Calendar of Events

For nature and literary lovers, ecopoetry is the perfect collaboration. Taking inspiration from your backyard, a tree you love, the bird that visits your feeder every day, and so much more, we’ll learn how to write about the things in nature that catch our eyes and hearts. Interested in some examples? Check out Drew Lanham, Mary Oliver, and Alice Walker.

Bring a favorite pen and we will have projected images to help your imagination.

A little clip about me:

Donnie Henry is a Creative Writing student at Warren Wilson College. They are a poet, painter, avid reader, river lover, and a fan of all amphibians. They work in their college Herbarium and love talking about it!

Join the Dark City Poets Society for a free publishing workshop from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at the Black Mountain Library,105 N. Dougherty Street, Black Mountain, NC 28711. This workshop will be led by John Himmelheber, editor of Smoky Blue Literary and Arts Magazine, along with Ivy Rosen, editor of Black Mountain Press. Learn tips and tricks on how to get published and what the best practices are for submitting your work for consideration. This workshop is open to all ages, and no registration is required.

Start off Poetry Month at the Library with a celebration of Dolly Parton’s lyrics at the Fairview Library.

What could the songs of legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton teach us about writing, craft, and perspectives in poetry? In this in-person workshop, poet Dustin Brookshire guides participants through exploring the discography and cultural impact of Dolly Parton. We’ll use this as inspiration for writing new poems via thematic prompts.

This free workshop will be Tuesday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fairview Library.

Our facilitator, Dustin Brookshire is the recipient of the 2024 Jon Tribble Editors Fellowship awarded by Poetry at the Sea and is the co-editor of Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology (Madville Publishing, 2023), which was named to the 2024 Books All Georgians Should Read list by the Georgia Center for the Book.

Printmaker Janette Hopper will be giving a digital presentation on her art of linocut printmaking this Thursday, May 2, 6:30-7pm. She will also demonstrate some of the tools and materials she uses in her process, and be available for Q&A. Afterwards, stay for the gallery’s True Home Open Mic, where performers of all skills and genres (poetry, storytelling, music, song, comedy, etc.) share their art. Janette herself will be getting up on stage again to share some of her poetry! Or stay to browse more of her print artwork: her current exhibit at Flood Gallery, “Agony and Ecstasy: Images of Conscience” which is comprised of more than 60 pieces, all for sale, and will show through June 2.

We’ve heard your valuable feedback, and now you don’t have to hear us! Beginning May 4, 2021, the period between 8 and 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday morning of every month will be reserved for “Meditative Mornings,” a pause for quiet time in our gardens and on our trails. During this time, our working garden crew will abstain from using leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment so you can be sure to enjoy the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees.

Take advantage of half-price parking on the first Tuesday of every month and come out to the Arboretum to enjoy a Meditative Morning!

Doors open at 6pm for performer signups, followed by our regular True Home Open Mic from 6:30-7:30. Then a pop-up concert 7:30-9pm featuring true folk troubadour Ash Devine with special guest and 40-time award-winning FL-based songwriter Jane Fallon! A blend of originals with old country, traditional Appalachian, Carter family songs, old timey country blues, and folk revival tunes.

A taste of the Low Country comes to the foothills when the Mountains to the Sea Jazz Series serves up some of Charleston’s finest and most talented musicians and creatives. GRAMMY award winner Quentin Baxter is a percussionist, composer, educator and prominent figure in the jazz community of his native Charleston, SC. Baxter will be joined by the multi-talented poet and musician Marcus Amaker. Baxter is Co-Principal of Charleston Jazz Initiative and drummer for the band Ranky Tanky. Amaker is the first Poet Laureate of Charleston. In addition to poetry, Amaker is an opera librettist. His debut opera, The Weight of Light, will premiere in 2024 for the Chicago Opera Theater. In 2019, Amaker won a Governor’s Arts Award in South Carolina, and was named the artist-in-residence of the Gaillard Center, Charleston’s world-renowned performance and education venue. The collaboration of these two incredibly creative individuals will delight foothills jazz aficionados to close out the series.

