Calendar of Events
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.
Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30pm at Story Parlor
April 13, April 20, April 27, May 4, May 11, May 18*
*Final class on May 18 runs from 6:30-9:30pm
Make up class reserved for May 25
Story Parlor presents Creativity Lab: a six-week exploration of the creative process, common blocks and obstacles, and ways to kickstart and sustain creative momentum.
Focused on the process and the act of doing, opposed to product or outcome, Creativity Lab explores ways to overcome fear, embrace curiosity, and channel our muse in all creative endeavors.
The six-week workshop is experiential, hands-on, and tactile. The Lab will utilize exercises to help cultivate imagination, innovation, and creativity. Each class will focus on a different part of the creativity process all while building a tool kit for dealing with obstacles in our way, creating positive habits for growth, and investigating the ways our personal narratives intersect with our work.
Registration Includes:
A guidebook with supplementary readings, exercises, and activities
A custom Story Parlor notebook
Access to Creativity Mixers
Who Should Attend:
Anyone looking to kickstart or follow-through with a creative project
Anyone wanting to discover more about their habits and approach to creativity
Anyone hoping to learn more about the process of being creative
Anyone wishing to make creativity a part of their daily life
Anyone looking to explore the intersection of art and the human condition
Anyone interested in identifying their core values’ intersection with creative goals and aspirations
Anyone wanting a creative community in which to play, explore, and experiment
A child’s mind is attuned to the most eccentric details, which reflect the early fears, hopes and fascinations that escape us in adulthood. This workshop will take you back in time to explore your most vivid childhood memories. We will write small stories to make narrative sense of these moments.
Join Fairview author and teacher Dr. Beth Keefauver online via Zoom in the first of a series of creative writing workshops. The three classes may be taken individually or as a series. Registration is required as class size is limited. Email [email protected] or call 828-250-6484 to register.
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.
Email [email protected] for the link to the online meeting.
The contents of this presentation are for informational purposes only. Nothing herein constitutes medical, legal, or financial advice nor is it a substitute for professional advice on any issue. You should not rely on the information received in this presentation for any important decisions, including medical, legal, or financial decisions. Always consult with an appropriate professional for specific advice related to your situation. The views and opinions expressed in this presentation do not necessarily reflect those of Buncombe County or its Public Library System.
Hendersonville Theatre (HT) resumes its Staged Reading Series Saturday, June 11 at 4 p.m. Showcasing the work of area playwrights and performed by local actors, The Staged Reading Series is a FREE public reading of a new play in development. However, donations are welcome to support HT.
HT’s The Staged Reading Series offers exciting script-in-hand readings of new plays by emerging local playwrights. The readings are followed by a talk back with the playwright and actors to provide feedback to the playwright.
A short discussion will follow each show to provide feedback to the playwright about their script.
The reading will be held on the Hendersonville second stage at the rear of 229 S. Washington Street, Hendersonville, NC. There is no charge to attend or to participate, however donations are welcome and will be used to support HT.
Hendersonville Theatre is committed to exploring and developing new work for American theater, supporting local playwrights with their creative process from concept to production.
The play to be read on June 11 is Affinity by Charles LaBorde. Affinity portrays the early career of celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright, including the beginnings of his growth to fame, his first marriage, his trials as he became a famous designer of homes, and the dissolution of his marriage after beginning an affair with one of his clients. The play begins in 1937 with the construction of Taliesin West in Arizona and then retells the years from 1888 until the events of 1914 that led to the destruction of the first Taliesin in Wisconsin.
