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.
Tuesday, January
9, 2024
Qualify Free: Vaccination and Testing, Screening Cervical Cancer
Leicester Library Book Discussion Group
Consent Book Club
December – January Consent Book Club
Live Stream | AMA with Lauren Harr of Gold Leaf Literary
Hybrid | Idiot Men: Scott Gould in conversation with Sebastian Matthews
More than 14,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year, but the disease is preventable with vaccination and appropriate screening.
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a time to learn more about cervical health and cervical cancer prevention and take steps to help eliminate this preventable cancer.
The two most important tools to remember when it comes to cervical health are vaccination and testing.
Vaccination
The HPV vaccine has been around since 2006. In that time, rates of cervical cancer incidence have dropped significantly among vaccinated women. One study from Sweden looked at 11 years (2006 through 2017) and found 90% reduction in cervical cancer incidence compared with the incidence in women who had not been vaccinated.
HPV vaccines help prevent infection from both high-risk HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer and low-risk types that cause genital warts.
The CDC recommends all boys and girls get HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12. The vaccine produces a stronger immune response when taken during the preteen years. For this reason, up until age 14, only two doses are the vaccine are required. Women and men can get the vaccine up to age 45 but for those 15 and older, a full three-dose series is needed.
You can get the vaccine at your doctor’s office or the Buncombe County Health and Human Services Department at 40 Coxe Avenue in Asheville.
Learn more about the HPV vaccine here.
Screening
The goal of cervical cancer screening—Pap tests and HPV tests—is to find problems, like cell changes, so they can be treated before they turn into cancer.
The traditional test for early detection has been the Pap test. For women aged 30 and over, an HPV test is also recommended. HPV tests can find any of the high-risk types of HPV that are commonly found in cervical cancer.
Women should start screening with the Pap test at age 21, according to current guidelines for cervical cancer screening.
Starting at age 30, women have three options available for screening:
- A Pap test alone every three years.
- Co-testing with a Pap and HPV test, every five years.
- An HPV test alone, every five years.
Depending on the results of the Pap and/or HPV tests, a healthcare provider may recommend additional screening or procedures, so some women may be screened more often.
After age 65, women older than 65 who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk can stop screening. Women who have had a hysterectomy (with removal of the cervix) also do not need to be screened, unless they have a have a history of a high-grade precancerous lesions.
To learn more about each type of screening, click here.
Breast And Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP)
The Buncombe County Health and Human Services BCCCP is a program serving women and transgender people providing free chest and cervical exams, pap smears and HPV testing, and mammograms. This program is open to those:
- Between the ages of 40-64.
- Who have no insurance.
- Income below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- A Buncombe County resident. Local NC BCCCP contact information can be found here.
- Other women and transgender people ages 21 to 39 may be eligible.
To learn more about eligibility or schedule an appointment, call (828) 250-6006.
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This month we’re discussing Homecoming by Kate Morton. The Leicester Library Book Discussion Group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 1 pm in the Community Room at the library. Newcomers welcome!
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Register so we can reach out and contact you as we prepare for our first meeting! Books will be distributed at the first meeting. This book club is for adults 18+.
Meetings will be on Tuesday evenings from 5:30-7pm (meeting location will be emailed once attendance is finalized)
Below are all the meeting dates:
December 5th
December 12th
December 19th
Skipping December 26th
January 2nd
January 9th
January 16th
Skipping January 22nd
January 30th
Our VOICE will be hosting a book club beginning this winter! Fill out the form to sign up as we have a limited amount of space!. Our first book selection will be Creating Consent Culture by Erica Scott and Marcia Baczynski. Books will be distributed at the first meeting and bus passes will be provided. This club will be offered in English, but we are looking to provide more opportunities in the future!
Books will be distributed at the first meeting. This book club is for adults 18+.
Meetings will be on Tuesday evenings from 5:30-7pm (meeting location will be emailed once attendance is finalized)
Below are all the meeting dates:
December 5th
December 12th
December 19th
Skipping December 26th
January 2nd
January 9th
January 16th
Skipping January 22nd
January 30th
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 – 5:30pm to 6:00pm
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 – 5:30pm to 6:00pm
Join Lauren Harr, co-founder of Gold Leaf Literary Services, to ask burning questions about the book world, author events, and the business of writing.
This event is scheduled to occur monthly at the dates and times listed above.
To join, email [email protected] with the subject “I have a question!” and you’ll receive the Zoom link for the upcoming event.
Founded by two long-time booksellers in 2016, Gold Leaf Literary Services is dedicated to educating and assisting authors in various stages of their careers. For more, visit www.goldleafliterary.com.
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.
Please click here to register for the VIRTUAL event. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.
