Please join us at The 2nd Act in Hendersonville, NC for our monthly book club meeting that strives to read books that create a closer knit and more inclusive community! We will meet in person monthly to discuss a book, so read the book (Our goal is to build community first so join us even if you have not read the book) and then we’ll discuss it and enjoy live music after the meeting. All are welcome! At the end of each meeting we will vote on the next book! Put us down on your calendar for every third Third Thursday!

Thank you for your participation and patience while we get rolling!

In June we are reading a book called, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. Please come!! If you’d like to be added to a phone and email list, please message the info to me and I will add you to the list! It seems like an easier way to be in touch with people than through meetup, although I will still be updating this page. Review: https://booksofbrilliance.com/2023/03/13/stranger-in-a-strange-land-book-review/#:~:text=Robert%20A.%20Heinlein%E2%80%99s%20Stranger%20in%20a%20Strange%20Land,in%20unlike%20anything%20else%20I%20have%20ever%20read.

Foodie Book Club

Join Extension Master Gardener volunteers Pat Strang and Joyce Tromba to learn about growing and collecting 2 types of indigo for your dye gardens, and enjoy a hands-on experience with 2 methods of dying silk scarves with fresh indigo. Time permitting, information will be provided about creating an organic indigo dye vat.
Portions of this program may be held outside; please dress appropriately for the weather.
Presentation is free, a $10 donation is requested. Cash only.
Attendance is limited and registration is required.

Learn about the 2 types of indigo for your dye gardens and 2 methods of dying silk scarves with fresh indigo.

Presenters: Pat Strang and Joyce Tromba, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers

In this class, you will learn about growing 2 types of indigo for your dye gardens. Additionally you will have hands-on experience collecting the plant material and learning 2 methods of dying silk scarves with fresh indigo. If there is time, there will be information on creating an organic indigo dye vat.

$10 donation requested. Cash only

This class will be in the garden, please dress appropriately..

Registration: Seating is limited and registration is required.

West Asheville Library Book Discussion group will discuss Bewilderment by Richard Powers. This is an online Zoom event.

Farm Beginnings® is training the next generation of farmers in the many skills required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more.

Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. We support individuals in clarifying their goals and strengths, developing agricultural skills, and growing profitable, equitable, and ecologically sound farm businesses.

Guided by our commitment to social justice, our programming is led by farmers and mentors active in food, farming, or social justice. By empowering people with skills, knowledge, and access to resources, together we can build a more diverse, equitable food system that enriches the environment and creates a thriving food and farming community.

We use a holistic management frame, farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentoring, and an extensive farmer network. The topics of equity and justice in the food systems are woven into the curriculum, including examples of realistic approaches within the scope of your business models.

The 200+ hr, year-long program consists of:

• Training on holistic management, farm business, marketing & financial planning

• Sessions taught by regional, experienced Farmers

• One-year WNC CRAFT Farmer Network Membership

• Completing and presenting an individualized farm plan

• Access to Field Days with regional partners

• Entry to ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference

• Entry to OGS’s Spring Conference

• 15 hr mentorship with an experienced Farmer Mentor

View a sample of the full course schedule here.

Lauren Yero is a Cuban American writer living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. She writes speculative, near-future stories of resistance, adventure, and first love that question the structures our world is built upon. Her new book, Under This Forgetful Sky, is inspired by the spirit of Paolo Bacigalupi and Laini Taylor in this futuristic star-crossed love story follows two teens struggling to find their place in a starkly unequal world. This is a hybrid event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online. The event is free but registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.

Farm Beginnings® is training the next generation of farmers in the many skills required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more.

Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. We support individuals in clarifying their goals and strengths, developing agricultural skills, and growing profitable, equitable, and ecologically sound farm businesses.

Guided by our commitment to social justice, our programming is led by farmers and mentors active in food, farming, or social justice. By empowering people with skills, knowledge, and access to resources, together we can build a more diverse, equitable food system that enriches the environment and creates a thriving food and farming community.

We use a holistic management frame, farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentoring, and an extensive farmer network. The topics of equity and justice in the food systems are woven into the curriculum, including examples of realistic approaches within the scope of your business models.

The 200+ hr, year-long program consists of:

• Training on holistic management, farm business, marketing & financial planning

• Sessions taught by regional, experienced Farmers

• One-year WNC CRAFT Farmer Network Membership

• Completing and presenting an individualized farm plan

• Access to Field Days with regional partners

• Entry to ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference

• Entry to OGS’s Spring Conference

• 15 hr mentorship with an experienced Farmer Mentor

View a sample of the full course schedule here.

