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.

Thursday, September 8, 2022
Writing Out of Pain: Memoirs by WNC Authors Lecture and Book Discussion Series: Talk by Nancy Sehested about her memoir Marked for Life: A Prison Chaplain’s Story
Sep 8 @ 7:00 pm
West Asheville Public Library


Some of our greatest art has come in response to the pain of this world: war, accident, crime and punishment, physical and mental illness, racial and class-based inequities. As Asheville resident Nancy Sehested has written, “The deeply human questions of forgiveness, redemption, and mercy emerge from the ruins of broken lives…Pain is not the last word.”

On eight evenings from September to December, the Wilma Dykeman Legacy and the West Asheville Library will celebrate four memoirs of resilience and hope from the mountains of Western North Carolina. All events are free and will be at the West Asheville Library, except for the digital event on December 8.

Saturday, September 10, 2022
Books to Action: Racial Justice Book Discussion + Hood Huggers Walking Tour
Sep 10 @ 10:30 am – 2:00 pm
Stephens-Lee Center

Books to Action: Racial Justice Book Discussion + Hood Huggers Walking Tour

Buncombe County Public Libraries is hosting a new book club beginning in September.

Books to Action is an issue-focused book club that will explore books centered on topics facing our community. Each book discussion will take place in conjunction with a community service project, educational field trip, or presentations from local experts active in these key issues. This book club is open to anyone over age 16 and hopes to spotlight the work of community organizations and provide an engaging opportunity to get involved on a local level.

On Sept. 10, the Book To Action club will meet at 10:30 am at the Stephens-Lee Center to discuss Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be Antiracist. After the book discussion, we will walk to Eagle Street to begin our Hood Huggers tour.

Hood Hugger walking tours explore the past, present, and future of African Americans in Asheville

Our tour will include: the East End Valley Street in downtown Asheville, home to shops and galleries featuring African American artisans and artists; the YMI Cultural Center; the Stephens Lee Community Center; The Block, and significant African American architecture in this vibrant historic neighborhood.

This event is free, but you do need to register. Please visit the library web page and use the link on the calendar for this program to sign up.

Future meetings will include book discussions and volunteer activities with Habitat for Humanity, the Family Justice Center, and Asheville Greenworks. Check the library calendar for updates on coming books and community projects.

Monday, September 12, 2022
Mystery Book Club
Sep 12 @ 7:00 pm
Malaprops Bookstore

 

Join host Tena Frank for Malaprop’s Mystery Book Club! Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets at Malaprop’s on the second Monday of every month at 7:00 pm.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Discussion Bound: The Art Prophets by Richard Polsky
Sep 14 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

The Art Prophets: The Artists, Dealers, and Tastemakers Who Shook the Art World by Richard Polsky introduces readers to influential late twentieth-century dealers and tastemakers in the art world. These risk takers opened doors for artists, identified new movements, and resurrected art forms that had fallen into obscurity. In this distinctive tour, Polsky offers an insightful and engaging dialogue between artists and the visionaries who paved their way.

Moderators: AAM Docents, Barbara Pressman and Hope Warshaw

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.

INTRODUCTION TO TAI CHI *New Course*
Sep 14 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
YWCA Asheville

This 10-week course will introduce basic principles that are foundational to all Tai Chi movements. Tai Chi is proven to be effective in decreasing pain, stiffness, and risk for falls while improving balance, postural stability, strength, cognitive focus, immune system function, and more. Wednesdays noon -1 pm; August 24th-October 26th. This course has a general public cost of $60. There is no additional cost for members, the course is included.
Register before September 31st on our YWCA App, by calling (828) 254-7206 ext. 213 or emailing [email protected].

Thursday, September 15, 2022
Notorious HBC (History Book Club)
Sep 15 @ 7:00 pm
online

This club meets in-person and virtually. If you are interested in attending, please email [email protected] for more info and instructions! 

Join host and Malaprop’s bookseller Patricia Furnish to discuss a range of books across different periods of history. The club tackles challenging subjects, hence “NOTORIOUS.”  Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets at Malaprop’s on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm.