A taste of the Low Country comes to the Foothills when the Mountains to the Sea Jazz Series serves up some of Charleston’s finest and most talented creatives. GRAMMY award winner Quentin Baxter is a percussionist, composer, educator and prominent figure in the jazz community of his native Charleston, SC. He’ll be joined by the multi-talented poet, musician and first Poet Laureate of Charleston Marcus Amaker.

Come on by for night of spoken word presented by Dark City Poets Society at Oak and Grist Distilling Company. Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and drink for a good cause.

The event is free and $1 from every classic cocktail will be donated to Friends of the Black Mountain Library.

gn-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Can’t make it to this one? This event happens the third tuesday of every month!

We’ve heard your valuable feedback, and now you don’t have to hear us! Beginning May 4, 2021, the period between 8 and 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday morning of every month will be reserved for “Meditative Mornings,” a pause for quiet time in our gardens and on our trails. During this time, our working garden crew will abstain from using leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment so you can be sure to enjoy the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees.

Take advantage of half-price parking on the first Tuesday of every month and come out to the Arboretum to enjoy a Meditative Morning!

Celebrate the ephemeral beauty of flowers during this immersive morning nature retreat! In Japan, the birthplace of forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku), they celebrate the annual cherry blossom bloom (Sakura) with a practice known as Hanami, which translates to “contemplate the flowers.” This experience gently invites us to cultivate our attention and sensory awareness, while noticing the evanescent nature of flowering, both within and around us. Together, we will explore our relationships with native wildflowers, ourselves, each-other, and the more-than-human-world.

Join Dark City Poets Society at Oak and Grist Distilling Company for a night of spoken word. Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and drink for a good cause. The event is free and $1 from every classic cocktail will be donated to Friends of the Black Mountain Library.https://www.instagram.com/darkcitypoetssociety/?hl=en
Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Come on by for night of spoken word presented by Dark City Poets Society at Oak and Grist Distilling Company. Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and drink for a good cause.

The event is free and $1 from every classic cocktail will be donated to Friends of the Black Mountain Library.

gn-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Can’t make it to this one? This event happens the third tuesday of every month!

Celebrate the light of Summer with a one hour Summer Solstice Sound Bath! A sound bath can cleanse your soul, restore your balance, surround you with peace and tranquility and stimulate healing.
For the meditation, we will feel the warmth of the sun on your skin as you bask in the suns gentle rays imagining the light penetrating your body with healing energy.

Note: Please bring a mat/blankets/pillow since you will be lying on the floor.
Wear comfortable and flexible clothing.
Choose your space starting at 6:15 pm, doors close promptly at 6:30 pm.

NOTE: Accessible parking is available in the Center for Spiritual Living Asheville upper parking lot. The entrance to the upper parking lot is off of S. Bear Creek Rd between Science of Mind Way and Sand Hill Rd. (see map in comments).
There is a boardwalk walk way from the upper parking lot to the building entrance.

Drop in to your center and move from there. This is a perfect time to pull cards and see what this next season may have to offer.
We are excited to have Bobbi Rose back offering tarot card readings on our back terrace or if it’s too cool out it will be offered in the atrium.
Reserve your session [email protected]

We’ve heard your valuable feedback, and now you don’t have to hear us! Beginning May 4, 2021, the period between 8 and 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday morning of every month will be reserved for “Meditative Mornings,” a pause for quiet time in our gardens and on our trails. During this time, our working garden crew will abstain from using leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment so you can be sure to enjoy the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees.

Take advantage of half-price parking on the first Tuesday of every month and come out to the Arboretum to enjoy a Meditative Morning!

Center your mind, body and spirit with a soothing Sound Bath!
Join your host Kristin Hillegas, for a one-hour Serenity Sound Bath and experience a deeply immersive, full-body sound and vibrational experience. A sound bath can cleanse your soul, restore your balance, surround you with peace and tranquility and stimulate healing.
Note: Please bring a yoga mat/pillow/blanket since you will be lying on the floor. Wear warm, comfortable, and flexible clothing.
The Sound Bath will take place upstairs in the Education Building. Choose your space starting at 6:15 PM, doors close promptly at 6:30 PM.
This service is being offered on a Love Offering basis. Donations allow us to continue to provide these immersive experiences.
Accessible parking is available in the Center for Spiritual Living Asheville upper parking lot. The entrance to the upper parking lot is off of S. Bear Creek Rd between Science of Mind Way and Sand Hill Rd.
There is a boardwalk walk-way from the upper parking lot to the building entrance.

