Calendar of Events

If you’ve been playing small, then this month’s book is for you! Playing Big by Tara Mohr will help you find the methods and courage to play bigger in your life and stop living small. All womxn are welcome. If you are too busy to read the book, check out this podcast with the author and you’ll get a good sense of it from there. https://www.dontkeepyourdayjob.com/episodes/tara-mohr

Come to April Bookclub and check out at Firestorm Books. We’ll meet on the 3rd Tues, April 16th at 6:30pm. #bookclub #avl #828isgreat #womensempowerment #asheville

A rare opportunity to meet Claudia Foltz, co-author of dance icon Mel Tomlinson’s autobiography, “Beyond My Dreams”. Come here his story of how talent, determination and hard work broke through walls, making him one of the first African Americans featured at the NYC Ballet. Terpsicorps dancers Keith Reeves and Lydia McRae will join the discussion to share their view of life in today’s world of ballet from an African American perspective.

Join WNC Magazine senior editor and Friends of the North Carolina Room board member Jon Elliston as he recaps his yearlong written series with a multimedia presentation in the Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library.

Learn more about:

**Asheville’s Fascist: William Dudley Pelley’s obscure but infamous Silver Shirt movement lives on in his paper trail

**Swannanoa’s Superspy: Carl Duckett’s unlikely journey from small-town roots to top CIA official

**Rosman’s Spy Base: When the National Security Agency set up a mountain espionage station, it was a hard secret to keep

**Senator Sam Ervin’s Secret Wars: He stuck to the Constitution through clashes with McCarthy, the Army, CIA, and Nixon

**School Under Scrutiny: The FBI’s files on Black Mountain College tell a little-known story of art, politics, and surveillance

My name is Meagan Lucas and I am a Hendersonville-based writer. I’m having a book launch for my debut novel, Songbirds and Stray Dogs, at the new Malaprop’s Pop-Up in downtown Hendersonville.

In Songbirds and Stray Dogs, 21 year old Beaufort waitress, Jolene, has spent the majority of her life living in the shadow of the pain her mother caused, and trying to prove herself worthy of her Aunt’s stingy love. Unintentionally pregnant and abandoned again, Jolene tries to outrun her shame in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Penniless, alone, and chased by demons from her past, she is forced to confront her mother’s legacy, and her own fear. Song Birds and Stray Dogs is a Southern story, born of sweet tea and the Bible Belt, chow-chow and cornbread, shot guns and porch rocking. But it is also a universal story of escaping the burden of your past and finding yourself at home in a strange land.

This comedy is often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancée say? The plot, of course, thickens! Directed by Jim Reid and performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.

This comedy is often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancée say? The plot, of course, thickens! Directed by Jim Reid and performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.

This comedy is often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancée say? The plot, of course, thickens! Directed by Jim Reid and performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.

Set amid the most turbulent social and political period of modern times, Ninth Street Women is the impassioned, wild, sometimes tragic, always exhilarating chronicle of five women who dared to enter the male-dominated world of 20th-century abstract painting—not as muses but as artists. These women changed American art and society, tearing up the prevailing social code and replacing it with a doctrine of liberation. In Ninth Street Women, acclaimed author Mary Gabriel tells a remarkable and inspiring story of the power of art and artists in shaping not just postwar America but the future.

| A mystery novel set in Yonah, N.C.

Friday Night- 6:30-8:30pm, Full Retreat (9/13 and 9/14)- 9:30am-5:30pm

Based his new book, Drinking from the River of Light, this Mark Nepo workshop will center on the lifelong process of listening, reflecting, and expressing, and on how bearing witness to the truth of living reveals the mysteries of life.