This live streamed virtual event is free but registration is required.

Please click here to register. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.

If you decide to attend and to purchase 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!

Seventeen-year-old Agnes is a genius. Getting her doctorate in physics isn’t challenging enough so she builds a time machine. When her mother, Claudia, dies from an apparent suicide, Agnes blames herself. If Claudia hadn’t had Agnes when she was seventeen, she would have had a better life. Agnes goes back in time to stop Claudia from having sex the night she got pregnant. If Agnes succeeds, she’ll no longer exist, but she’s determined to save her mother. During her journey through time, Agnes learns there are some things you can never change.

For over thirty years, Mickey Dubrow wrote television promos, marketing presentations, and scripts for various clients including Cartoon Network, TNT Latin America, and HGTV. His short stories and essays have appeared in Prime Number Magazine, The Good Men Project, The Signal Mountain Review, Full Grown People, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. His first novel, American Judas, was a Finalist for the 2020 Georgia Author of the Year Award in the category of First Novel. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, author Jessica Handler.

David Kettlehake’s fascination with reading began at a very young age. His father was a Lutheran minister and his mother was a social worker but, even though money was tight, his parents never said no to books. He still vividly remembers reading under the covers at night with a flashlight, while listening for the footfalls of his parents telling him (for the last time!) to go to sleep. The first book he ever checked out of a library was Robert A. Heinlein’s  Rocket Ship Galileo, back in elementary school. But as often as not, he could be found reading an Alistair MacClean thriller, or horror short stories from H.P. Lovecraft. Other science fiction and fantasy novels came later, and even now the books he picks up are from genres all across the board. David and his wife live in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. They love traveling here and abroad and seeing the world, which is why his stories tend to gravitate outside of the U.S. His third novel, the YA dystopian thriller, Gray, was released in September of 2020. Black, the sequel to Gray and the second book in the Firebrand Trilogy, was released in October 2021.The Firebrand Trilogy concludes with White, due out this year.

The Malaprop’s Book Club, hosted by Jay Jacoby, explores a diverse selection of fiction and nonfiction books determined by member suggestion. 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 the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM. The club will meet virtually until further notice. To join the club, please email [email protected]

Farm Beginnings® is training the next generation of farmers in the many skills required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more.

Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. We support individuals in clarifying their goals and strengths, developing agricultural skills, and growing profitable, equitable, and ecologically sound farm businesses.

Guided by our commitment to social justice, our programming is led by farmers and mentors active in food, farming, or social justice. By empowering people with skills, knowledge, and access to resources, together we can build a more diverse, equitable food system that enriches the environment and creates a thriving food and farming community.

We use a holistic management frame, farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentoring, and an extensive farmer network. The topics of equity and justice in the food systems are woven into the curriculum, including examples of realistic approaches within the scope of your business models.

The 200+ hr, year-long program consists of:

• Training on holistic management, farm business, marketing & financial planning

• Sessions taught by regional, experienced Farmers

• One-year WNC CRAFT Farmer Network Membership

• Completing and presenting an individualized farm plan

• Access to Field Days with regional partners

• Entry to ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference

• Entry to OGS’s Spring Conference

• 15 hr mentorship with an experienced Farmer Mentor

View a sample of the full course schedule here.

Disbudding is the first step of pruning dahlias. Join Extension Master Gardener Dave Bush to learn all the steps of pruning in order to get the best blooms from your plants. Dave will also introduce the American Dahlia Society’s classification system.
Portions of this program may be held outside; please dress appropriately for the weather.
Attendance is limited and registration is required.

Crime and Politics Book Club

Farm Beginnings® is training the next generation of farmers in the many skills required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more.

Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. We support individuals in clarifying their goals and strengths, developing agricultural skills, and growing profitable, equitable, and ecologically sound farm businesses.

Guided by our commitment to social justice, our programming is led by farmers and mentors active in food, farming, or social justice. By empowering people with skills, knowledge, and access to resources, together we can build a more diverse, equitable food system that enriches the environment and creates a thriving food and farming community.

We use a holistic management frame, farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentoring, and an extensive farmer network. The topics of equity and justice in the food systems are woven into the curriculum, including examples of realistic approaches within the scope of your business models.