Writing Out of Pain: Memoirs by WNC Authors Lecture and Book Discussion Series: Marked for Life, led by West Asheville Branch Librarian Sherry Roane.
Sep 15 @ 7:00 pm
West Asheville Public Library


Some of our greatest art has come in response to the pain of this world: war, accident, crime and punishment, physical and mental illness, racial and class-based inequities. As Asheville resident Nancy Sehested has written, “The deeply human questions of forgiveness, redemption, and mercy emerge from the ruins of broken lives…Pain is not the last word.”

On eight evenings from September to December, the Wilma Dykeman Legacy and the West Asheville Library will celebrate four memoirs of resilience and hope from the mountains of Western North Carolina. All events are free and will be at the West Asheville Library, except for the digital event on December 8.

About the Wilma Dykeman Legacy

The Wilma Dykeman Legacy is a tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 2012 to sustain and promote Wilma Dykeman’s values by sponsoring diverse workshops, events, and other programs.  The core values of this extraordinary woman from Buncombe County included environmental integrity, social justice, and the power of the written and spoken word.  For more information, visit www.wilmadykemanlegacy.org.

 

 

 

Saturday, September 17, 2022
Mindful Self-Compassion 9-Session Class Outdoors Near Warren Wilson
Sep 17 all-day
Charles D. Owen Park

MSC is an empirically-supported 9-session program that helps participants develop and deepen the skills of self-compassion. Activities include meditation, talks, discussion, and experiential exercises. This class will be held rain or shine outdoors in a beautiful setting over nine Saturdays, 9/17-11/19, skipping 10/15.

We will meet from 10:30AM-2PM with a 30-minute break for lunch midway through each session. Each class participant will receive a copy of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.

Register at mindfulselfcompassionasheville.com by 8/30 for early-bird pricing.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022
INTRODUCTION TO TAI CHI *New Course*
Sep 21 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
YWCA Asheville

This 10-week course will introduce basic principles that are foundational to all Tai Chi movements. Tai Chi is proven to be effective in decreasing pain, stiffness, and risk for falls while improving balance, postural stability, strength, cognitive focus, immune system function, and more. Wednesdays noon -1 pm; August 24th-October 26th. This course has a general public cost of $60. There is no additional cost for members, the course is included.
Register before September 31st on our YWCA App, by calling (828) 254-7206 ext. 213 or emailing [email protected].

7-week Self Defense Course
Sep 21 @ 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm
YWCA

Back by popular demand, we will be offering a new cohort of our Empowered Self-Defense course that was designed as a partnership with the YWCA of Asheville and OurVoice. This course is a holistic approach to personal safety which teaches tools to combat the whole spectrum of violence, from verbal harassment to physical violence. We teach individuals how to interrupt violence by listening to their intuition, asserting boundaries, using de-escalation strategies, and providing tools for a range of mental, verbal, and physical responses. Register today and don’t let this opportunity pass by.

Register on our YWCA App, by calling (828) 254-7206 ext. 213 or emailing [email protected].

Thursday, September 22, 2022
Women’s Fall Equinox Sacred Sound Journey
Sep 22 @ 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Bullington Gardens (in the multipurpose room)

It’s time to transition to Fall! Sacred Sound helps us recalibrate our energy and prepare for the change of seasons. We’ll use this gathering to ease any concerns about what we see happening in our world, shake off fear and anxiety, and claim our peace and calming in this seasonal transition. Join us for a deeply replenishing guided sound healing journey of Tibetan and Crystal bowls, chimes, tank drums and tuning forks. WOMEN only, no children please. ADVANCE TICKETS ONLY available on website through 5 pm Sept 16. Because there is limited space, NO tickets will be available at the event, no exceptions. Please arrive on time. Bring a yoga mat and blanket. All details on website.