As no one can live without inhaling and exhaling, no one can live without feeling and expressing. The life of expression is how the heart breathes and how our spirit grows in the life that carries it. The life of feeling, dialogue, and writing, whatever form they take—poetry, story, memoir, or reflection—open us to a personal form of expression, a necessary conversation with the Universe that helps us move through obstacles and transitions. As meditation is an ancient art that deepens our relationship to how we breathe, writing and storytelling are ancient arts that deepen our relationship to all that matters. And just as the reward for practicing meditation is not that we’ll become great breathers but that we’ll become clear vessels of life-force, the reward for practicing a personal form of expression is not that we’ll become great writers or great storytellers but that such practice will help us be more resilient and wake closer to life.

In this Mark Nepo workshop, Mark will open a heart space through which participants can discover their own rhythms of expression. Through poetry, stories, and metaphors, Through reflection, journaling, and dialogue, each participant will have the chance to practice listening and expressing. We are constantly being shaped by life into finer instruments of care and expression. The deeper we go, the more attuned we become, and the more we join with everything around us. This workshop will help you to inhabit a personal form of expression, by which you can strengthen your connections and find your way.

Topics in this Mark Nepo workshop include “The Chord in Our Heart,” “What It Means to See,” “Bearing Witness,” “Unraveling the Self,” “Giving and Getting Attention,” “Breaking Surface,” “Understanding Practice,” and “Fitting Things Together.”

Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for forty years. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, he has published fourteen books and recorded eight audio projects. Recent work includes: Reduced to Joy (2013), Seven Thousand Ways to Listen which won the 2012 Books for a Better Life Award, Staying Awake (2012), Holding Nothing Back (2012), As Far As the Heart Can See (2011), Finding Inner Courage (2011),and Surviving Has Made Me Crazy (2007), as well as audio books of The Book of Awakening, Finding Inner Courage, and As Far As the Heart Can See (2011). As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship.

“Minimalia: The Commonwealth of Sentiments.”
Photography & Poetry by Oğuz Erdur
Also showing:
Sculptural & Functional Ceramics by Joey Sheehan
Opening reception – Sept. 28 • 6-9 pm
Exhibit through Dec. 30

“Minimalia: The Commonwealth of Sentiments.” is a new photographic exhibit of dream-like, surreal experimentations and poetry by Oğuz Erdur, assistant professor of anthropology at UNC Asheville, from Istanbul, Turkey. The collection of micro-photography images were made with a lensbaby lens. Lensbaby is a line of camera lenses for SLR cameras that combine a simple lens with a bellows or ball and socket mechanism for use in special-effect photography, often used in selective focus photography and bokeh effects. Featuring a hybrid collection of poems, photographic close-ups and prose reflections, the exhibition centers on themes of existential angst and the quest for meaning. Erdur will also be reading his poetry at the exhibit opening.

Joey Sheehan began his study in clay over 14 years ago when he received a BFA in ceramics from Virginia Tech. He completed a 2 year residency at the Odyssey Center and another year there as the studio technician, and has been making pots in Western North Carolina ever since. Sheehan is extremely interested in classical shapes and forms but with a contemporary look at surface. He works to build a relationship between the shape, function, and surface of each piece while also telling a story of the firing process. His work has been shown all over the eastern US and he is a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and the Piedmont Craftsman.

Free tours for North Carolina residents. Used book sale cake to celebrate!

…she gave to Luck’s Lad the title of Eugene, a name which, beautifully, means “well born,” but which, as any one will be able to testify, does not mean, has never meant, “well bred.”

Join us Tuesday, October 8 for our next Discussion Bound book discussion. Elizabeth Catte’s What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia is a frank assessment of America’s recent fascination with the people and problems of the region. The book analyzes trends in contemporary writing on Appalachia, presents a brief history of Appalachia with an eye toward unpacking Appalachian stereotypes, and provides examples of writing, art, and policy created by Appalachians as opposed to for Appalachians. The book offers a must-needed insider’s perspective on the region. Presented in conjunction with Appalachia Now!