Charles LaBorde is an actor, director, designer, and playwright, and has worked as an arts educator and administrator. He holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in theatre and doctoral certification in educational administration from the University of North Carolina. LaBorde was the founder of the high school at Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, where he served as principal for 15 years until his retirement in 2008. He has received 11 regional and state directing awards, a national directing award from the National Youth Theatre, and numerous awards for scenic, costume, lighting, and sound design from the North Carolina Theatre Conference. As a playwright he has received two national and four regional playwriting awards and has had his play, Memorial, performed throughout the United States and Europe. LaBorde is a member of The Dramatists Guild, Inc.—the professional theatre association of playwrights, composers, and lyricists.
Join writers and poets from across the country each month for a virtual writing workshop. A link will be added to their name when more details and sign-up information becomes available. These workshops are geared towards amateur writers, ages 16 and older recommended. Follow us on Facebook for notifications too.
Poetry of the Spirit with Luke Hankins
This class will focus on contemporary poetry that engages the “spirit” in some way, from a range of perspectives, both religious and non-religious. Some of the aspects of spiritual poetry that will come under discussion are the experience of transcendence, the longing for connection to something larger than ourselves, and the search for overarching meaning that might guide us throughout our lives. In addition to reading and discussing sample poems, we will do an in-class writing exercise aimed at writing from or to whatever “spirit” means to each participant.
Luke Hankins is the author of two poetry collections, Radiant Obstacles and Weak Devotions, as well as a collection of essays, The Work of Creation. A volume of his translations from the French of Stella Vinitchi Radulescu, A Cry in the Snow & Other Poems, was released by Seagull Books in 2019. Testament, a chapbook of poems, is forthcoming from Texas Review Press. His poems, essays, and translations have appeared in a wide variety of periodicals, including 32 Poems, American Literary Review, Image, New England Review, Poetry International, Verse, World Literature Today, and The Writer’s Chronicle. Hankins serves as an Associate Editor at Asheville Poetry Review and he is the founder and editor of Orison Books, a non-profit literary press focused on the life of the spirit from a broad and inclusive range of perspectives.
This workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and is a fun way to find inspiration from a new prompt or revise current work. It is hosted by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara and will use Zoom for the virtual connection. The link will be sent by the morning of the presentation. Check your junk folder if you have not received it by then.
Church of St. John in the Wilderness celebrates its patron saint with the Feast of St. John
the Baptist. In 2021, the historic church extended the festivities outside the parish to the
broader community and will do so again this year.
All are welcome to join the festivities at the family-friendly celebration featuring food,
fellowship and live music. “Since our earliest days in the 1800s, we have gathered with
friends and neighbors to fellowship and find renewal with God and one another,” Rector
Josh Stephens said. “The Feast of St. John is a time for our broader community to gather
and to reconnect.”
Local bluegrass band Pretty Little Goat will set the mood beginning at 6 p.m. and yard
games will be offered for children. Barbecue and other family-favorite foods and
beverages will be available for purchase at Hubba Hubba. Seating at the picturesque
outdoor courtyard is limited, so guests are encouraged to bring portable chairs.
"St. John in the Wilderness as a parish has deep roots in Flat Rock and this corner of
Western North Carolina,” Stephens said. “We are incredibly grateful to live in a place with
such natural beauty and with so many wonderful friends, parishioners, and neighbors.
The rain date is set for Wednesday, June 29 at 5:00pm at Hubba Hubba.