Please click here to register for the IN-PERSON event. Note the important event details on the RSVP form.
This event includes a book signing. If you would like a signed book but can’t attend in person, you may order a signed copy online below. If you would like to have your book personalized, please order online or call the store at least two hours before the start of the event. When ordering online, use the comments field to provide a name for personalization, e.g. “To Paul.” NOTE: We do our best to get books personalized when requested but personalization is not guaranteed.
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!
Idiot Men provides the stage for wayward characters who make poor choices in life and love against a backdrop of elegant prose. These tales recalibrate morality and convention as readers will grow to love the characters despite—and perhaps because of—their flaws. These diverse, rich stories are ultimately connected by the spellbinding voice of a true Southern storyteller.
You’ll meet a truck driver whose wife flees to Jamaica with her lover, leaving him to babysit her hairless tomcat, Princess Di; a male nurse who discovers a trailer full of counterfeit NASCAR paraphernalia during a home health visit; an amateur arsonist sentenced to a year in a Smokey the Bear suit; a disgruntled roofer with a bad back and a meth-dealing twin brother…these are just a few of the idiot men you’ll encounter in a collection of stories that will appeal to readers who relish literature with a Southern flavor.
Scott Gould was born, raised and still lives in South Carolina. His first book, Strangers to Temptation—a linked story collection the Atlanta Journal Constitution called “a compulsive read” and Foreword Reviews dubbed “funny, often poignant, and not easily forgotten”—was published by Hub City Press in 2017. Of his debut novel, Whereabouts (Koehler Books), the Atlanta Journal Constitution said, the book is “distinctly Southern but gritty, without a whiff of moonlight and magnolias.” Gould’s memoir, Things That Crash, Things That Fly (Vine Leaves Press), was released in March of 2021, and a second novel, The Hammerhead Chronicles, was published by the University of North Georgia Press in early 2022. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Kenyon Review, New Stories from the South, Black Warrior Review, Carolina Quarterly, Pithead Chapel, Garden & Gun, New Ohio Review, Crazyhorse and The Bitter Southerner, among others. He is a two-time winner of the S.C. Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship in Prose and the S.C. Academy of Authors Fiction Fellowship. He lives in Sans Souci, South Carolina with a cat and a dog, and teaches creative writing at the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities. He is always pulling for the Braves.
Sebastian Matthews is the author of the memoir In My Father’s Footsteps (W.W. Norton & Co.) as well as two collections of poetry, We Generous and Miracle Day, both published by Red Hen Press. A third collection, Beginner’s Guide to a Head-on Collision, came out from Red Hen Press in 2017. Along with Stanley Plumly, Matthews is the co-editor of three volumes: The Poetry Blues: Essays and Interviews of William Matthews (University of Michigan Press), Search Party: The Collected Poems of William Matthews (Houghton Mifflin), a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize, and New Hope for the Dead: Uncollected Matthews (Red Hen Press). His poetry and prose have appeared in or on, among others, American Poetry Review, The Atlantic, Blackbird, The Common, From the Fishouse, Georgia Review, Massachusetts Review, New England Review, Poets & Writers, storySouth, The Sun, Tin House, Virginia Quarterly Review, Writer’s Almanac, and Writer’s Chronicle.
Wednesday, January
10, 2024
BCAlerts From CodeRED
Stay informed. Get emergency notifications and general Buncombe County information on your smartphone, telephone, or email.
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Pisgah Legal support w/ Healthcare.gov Marketplace
Qualify Free: Vaccination and Testing, Screening Cervical Cancer
Pack Library Book Club
Hybrid | Old Crimes with Jill McCorkle
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Here is what you need to know.
What is CodeRED?
Along with emergency and critical messages, the CodeRED notification system will also enhance community engagement via the release of important but non-emergency information such as vaccine site notifications, inclement weather closures and schedule changes, and other county service information.
Sign up for BC Alerts by texting BCAlert(not case sensitive) to 99411 or visit to sign up for the new system. If residents have previously signed up for Nixle BC Alerts, they will need to re-register in order to continue receiving notifications after June 30.
Alerts to choose from:
- Emergency
- General
- Recreation Services
- Election Reminders
- Governing
- Weather
NOTICE: For CodeRED support, please call 1-866-939-0911. For all other questions email [email protected].
The deadline to enroll in a health insurance plan on the HealthCare.gov Marketplace is fast-approaching. Local nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services offers free help with enrollments for people in Western North Carolina.
Consumers have until January 16, 2024, to choose a plan. The Marketplace Open Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov generally runs from November 1 to January 15. In 2024, January 15 is a federal holiday, so consumers will have an extra day to enroll in a plan. Consumers who enroll before the January 16 deadline will have coverage that starts February 1, 2024.