The Book for September is: ‘Klara and the Sun’ by Kazuo Ishiguro
Sep 22 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Citizen Vinyl

The book for September is: ‘Klara and the Sun’ by Kazuo Ishiguro

From the best-selling author of Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day, a stunning new novel—his first since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature—about the wondrous, mysterious nature of the human heart.

From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.

In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/books/review/klara-and-the-sun-kazuo-ishiguro.html

COVID-19 safety measures
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Mindful Self-Compassion 9-Session Class Outdoors Near Warren Wilson
Sep 24 all-day
Charles D. Owen Park

MSC is an empirically-supported 9-session program that helps participants develop and deepen the skills of self-compassion. Activities include meditation, talks, discussion, and experiential exercises. This class will be held rain or shine outdoors in a beautiful setting over nine Saturdays, 9/17-11/19, skipping 10/15.

We will meet from 10:30AM-2PM with a 30-minute break for lunch midway through each session. Each class participant will receive a copy of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.

Register at mindfulselfcompassionasheville.com by 8/30 for early-bird pricing.

Monday, September 26, 2022
Science Fiction Book Club
Sep 26 @ 7:00 pm
online

Join host and Malaprop’s Bookseller Allison to dive into the wreck of the wily and wonderful world of science fiction, fantasy, weird fiction, speculative fiction, and literary horror with a healthy mix of underappreciated classic and contemporary books. Meets the last Monday of every month at 7 pm on Zoom. Also meets on the second Monday of every month at 7 pm to discuss the film adaptations of the books we read.  Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading and contact the club host to join. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Romance Book Club
Sep 27 @ 7:00 pm
zoom

Romance Book Club is a space to celebrate love in literature. Whether it’s set in early 1800s London, a distant planet years into the future, a fantasy world of magic, or our own contemporary universe, we are here for the stories that end with a happily-ever-after (or at least a happily-for-now).

Meetings will take place at 7:00 PM ET on the last Tuesday of each month via Zoom. Please visit the Romance Bookclub page for the monthly selection, and email Samantha at [email protected] for the link to join.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022
INTRODUCTION TO TAI CHI *New Course*
Sep 28 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
YWCA Asheville

This 10-week course will introduce basic principles that are foundational to all Tai Chi movements. Tai Chi is proven to be effective in decreasing pain, stiffness, and risk for falls while improving balance, postural stability, strength, cognitive focus, immune system function, and more. Wednesdays noon -1 pm; August 24th-October 26th. This course has a general public cost of $60. There is no additional cost for members, the course is included.
Register before September 31st on our YWCA App, by calling (828) 254-7206 ext. 213 or emailing [email protected].

Foodie Book Club
Sep 28 @ 7:00 pm
online

The Foodie Book Club is a club about food writing. The club meets on the last Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM.  Click here for details and monthly picks!

Wednesday, October 26, 2022 – 7:00pm
Wednesday, November 30, 2022 – 7:00pm
Wednesday, December 28, 2022 – 7:00pm
Friday, September 30, 2022
Edible North Carolina Event at Plott Hound Books
Sep 30 @ 11:00 am
Plott Hound Books

Join University of North Carolina food historian Marcie Cohen Ferris and award-winning cookbook author Ronni Lundy as they discuss the book, “Edible North Carolina: A Journey across a State of Flavor.” The new book from University of North Carolina Press provides a 360-degree view of a state known for its farming and food, with compelling essays from leading North Carolina writers, cooks, farmers, entrepreneurs, and food equity activists. Ferris, the book’s editor, and Lundy, a contributing essayist, will talk about the book.

Grand Opening: Love and Respect Community for Recovery + Wellness
Sep 30 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Love and Respect

Love and Respect Logo Mark Full Color

We Are a Peer Support Recovery Community Rooted in Respect

Love and Respect exists to assist any person seeking recovery from substance use, mental health struggles, and/or reentering society after incarceration through authentic Peer Support. We humanize these challenges with love and respect for the individual. We encourage, advocate, and instill hope, meeting people right where they are with person-centered, strength-based support. Our hope is to support the wellbeing of the whole person through the sharing of our lived experiences.