The 200+ hr, year-long program consists of:

• Training on holistic management, farm business, marketing & financial planning

• Sessions taught by regional, experienced Farmers

• One-year WNC CRAFT Farmer Network Membership

• Completing and presenting an individualized farm plan

• Access to Field Days with regional partners

• Entry to ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference

• Entry to OGS’s Spring Conference

• 15 hr mentorship with an experienced Farmer Mentor

View a sample of the full course schedule here.

Malaprop’s is thrilled to host Rachel Griffin with her newest book, Bring Me Your Midnight. Rachel with be in conversation with Kristin Dwyer, author of Some Mistakes Were Made. Space is limited and tickets are required.

EVENT TICKET INCLUDES:
~ One (1) signed hardcover copy of Bring Me Your Midnight
 ~ Admission for up to two (2) people. We will check you in by name at the door. No tickets will be mailed.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS AND EVENT DETAILS.

If you cannot attend the event and would like to purchase signed books, click here to order before August 7.

Bring Me Your Midnight is a lush, romantic, and unforgettable new fantasy full of sea magic, arranged marriages, and the choice between love and duty.

Tana Fairchild’s fate has never been in question. Her life has been planned out since the moment she was born: she is to marry the governor’s son, Landon, and secure an unprecedented alliance between the witches of her island home and the mainlanders who see her very existence as a threat. Tana’s coven has appeased those who fear their power for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. But when Tana misses the midnight ritual—a fatal mistake—there is no one she can turn to for help until she meets Wolfe.

Wolfe claims he is from a coven that practices dark magic, making him one of the only people who can help her. But he refuses to let Tana’s power rush into the sea, and instead teaches her his forbidden magic. A magic that makes her feel powerful. Alive. As the sea grows more violent, her coven loses control of the currents, a danger that could destroy the alliance as well as her island. Tana will have to choose between love and duty, between loyalty to her people and loyalty to her heart. Marrying Landon would secure peace for her coven but losing Wolfe and his wild magic could cost her everything else.

Rachel Griffin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches and Wild is the Witch. When she isn’t writing, you can find her wandering the Pacific Northwest, reading by the fire, or drinking copious amounts of coffee and tea. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, dog, and growing collection of houseplants. Visit her online at rachelgriffinbooks.com or say hi on Instagram @TimesNewRachel.

Kristin Dwyer grew up under the California sun and prayed every day for a cloudy sky. Now Kristin and her spouse are currently raising their mischief-makers in the hills of North Carolina, where there is just the right amount of clouds. She is the author of Some Mistakes Were Made. When she’s not writing books about people kissing, Kristin is a part-time hair model and full-time TSA PreCheck. One time a credible news outlet asked for her opinion on K-pop (it was the best day of her life). Please do not talk to her about your fandom; she will try to join.

Farm Beginnings® is training the next generation of farmers in the many skills required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more.

Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. We support individuals in clarifying their goals and strengths, developing agricultural skills, and growing profitable, equitable, and ecologically sound farm businesses.

Guided by our commitment to social justice, our programming is led by farmers and mentors active in food, farming, or social justice. By empowering people with skills, knowledge, and access to resources, together we can build a more diverse, equitable food system that enriches the environment and creates a thriving food and farming community.

We use a holistic management frame, farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentoring, and an extensive farmer network. The topics of equity and justice in the food systems are woven into the curriculum, including examples of realistic approaches within the scope of your business models.

The 200+ hr, year-long program consists of:

• Training on holistic management, farm business, marketing & financial planning

• Sessions taught by regional, experienced Farmers

• One-year WNC CRAFT Farmer Network Membership

• Completing and presenting an individualized farm plan

• Access to Field Days with regional partners

• Entry to ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference

• Entry to OGS’s Spring Conference

• 15 hr mentorship with an experienced Farmer Mentor

View a sample of the full course schedule here.

Farm Beginnings® is training the next generation of farmers in the many skills required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more.

Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. We support individuals in clarifying their goals and strengths, developing agricultural skills, and growing profitable, equitable, and ecologically sound farm businesses.

Guided by our commitment to social justice, our programming is led by farmers and mentors active in food, farming, or social justice. By empowering people with skills, knowledge, and access to resources, together we can build a more diverse, equitable food system that enriches the environment and creates a thriving food and farming community.

We use a holistic management frame, farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentoring, and an extensive farmer network. The topics of equity and justice in the food systems are woven into the curriculum, including examples of realistic approaches within the scope of your business models.