“Pisgah Legal’s certified Navigators help thousands of people in our region find plans each year,” said Pisgah Legal’s Chief Operations Officer Jackie Kiger. “We know that quality, affordable health insurance is vital for folks in our community, and we are here to guide people through that process without any pressure to choose a certain plan.”
Consumers enrolling in a plan on HealthCare.gov (for Spanish-speakers Cuidadodesalud.gov) are guaranteed to receive comprehensive coverage and cannot be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions. All plans cover essential benefits, including doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, and maternity care.
Make an appointment today by visiting www.pisgahlegal.org/health or calling (828) 210-3404.
Bilingual Navigators are available to assist in Spanish, and free translation services are available for speakers of other languages.
Pisgah Legal and other enrollment partners of WNC participating organizations give local people free, unbiased health insurance information and enrollment assistance in the NC Health Insurance Marketplace. These organizations include: Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Mountain Projects, Inc., Western Carolina Medical Society, and Pisgah Legal Services. Pisgah Legal Services is a member of the North Carolina Navigator Consortium.
More than 14,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year, but the disease is preventable with vaccination and appropriate screening.
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a time to learn more about cervical health and cervical cancer prevention and take steps to help eliminate this preventable cancer.
The two most important tools to remember when it comes to cervical health are vaccination and testing.
Vaccination
The HPV vaccine has been around since 2006. In that time, rates of cervical cancer incidence have dropped significantly among vaccinated women. One study from Sweden looked at 11 years (2006 through 2017) and found 90% reduction in cervical cancer incidence compared with the incidence in women who had not been vaccinated.
HPV vaccines help prevent infection from both high-risk HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer and low-risk types that cause genital warts.
The CDC recommends all boys and girls get HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12. The vaccine produces a stronger immune response when taken during the preteen years. For this reason, up until age 14, only two doses are the vaccine are required. Women and men can get the vaccine up to age 45 but for those 15 and older, a full three-dose series is needed.
You can get the vaccine at your doctor’s office or the Buncombe County Health and Human Services Department at 40 Coxe Avenue in Asheville.
Learn more about the HPV vaccine here.
Screening
The goal of cervical cancer screening—Pap tests and HPV tests—is to find problems, like cell changes, so they can be treated before they turn into cancer.
The traditional test for early detection has been the Pap test. For women aged 30 and over, an HPV test is also recommended. HPV tests can find any of the high-risk types of HPV that are commonly found in cervical cancer.
Women should start screening with the Pap test at age 21, according to current guidelines for cervical cancer screening.
Starting at age 30, women have three options available for screening:
- A Pap test alone every three years.
- Co-testing with a Pap and HPV test, every five years.
- An HPV test alone, every five years.
Depending on the results of the Pap and/or HPV tests, a healthcare provider may recommend additional screening or procedures, so some women may be screened more often.
After age 65, women older than 65 who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk can stop screening. Women who have had a hysterectomy (with removal of the cervix) also do not need to be screened, unless they have a have a history of a high-grade precancerous lesions.
To learn more about each type of screening, click here.
Breast And Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP)
The Buncombe County Health and Human Services BCCCP is a program serving women and transgender people providing free chest and cervical exams, pap smears and HPV testing, and mammograms. This program is open to those:
- Between the ages of 40-64.
- Who have no insurance.
- Income below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- A Buncombe County resident. Local NC BCCCP contact information can be found here.
- Other women and transgender people ages 21 to 39 may be eligible.
To learn more about eligibility or schedule an appointment, call (828) 250-6006.
The Pack Library Book Club is a book discussion group that meets the second Wednesday of each month at 10:30AM at the library. We read and discuss a variety of book genres. The book for January 2024 is “Solito” by Javier Zamora.
Newcomers are always welcome! If you have any questions about book club, you can email [email protected] .
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 – 6:00pm
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.
Please click here to register for the VIRTUAL event. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.
Please click here to register for the IN-PERSON event. Note the important event details on the RSVP form.
This event includes a book signing. If you would like a signed book but can’t attend in person, you may order a signed copy online below. If you would like to have your book personalized, please order online or call the store at least two hours before the start of the event. When ordering online, use the comments field to provide a name for personalization, e.g. “To Paul.” NOTE: We do our best to get books personalized when requested but personalization is not guaranteed.
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!
Old Crimes delves into the lives of characters who hold their secrets and misdeeds close, even as the past continues to reverberate over time and across generations. And despite the characters’ yearnings for connection, they can’t seem to tell the whole truth. In “Low Tones,” a woman uses her hearing impairment as a way to guard herself from her husband’s commentary. In “Lineman,” a telephone lineman strains to connect to his family even as he feels pushed aside in a digital world. In “Confessional,” a young couple buys a confessional booth for fun, only to discover the cost of honesty.