A new spooky book just in time for Halloween.  Caitlin Donovan will present works from  her young adult book “In The way of all Flesh” a paranormal fantasy novel; October 17th at 6:30 at the Firestorm bookstore in West Asheville. There will be giveaways, snacks and a Q&A session. Donovan has written for several magazines and blogs including Cracked, Anime feminist and Epicstream. She currently lives in Asheville and is working on a new book. For more information please  visit caitlinalisedonovan.com###

– ANTIQUE & COLLECTIBLE BOOKS, CDs, DVDs, SIGNED BOOKS – Priced as marked. (Special 1/2 price sale on Sat.)
– BOOKENDS USED BOOK STORE – 1/2 off our usual low prices.
– COFFEE TABLE and CHILDREN’S BETTER BOOKS – Priced as marked. (Special 1/2 price sale on Sat.)
Notes:
– Credit Cards will be accepted.
– Parking: The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands will be at the U.S. Cellular Center; special parking rates will be in effect.
– Safety & Fairness Rules will be observed in Bookends. (No personal rolling carts or baskets.)

– ANTIQUE & COLLECTIBLE BOOKS, CDs, DVDs, SIGNED BOOKS – Priced as marked. (Special 1/2 price sale on Sat.)
– BOOKENDS USED BOOK STORE – 1/2 off our usual low prices.
– COFFEE TABLE and CHILDREN’S BETTER BOOKS – Priced as marked. (Special 1/2 price sale on Sat.)
Notes:
– Credit Cards will be accepted.
– Parking: The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands will be at the U.S. Cellular Center; special parking rates will be in effect.
– Safety & Fairness Rules will be observed in Bookends. (No personal rolling carts or baskets.)

Jill Criswell, young adult fantasy author and writing instructor at USC Upstate, will lead a writing workshop for aspiring writers and hobbyists. Focusing on world-building, this workshop will help writers better understand how to add details to their story’s settings and use this as a foundation for their characters and plot. All attendees will be entered in a drawing to win a signed hardcover copy of Criswell’s novel, Beasts of the Frozen Sun.

Bio: Jill Criswell is a writer of young adult fantasy. Born and raised in the swamps of northeastern Florida, she earned degrees in English and Psychology and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida. Her greatest passion, besides reading and writing, is traveling the world; she’s visited fifty countries across six continents, falling in love with places like Iceland, Namibia, and Cambodia. She works as a university English teacher and lives in South Carolina, near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with her husband and daughter (who is named after a volcano in Iceland). Beasts of the Frozen Sun, the first book in the Frozen Sun trilogy, is her debut novel.

Registration is required for this event!

It’s our favorite time of year again! (Who are we kidding? We love to celebrate Geekiness ALL times of the year!)

We are happy to invite all of our Nerd Sanctuary family & friends to ComicFest 2019 Morgan’s Comics style! FREE Comics, Candy, Locally Baked Treats, Costume Contest, Local Artists & two musical Performances.

The Costume Contest is at 6:30- tell your friends!

**We have hundreds of limited edition, rare & Chase POPS! instock.
***We have many different prizes & promotions going for that day! Games & Contests- please message us or come by for details.

The Friends of the Library, Immediate Theatre Project, and Asheville Community Theatre present “The Belle of Amherst” by William Luce, adapted and performed by Sybil Rosen, an award-winning novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and actress.

A funny, wise, poignant, one-woman show that takes us into the vivid heart and mind of America’s favorite poet, Emily Dickinson.

The two performances are a fundraiser where proceeds benefit the Friends of Pack Memorial Library and the Whitesburg, GA Public Library.

Suggested donation: $10.

Everyone is welcome.No ticket required.

The second performance of this show will be Monday, October 28 at 6pm.

*Presented with permission from the Dramatist Play Service

Join the Friends of the North Carolina Room and researcher Benjamin Porter as he shares information about long-time Asheville-based photographer Herbert Pelton, famous for his panoramic shots of the city in a time of rapid change and modernization. 

Come into Malaprop’s for a Halloween séance with authors Dale Bailey, Nathan Ballingrud (pictured), Jake Bible, and Alexandra Duncan, sharing new stories transmitted from beyond the grave.