The 200+ hr, year-long program consists of:

• Training on holistic management, farm business, marketing & financial planning

• Sessions taught by regional, experienced Farmers

• One-year WNC CRAFT Farmer Network Membership

• Completing and presenting an individualized farm plan

• Access to Field Days with regional partners

• Entry to ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference

• Entry to OGS’s Spring Conference

• 15 hr mentorship with an experienced Farmer Mentor

View a sample of the full course schedule here.

Farm Beginnings® is training the next generation of farmers in the many skills required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more.

Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. We support individuals in clarifying their goals and strengths, developing agricultural skills, and growing profitable, equitable, and ecologically sound farm businesses.

Guided by our commitment to social justice, our programming is led by farmers and mentors active in food, farming, or social justice. By empowering people with skills, knowledge, and access to resources, together we can build a more diverse, equitable food system that enriches the environment and creates a thriving food and farming community.

We use a holistic management frame, farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentoring, and an extensive farmer network. The topics of equity and justice in the food systems are woven into the curriculum, including examples of realistic approaches within the scope of your business models.

The 200+ hr, year-long program consists of:

• Training on holistic management, farm business, marketing & financial planning

• Sessions taught by regional, experienced Farmers

• One-year WNC CRAFT Farmer Network Membership

• Completing and presenting an individualized farm plan

• Access to Field Days with regional partners

• Entry to ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference

• Entry to OGS’s Spring Conference

• 15 hr mentorship with an experienced Farmer Mentor

View a sample of the full course schedule here.

Grady Rozzell at age 19 was a B-17 pilot in the 401st Bomb Group operating out of Deenethorpe Army Air Base. On Friday, May 30, 1944, Grady and his crew made their first combat mission. Their target was an airplane factory in Oschersleben, Germany. Highlights from his diary tell this story. This is his first diary entry: “10:26 . . . Over to the left front, a patch of sky is literally filled with black crust; that’s flack, my first sight of the dreaded flack I’ve heard so much about. 11:30 . . . We’ve just been attacked by enemy fighters. Those babies came within a few hundred feet of our plane and not one of my gunners shot at the fighters. Too excited to do anything but gape—and gape they did. The fighters got the ship directly behind me. I looked back in time to see the big bird go into a vertical climb and spin-off on one wing. I saw two chutes pop and stretch out their lazy canopies. There’s eight more men in that plane. Off to the left and lower is a crippled B-17 trying to fight its way home. . . . There’s about five fighters making swift passes at the ship, trying to knock it down. They look like vultures gathering around, ready for the kill.”

This book is available to purchase for $20 at the Swannanoa Valley Museum. SVM members get a 10% discount. Stop by during our open hours (Wed-Saturday, 10am-5pm) to make your purchase.

Now that your vegetable garden is producing a generous harvest, storing and preserving those vegetables extends the bounty so you can enjoy the rewards of all your hard work throughout the year.
Join Cathy Hohenstein, Registered Dietitian and Extension Area Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, Food Safety and Preparation, Nutrition and to learn about the learn more about the are many methods of preserving vegetables-some easy and some a bit more involved. Cathy will also review the latest safety recommendations for canning, freezing, dehydrating, pickling and fermentation.
Attendance is limited and registration is required.

Share the love of reading with your child! Visit any Buncombe County Public Library to start participating in our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Program launching Aug. 12.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a nationwide initiative that encourages grown-ups to read 1,000 books with their young child (ages birth-five) before they enter kindergarten.

Studies show, a child’s brain develops rapidly in the first three years of their life. Reading with a child early on can help them develop pre-reading skills that will make it easier for them to read independently in school. Families who read to their children from a young age can help their child build early literacy skills such as letter recognition and building vocabulary.

Beginning Aug. 12, families with a child between the ages of birth to five can pick up a 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten booklet at any Library location. Caregivers record the titles of the books read to their child in the booklet. Early literacy tips are found at the top of each page for caregivers to model to their child. When you reach the “500 books read” milestone, return to any BCPL location with your booklet to receive a free canvas tote bag and continue your reading journey. When you reach the “1,000 books read” milestone, you’ve completed the program. Return to the Library for your completion certificate. Children have until they enter kindergarten to complete the program.

Launch party

On Saturday, Aug. 12, join the Library for a 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten launch party. Children’s music band Big, Bang, Boom! will headline. Enjoy games, crafts, puppets and so much more! Refreshments will be served. Families with children under five can pick up a reading log booklet to get started. This free event.

Stop by and learn about composting at home. See five different composting methods on display, including a single bin unit, a tumbling composter, a wood pallet bin, a classic 3-bin system and an example of vermiculture on demo day..