WNC’s first African American lead Recovery Community Center in Hendersonville, NC with a passion to serve the Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) population.

The vision of a single African American father with nearly 18 years of total and complete abstinence from all mood mind altering substances, a North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist (NCPSS) for 12 years,  was Lead Peer Support on Henderson County Post Overdose Response Team (PORT), Certified Recovery Coach, North Carolina Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC), Community Healthcare Worker (CHW), Shaw University graduate, BA in Sociology Cum Laude (class of 2013)
Saturday, October 1, 2022
Mindful Self-Compassion 9-Session Class Outdoors Near Warren Wilson
Oct 1 all-day
Charles D. Owen Park

MSC is an empirically-supported 9-session program that helps participants develop and deepen the skills of self-compassion. Activities include meditation, talks, discussion, and experiential exercises. This class will be held rain or shine outdoors in a beautiful setting over nine Saturdays, 9/17-11/19, skipping 10/15.

We will meet from 10:30AM-2PM with a 30-minute break for lunch midway through each session. Each class participant will receive a copy of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.

Register at mindfulselfcompassionasheville.com by 8/30 for early-bird pricing.

Myofascial Release Monthly Course
Oct 1 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
YWCA
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
ReadWNC Series: The Ballad of Frankie Silver
Oct 4 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association

ReadWNC Series: The Ballad of Frankie Silver

Our ReadWNC series concludes Tuesday, October 4 with author Sharyn McCrumb discussing the true events behind her novel The Ballad of Frankie Silver. In this series, authors and historians explore the facts behind the fiction in books centered in WNC. We encourage you to read the books in advance and bring your own questions to the discussion. You can find all three books at Malaprop’s Bookstore here in Asheville. This event airs live via Zoom, and will be recorded for later viewing.

 

The Ballad of Frankie Silver is one of McCrumb’s Ballad novels – “set in the Southern mountains, weaving together the legends, natural wonders and contemporary issues of Appalachia. Each story is built around a theme, intended to express an overall idea” according to the author. This novel, set in Burke County, tells the story of the young Frankie Silver, hanged for a murder she may not have committed in 1833. McCrumb notes that this tale involves mountain justice, frontier families, and a contrast between the mountain and lowland South.

 

About the Presenter:

Sharyn McCrumb is an award-winning Southern writer, best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, set in the North Carolina/Tennessee mountains, including the New York Times Best Sellers She Walks These Hills and The Rosewood Casket, which deal with the issue of the vanishing wilderness; The Ballad of Frankie Silver and The Ballad of Tom Dooley, exploring the true stories behind two Appalachian murder balladsand The Songcatcher, a genealogy in music, tracing the author‘s family from 18th century Scotland to the present by following a Scots Ballad through the generations. Ghost Riders, an account of the Civil War in the mountains of western North Carolina, won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature given by the East Tennessee Historical Society and the national Audie Award for Best Recorded Novel. Her books have been named New York Times and Los Angeles Times Notable Books.

ReadWNC: The Ballad of Frankie Silver
Oct 4 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
online

Our ReadWNC series concludes Tuesday, October 4 with author Sharyn McCrumb discussing the true events behind her novel The Ballad of Frankie Silver. In this series, authors and historians explore the facts behind the fiction in books centered in WNC. We encourage you to read the books in advance and bring your own questions to the discussion. You can find all three books at Malaprop’s Bookstore here in Asheville. This event airs live via Zoom, and will be recorded for later viewing.

The Ballad of Frankie Silver is one of McCrumb’s Ballad novels – “set in the Southern mountains, weaving together the legends, natural wonders and contemporary issues of Appalachia. Each story is built around a theme, intended to express an overall idea” according to the author. This novel, set in Burke County, tells the story of the young Frankie Silver, hanged for a murder she may not have committed in 1833. McCrumb notes that this tale involves mountain justice, frontier families, and a contrast between the mountain and lowland South.