Come join us as we meet online to do therapeutic free writing together in community! No writing experience is required. Therapeutic free writing is a process where you write on personal and emotional topics as fast as possible, without editing, and without regard to grammar rules. The group structure is that I will give out a couple of therapeutic prompts to choose from, and we will write for approximately ten minutes. Then you will have an opportunity to share what you wrote with the group (but only if you want to!). After that, the other members will have a chance to comment on how your writing affected them and offer support from their own experiences with only positive comments. This process will create a safe space for you to do your healing work and spark creativity in a community of fellow creatives.

Join us for another Parish Breakfast hosted by the Chefs of St. John, this one in celebration of the arrival of our new Curate, his family, and our visiting summer scholar. The Chefs will serve up bacon, sausage, eggs, grits, gravy, fruit salad, potatoes, biscuits, French toast and juice/coffee/tea. There is no cost for this breakfast, but donations are welcome and appreciated. Please sign up by Wednesday, June 29 to aid in planning.

The Rev. Dr. Robert MacSwain
2022 Summer Scholar-in-Residence
Dr. Rob MacSwain is the Associate Professor of Theology at the seminary at The University of the South, in Sewanee, TN. For a number of years, Dr. MacSwain has been researching how the lives of holy people serve as evidence of God’s existence.
Dr. MacSwain is no stranger to North Carolina, having been ordained as a priest of the Church in the eastern part of the state in 2002. He holds masters degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and The University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He completed his Ph.D. at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2010. He has authored and edited several works including his book Solved by Sacrifice: Austin Farrer, Fideism, and the Evidence of Faith (2013). While in Flat Rock, he intends to relax in the mountains of Western North Carolina and he hopes to find time to continue working on his book to be titled The Saint is our Evidence.

The Rev. Dr. Robert MacSwain
2022 Summer Scholar-in-Residence
Dr. Rob MacSwain is the Associate Professor of Theology at the seminary at The University of the South, in Sewanee, TN. For a number of years, Dr. MacSwain has been researching how the lives of holy people serve as evidence of God’s existence.
Dr. MacSwain is no stranger to North Carolina, having been ordained as a priest of the Church in the eastern part of the state in 2002. He holds masters degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and The University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He completed his Ph.D. at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2010. He has authored and edited several works including his book Solved by Sacrifice: Austin Farrer, Fideism, and the Evidence of Faith (2013). While in Flat Rock, he intends to relax in the mountains of Western North Carolina and he hopes to find time to continue working on his book to be titled The Saint is our Evidence.

Tours of St. John in the Wilderness are sponsored and led by a team of volunteer docents who seek to tell the story of our historic parish. Tours are held every third Saturday of the month at 11:00am and last about one hour.
There is no cost to tour the churchyard. Please wear comfortable shoes, and meet in the Carriage Entrance of the church. Space is limited to 30 people per tour

The Rev. Dr. Robert MacSwain
2022 Summer Scholar-in-Residence
Dr. Rob MacSwain is the Associate Professor of Theology at the seminary at The University of the South, in Sewanee, TN. For a number of years, Dr. MacSwain has been researching how the lives of holy people serve as evidence of God’s existence.
Dr. MacSwain is no stranger to North Carolina, having been ordained as a priest of the Church in the eastern part of the state in 2002. He holds masters degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and The University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He completed his Ph.D. at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2010. He has authored and edited several works including his book Solved by Sacrifice: Austin Farrer, Fideism, and the Evidence of Faith (2013). While in Flat Rock, he intends to relax in the mountains of Western North Carolina and he hopes to find time to continue working on his book to be titled The Saint is our Evidence.

The Rev. Dr. Robert MacSwain
2022 Summer Scholar-in-Residence
Dr. Rob MacSwain is the Associate Professor of Theology at the seminary at The University of the South, in Sewanee, TN. For a number of years, Dr. MacSwain has been researching how the lives of holy people serve as evidence of God’s existence.
Dr. MacSwain is no stranger to North Carolina, having been ordained as a priest of the Church in the eastern part of the state in 2002. He holds masters degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and The University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He completed his Ph.D. at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2010. He has authored and edited several works including his book Solved by Sacrifice: Austin Farrer, Fideism, and the Evidence of Faith (2013). While in Flat Rock, he intends to relax in the mountains of Western North Carolina and he hopes to find time to continue working on his book to be titled The Saint is our Evidence.
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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. Email [email protected] for the link to the online meeting. The contents of this presentation are for informational purposes only. Nothing herein constitutes medical, legal, or financial advice nor is it a substitute for professional advice on any issue. You should not rely on the information received in this presentation for any important decisions, including medical, legal, or financial decisions. Always consult with an appropriate professional for specific advice related to your situation. The views and opinions expressed in this presentation do not necessarily reflect those of Buncombe County or its Public Library System. |

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Tours of St. John in the Wilderness are sponsored and led by a team of volunteer docents who seek to tell the story of our historic parish. Tours are held every third Saturday of the month at 11:00am and last about one hour.
There is no cost to tour the churchyard. Please wear comfortable shoes, and meet in the Carriage Entrance of the church. Space is limited to 30 people per tour

