator Mac Stanley. “People are very excited about this new opportunity. Since it was announced, we have gotten letters of support as well as many emails questioning when will the project be completed.”

So join us in a round of apaws as we celebrate the opening of this new venue for hot dogs and cool people. “It’s an amazing place to bring your dog to run free without a leash and interact with other dogs,” says Stanley. “One of my favorite aspects of this new dog park is being able to cultivate a community. Hopefully, this dog park will be instrumental in connecting dogs as well as people within the community.” Paw-yeah, sounds great.

Location: Buncombe County Sports Park, 58 Apac Circle

Hours of operation: Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (same as the Sports Park)

Dog park drools rules
Dogs must be:

• On a leash at all times until safely in the fenced-in dog park area
• Vaccinated, licensed, and in good health
• At least four months old to enter
• Wearing a collar with ID tags
• Under voice control of their human and not aggressive

Humans must:

• Be with dogs at all times
• Remove dogs at first sign of aggression
• Pick up poop and dispose of it in receptacles provided
• Be liable for any and all injuries caused by their dogs

Not Allowed:

• Pronged, spike or choke collars
• Aggressive dogs, aggressive humans, or dogs in heat
• Unsupervised children 12 years of age or younger

Recreation Services’ Lake Julian Park Rangers have assembled a new paddle boat fleet that is ship-shape and ready to hit the water. “We have received and assembled 17 brand new paddle boats to complete our fleet of 20 boats at Lake Julian Park,” notes Park Ranger Matt Dixon. “This is a great addition to the park and will be an enjoyable amenity for our park patrons for years to come.”

Lake Julian Park offers paddle boat rentals for $12/ hour and $8/half hour. The boats are available to rent every day the park is open (weather permitting), up until 2 hours before park closing time. Head over to the park on the next sunny day and make your own splash. Learn more at buncombecounty.org/parks.

 Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (A-B Tech) is a comprehensive two-year college and one of 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College System, serving students in five locations in Buncombe and Madison Counties.  A-B Tech, through its dedication to student success, strives toward its mission to deliver quality education to enhance academic, workforce, and personal development. A-B Tech envisions changing lives and strengthening communities. 

We are seeking volunteers to help support our Veteran’s Cafe. A-B Tech recognizes that student military veterans benefit significantly from fellowship and networking with their peers. To meet this need, the College created the Vet’s Cafe, a supportive gathering place where students can relax, network, connect with resources, use a computer and enjoy complimentary coffee or pre-packaged snack. 

Volunteer Responsibilities:

• Hosts, ensuring the Cafe is welcoming and supportive.
• Setting out snacks and coffee
• Helping students with computers, and tutoring/mentoring as appropriate
• Volunteers also act as a conduit between students and the A-B Tech Veterans Advisor to ensure students get all the support they need to succeed.

Time Commitment:

• 3 hours per shift (8am-11am, 11am-2pm, 2pm-5pm 8am-5pm)
• 1 volunteer per shift, couples are welcome to volunteer together.

Qualifications:

• Must have patience and understanding while volunteering at the Cafe
• Military experience is preferred but not required
• Must be computer literate

Requirements:

• Must be 21 years old
• Complete volunteer application with A-B Tech
• Complete FERPA & HIPAA forms
• Submit to a criminal background screening
• Attend an in-person interview and orientation with A-B Tech Campus Volunteer Coordinator

Health & Safety:

• A-B Tech is following all CDC guidelines for higher educational institutions

RiverRATS: Spring Season Get your students in the water this spring with our free RiverRATS lessons. We’ll give your students all the tools they need to act as stream ecologists and build a deeper connection with our local water resources.

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

 Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (A-B Tech) is a comprehensive two-year college and one of 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College System, serving students in five locations in Buncombe and Madison Counties.  A-B Tech, through its dedication to student success, strives toward its mission to deliver quality education to enhance academic, workforce, and personal development. A-B Tech envisions changing lives and strengthening communities. 

We are currently seeking registered Therapy Dog Teams to have regular routes on campus, visiting public areas, classrooms and staff offices. Our A-B Tech Therapy Dog program aims to spread compassion, empathy, and, most importantly, “pawsitivity” across our campus.  A-B Tech Community College recognizes the positive influence that therapy dogs can have on student and staff.

Volunteer Responsibilities:

• Therapy dog teams (owner and dog) will visit public areas on campus, classrooms, and staff offices
• Therapy dog teams will also assist with special requests such as visiting classrooms before exams, counseling sessions or special events on campus.

Time Commitment:

• 1 hour once a week
• Therapy Dog teams are scheduled to ensure they are not in the same building or area at the same time as other teams.

Requirements:

• Must be 21 years old
• Complete volunteer application with A-B Tech
• Complete FERPA & HIPAA forms
• Submit to a criminal background screening
• Attend an in-person interview and orientation with A-B Tech Campus Volunteer Coordinator
• Provide copies of Therapy Dog Certification (Dog Teams must be certified by an accredited Therapy Dog Agency before starting).

*As of 2021, the Volunteer Program accepts Therapy Dog certification from the following agencies, Alliance of Therapy Dogs, Therapy Dogs International, Pet Partners (previously Delta Society).

Health & Safety:

• A-B Tech is following all CDC guidelines for higher educational institutions

New map of adoptable stormdrains in the Smith Mill Creek Watershed. The Adopt-A-Storm Drain pilot program in the Central Asheville Watershed was such a success in 2021, that we are expanding it! Citizens can now volunteer to adopt a storm drain in the Central Asheville Watershed AND the Smith Mill Creek Watershed. Smith Mill Creek watershed is situated between Haywood Road and Patton Avenue, where it flows to meet the French Broad River, and features 245 adoptable storm drains. If you live or work in West Asheville, consider checking out the Adopt-A-Storm Drain map and adopting a storm drain, or two!

Do you need help paying your mortgage, rent, or utilities? Buncombe County might be able to help. Additional financial assistance will be available soon for qualifying County residents. At its Feb. 1 regular meeting, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve budget amendments accepting nearly $4 million in state and federal funding for emergency rental and low-income energy assistance.

Economic Services Director Phillip Hardin also provided the Board an overview of emergency housing spending of $8.2 million to date that has helped aid more than 3,000 residents. Additional funding in the amount of $2.2 million has been received from the state’s allocation of emergency rental assistance to be used following the same guidelines for rent and utility payments. Hardin noted there is still $4 million in funding from the previous allocation that is available immediately to support community members impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who need help with rent or utilities. Call 250-5500 for assistance.

Heating Assistance

The Low-Income Energy Assistance Program is a seasonal program that provides for a one-time vendor payment to help eligible households pay their heating bills. NC DHHS is providing funding from two sources to the County for a total of $1,887,432. All funds will be disbursed through Eblen Charities. The County will share more information as it is available on how residents may apply for this assistance.

Our first exhibition of the year, Of Body & Mind, explores the connection between form and soul. Both functional and sculptural glass work is displayed. Artists are encouraged to expand the concept beyond static objects. The show exhibits work of glass artists living in Western North Carolina or who have a connection to the area. The exhibit is open during our regular gallery hours in D Space. Closed Tuesdays. Masks required. A reception will be announced at a later date. Featured artwork: ‘Be Here Now’ by Ben Greene-Colonnese.