WILD (Women in Lively Discussion) Book Club
Oct 4 @ 6:30 pm
Battery Park Book Exchange

Join former Malaprop’s General Manager Linda-Marie Barrett for this woman-only book club that seeks to have fun by reading books (fiction & non) by women writers. Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets at 6:30 P.M. on the first Tuesday of the month at the Battery Park Book Exchange. It will be held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ONLINE- Enka-Candler Library Evening Book Club
Oct 4 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
online

ONLINE- Enka-Candler Library Evening Book Club

Chat with other book lovers about this month’s book selection.

Interested in reading ahead? Here’s what we have coming up in the next few months!
– November- “Once Upon A River” Diane Setterfield
– December- “Dutch House” Ann Patchett
– January- “Mexican Gothic” Silvia Moreno-Garcia
– February- “The Rose Code” Kate Quinn

To reserve your copy of the book, visit buncombe.nccardinal.org or swing by the library to pick one up from the book clubs holds shelf.

To join the book club email [email protected] or call us at 250-4758.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022
INTRODUCTION TO TAI CHI *New Course*
Oct 5 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
YWCA Asheville

This 10-week course will introduce basic principles that are foundational to all Tai Chi movements. Tai Chi is proven to be effective in decreasing pain, stiffness, and risk for falls while improving balance, postural stability, strength, cognitive focus, immune system function, and more. Wednesdays noon -1 pm; August 24th-October 26th. This course has a general public cost of $60. There is no additional cost for members, the course is included.
Register before September 31st on our YWCA App, by calling (828) 254-7206 ext. 213 or emailing [email protected].

Thursday, October 6, 2022
Crime and Politics Book Club
Oct 6 @ 7:00 pm
online

Join host and Malaprop’s Bookseller Patricia Furnish to discuss a range of books across true crime and public affairs. The club meets the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Click here to learn more about the club, view important news, and find the pick for this month.

Saturday, October 8, 2022
Mindful Self-Compassion 9-Session Class Outdoors Near Warren Wilson
Oct 8 all-day
Charles D. Owen Park

MSC is an empirically-supported 9-session program that helps participants develop and deepen the skills of self-compassion. Activities include meditation, talks, discussion, and experiential exercises. This class will be held rain or shine outdoors in a beautiful setting over nine Saturdays, 9/17-11/19, skipping 10/15.

We will meet from 10:30AM-2PM with a 30-minute break for lunch midway through each session. Each class participant will receive a copy of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.

Register at mindfulselfcompassionasheville.com by 8/30 for early-bird pricing.

Monday, October 10, 2022
Download Ebooks and Audio Books from Hoopla
Oct 10 all-day
online

There are two ways to download ebooks and audiobooks from Buncombe County Public Libraries.

All library card holders can download books from the North Carolina Digital Library with the Libby app. In addition, you can now download the Hoopla digital mobile app or visit Hoopla from our web page to begin enjoying thousands more items available to borrow 24/7. Your User ID is your library card number with no spaces, and your PIN is the last four digits of your phone number.

If you don’t have a library card, you can contact your library to get one free of charge. Use your library anytime, anywhere with our digital resources.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Class
Oct 10 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center
Three people carrying a person in a stretcher

BECOME AN E.M.T.

If you’re ready to get started in an exciting and rewarding career that doesn’t require years of higher education, you may be interested in our Emergency Medical Technician Course at SOLO Southeast. Sign up for our September course before the registration closes!

EMTs play a vital role in both public safety and healthcare by caring for and transporting sick and injured people during emergencies. Our intensive EMT program is designed to offer students a streamlined pathway into the world of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The course is fast-paced and taught by our accredited and highly experienced instructors. If learning more about anatomy, patient assessment, life-saving medical interventions, and pre-hospital patient care click on the link above to learn more.

Earn your EMT in 3 weeks!

SOLO Southeast’s intensive EMT program is designed to offer students a streamlined pathway into the world of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The course is fast-paced and taught by our highly experienced instructors. Students learn anatomy, patient assessment, life-saving medical interventions, and pre-hospital patient care.