Presented as part of the Faith in Arts Institute, hosted by BMCM+AC, these conversations and interviews with a diverse group of artists, faith leaders, and scholars explore the role of arts in spiritual practice and religious life.
“I dare suggest that the clearest examples of relationship are to be found in geometry…With geometry as the body reference for learning about relationship, we can best illustrate principles of mathematics and arithmetic. Given this understanding, one is equipped with the foundation for critical and clear thinking, and is best prepared to navigate with a healthy respect for self in relation to other in the domain of community.”
Vandorn Hinnant is a visual artist, poet and educator based in Durham, North Carolina. He grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina and received a Bachelor’s of Art degree from North Carolina A&T University. After college, he moved to New York City and worked for the printmaker Josef Werner. Known for his visual exploration of metaphysical ideas, Hinnant utilizes Sacred Geometry (studied formally under his mentor, inventor and physicist Robert L. Powell, Sr.), fractal mathematics, the golden ratio, and the logarithmic spiral to create his dynamic two and three-dimensional artworks. Referencing Buckminster Fuller, Leonardo da Vinci, Frank Lloyd Wright, and M.C. Escher as inspirations because of their use of geometry and math in making their artworks, Hinnant catalyzes dialogue through and around his work about the golden proportion, human relationships, and metaphysical energy. His work has been exhibited widely, including at the Fayetteville Museum of Art, Antioch College, and Saugerties Performing Arts Factory, and belongs to numerous private and corporate collections.

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Creative Prompt
Write a story from within a bubble.
Where
https://www.the-rhu.com/
Fun Fact for this day
### 3 Sept, 1976 Mars Viking 2 Lands
September 3rd, 1976 : The unmanned U.S. spacecraft Viking 2 launched on September 9th, 1975 lands on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the planet’s surface.

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Spirit Fest Turns 30! Online ticket sales coming soon.
Spirit Fest 2022 returns to The Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Sunday September 4, 2022! This year is a celebration of three decades of presenting gospel music in the Upstate of SC.
We celebrate “Shining 30 Years of Hope, Love, and Light to our Families, Faith, and Communities.”
Performing at Spirit Fest this year is Tye Tribbett, Tamela Mann, Bishop William Murphy, Tim Rogers, Roy and Revelation, Kelontae Gavin, and the Gospel Legends! More information to come on other Spirit Fest activities and artists to the 30th celebration!
Tickets go on sale Thursday May 5, 2022 at the GSP International Airport Box Office at the Arena and Ticketmaster.com. Early bird tickets will be available through June 17.

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Tours of St. John in the Wilderness are sponsored and led by a team of volunteer docents who seek to tell the story of our historic parish. Tours are held every third Saturday of the month at 11:00am and last about one hour.
There is no cost to tour the churchyard. Please wear comfortable shoes, and meet in the Carriage Entrance of the church. Space is limited to 30 people per tour
The Jump Off: The Importance of the Inciting Incident will help writers craft exciting openings to hook an audience. “If you don’t grab an audience in the opening moments of a speech, play, novel, or even television series, they’re lost forever. Learn how to identify a compelling inciting incident and make it riveting.”
Raegan Payne is a published, award-winning playwright whose plays have been produced from Los Angeles to Lagos. She studied Shakespeare at the British American Drama Academy and improv/sketch writing at The Groundlings in Los Angeles and has just finished a master’s degree at the University of Cambridge in Writing for Performance. She is a member of Ammunition Theatre Company’s Writers Group, the Dramatist Guild, Actors’ Equity, SAG-AFTRA, and the Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative. She unwinds by fostering kittens and practicing Aikido. For more info go to: raeganpayne.com

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.
Chloe lived in Asheville for 12 years and is now residing in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Much of her book takes place in Asheville. Chloe’s spiritual memoir reveals the Divine pathway to a more peaceful, happy, fulfilled, and healthy life. Come meet Chloe and find out why her book is changing lives.
GOLD WINNER Memoir by a female—2022 Living Now Book Awards — Books for Better Living
FINALIST New Age Nonfiction: 2022 International Book Awards
SOVEREIGN KAVA hosting Author Event: Wed, OCT. 12, @ 8:30 pm
268 Biltmore Ave.
🌻 Book Discussion 🌻 Reading Excerpts from the book 🌻 Q & A session 🌻 Autographed English & Spanish books available to purchase
For more information about Chloe and her WISDOM KEEPER spiritual memoir: www.ChloeKempWisdomKeeper.com

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.