5 week series. Every Wednesday from 6:30-8:30, beginning June 5. Class cancelled July 3. Ending July 10.

Poetry is the written act of paying attention. Paying attention to words, rhythm, and writing but most importantly the worlds that inspire you to write. Namely, your world.

“Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” -Charles Simic

Have you ever swooned at the thought of exploring your full expression, only to shuffle around the house more determined to rearrange mothballs than get something on paper?

Poetry is undoubtedly a practice, but it doesn’t have to be an intimidating sport for Creative Gods alone. The only “ask” is to take note and notice of your life.

We’ll help develop the work itself, together.

This full-bodied beginner’s poetry class will help you shift from “Oof, I could never…” into “Wait, where’s my journal?!” by tuning into your world: to the color palette of grass, to coffee-shop conversation, to the twitch in your left elbow. If you want language for the volcanic prayers of your soul or to describe your partner’s voice whispering “I love you” at 4am, we’ll get there. This class weaves the elements of poetry, forms of poetry, guided discussion with peers, and the works of prolific poets all into a multidisciplinary play space. Plus, oodles (oodles!) of writing time to build personal confidence and craft. This class immerses itself in artful experimentation across mediums, paired with a toolkit of technical writing skills. It’s the ultimate permission slip to be a beginner.

“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.” -Carl Sandburg

Flower-Pounding Workshop & Private Salt Cave Session Merging nature, art, and wellness!

Come spend a morning enjoying the beautiful gardens of Asheville Salt Cave.
Learn the art of flower-pounding and design your own reusable canvas bag.
Following the instruction and creation time, we will transition inside the Salt Cave for a healing meditation session.
Our morning will finish with an herbal tea sampling and an opportunity to walk the newly constructed labyrinth in the garden.

Register now:
Space is limited. $80 per person Tickets are nonrefundable once purchased. Please be mindful of your volume as you move about our entire space, as others are in healing sessions.

Sign up to read a short poem or just listen under the stars.
A percentage of drink sales support the Friends of the Black Mountain Public Library

Come on by for night of spoken word presented by Dark City Poets Society at Oak and Grist Distilling Company. Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and drink for a good cause.

The event is free and $1 from every classic cocktail will be donated to Friends of the Black Mountain Library.

gn-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Can’t make it to this one? This event happens the third tuesday of every month!

oin Reiki Master Teacher and Yoga Nidra Facilitator, Kate Wargo of Woven Light LLC in a soothing Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep) practice guiding you into the “in between”; that space between being awake and being asleep. Within this space, a dream will be induced taking you into a state of consciousness that can bring about immense healing in your conscious, subconscious, and unconscious mind. The cave will transform into a “Nidra Nest” with comfy reclining loungers, blankets, and bolsters to fully support you, whether sitting or lying down, for the entire experience. Release stuck emotions, rest, and rejuvenate!
$56 per person

Come in from the heat and immerse yourself with the healing vibrations of a Sound Bath!
Join your host Kristin Hillegas, for a one-hour Serenity Sound Bath and experience a deeply immersive, full-body sound and vibrational experience. A sound bath can cleanse your soul, restore your balance, surround you with peace and tranquility and stimulate healing.
Note: Please bring a yoga mat/pillow/blanket since you will be lying on the floor. Wear warm, comfortable, and flexible clothing.
The Sound Bath will take place upstairs in the Education Building. Choose your space starting at 12:45 PM, doors close promptly at 1:00 PM.
This service is being offered on a Love Offering basis. Donations allow us to continue to provide these immersive experiences.
Accessible parking is available in the Center for Spiritual Living Asheville upper parking lot. The entrance to the upper parking lot is off of S. Bear Creek Rd between Science of Mind Way and Sand Hill Rd.
There is a boardwalk walk-way from the upper parking lot to the building entrance.