Profoundly moving and unforgettable, for fans of Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and Lily King, the stories in Old Crimes reveal why McCorkle has long been considered a master of the form, probing lives full of great intensity, longing and affection, and deep regret.
Jill McCorkle has the distinction of having published her first two novels on the same day in 1984. Of these novels, the New York Times Book Review said: “one suspects the author of The Cheer Leader is a born novelist. With July 7th, she is also a full grown one.” Since then she has published five other novels—most recently, Hieroglyphics—and four collections of short stories. Five of her books have been named New York Times notable books and four of her stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories. McCorkle has received the New England Booksellers Award, the John Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature, the North Carolina Award for Literature and the Thomas Wolfe Prize; she was recently inducted into the NC Literary Hall of Fame. McCorkle has taught at Harvard, Brandeis, and NC State where she remains affiliated with the MFA Program in creative writing and she is core faculty in the Bennington Writing Seminars.
Thursday, January
11, 2024
BCAlerts From CodeRED
Stay informed. Get emergency notifications and general Buncombe County information on your smartphone, telephone, or email.
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Pisgah Legal support w/ Healthcare.gov Marketplace
Qualify Free: Vaccination and Testing, Screening Cervical Cancer
Mindfulness guided reading with children’s author Jennifer Fae
Qigong with Allen Horowitz
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Here is what you need to know.
What is CodeRED?
Along with emergency and critical messages, the CodeRED notification system will also enhance community engagement via the release of important but non-emergency information such as vaccine site notifications, inclement weather closures and schedule changes, and other county service information.
Sign up for BC Alerts by texting BCAlert(not case sensitive) to 99411 or visit to sign up for the new system. If residents have previously signed up for Nixle BC Alerts, they will need to re-register in order to continue receiving notifications after June 30.
Alerts to choose from:
- Emergency
- General
- Recreation Services
- Election Reminders
- Governing
- Weather
NOTICE: For CodeRED support, please call 1-866-939-0911. For all other questions email [email protected].
The deadline to enroll in a health insurance plan on the HealthCare.gov Marketplace is fast-approaching. Local nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services offers free help with enrollments for people in Western North Carolina.
Consumers have until January 16, 2024, to choose a plan. The Marketplace Open Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov generally runs from November 1 to January 15. In 2024, January 15 is a federal holiday, so consumers will have an extra day to enroll in a plan. Consumers who enroll before the January 16 deadline will have coverage that starts February 1, 2024.
“Pisgah Legal’s certified Navigators help thousands of people in our region find plans each year,” said Pisgah Legal’s Chief Operations Officer Jackie Kiger. “We know that quality, affordable health insurance is vital for folks in our community, and we are here to guide people through that process without any pressure to choose a certain plan.”
Consumers enrolling in a plan on HealthCare.gov (for Spanish-speakers Cuidadodesalud.gov) are guaranteed to receive comprehensive coverage and cannot be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions. All plans cover essential benefits, including doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, and maternity care.
Make an appointment today by visiting www.pisgahlegal.org/health or calling (828) 210-3404.
Bilingual Navigators are available to assist in Spanish, and free translation services are available for speakers of other languages.
Pisgah Legal and other enrollment partners of WNC participating organizations give local people free, unbiased health insurance information and enrollment assistance in the NC Health Insurance Marketplace. These organizations include: Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Mountain Projects, Inc., Western Carolina Medical Society, and Pisgah Legal Services. Pisgah Legal Services is a member of the North Carolina Navigator Consortium.
More than 14,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year, but the disease is preventable with vaccination and appropriate screening.
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a time to learn more about cervical health and cervical cancer prevention and take steps to help eliminate this preventable cancer.
The two most important tools to remember when it comes to cervical health are vaccination and testing.
Vaccination
The HPV vaccine has been around since 2006. In that time, rates of cervical cancer incidence have dropped significantly among vaccinated women. One study from Sweden looked at 11 years (2006 through 2017) and found 90% reduction in cervical cancer incidence compared with the incidence in women who had not been vaccinated.
HPV vaccines help prevent infection from both high-risk HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer and low-risk types that cause genital warts.
The CDC recommends all boys and girls get HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12. The vaccine produces a stronger immune response when taken during the preteen years. For this reason, up until age 14, only two doses are the vaccine are required. Women and men can get the vaccine up to age 45 but for those 15 and older, a full three-dose series is needed.
You can get the vaccine at your doctor’s office or the Buncombe County Health and Human Services Department at 40 Coxe Avenue in Asheville.
Learn more about the HPV vaccine here.
Screening
The goal of cervical cancer screening—Pap tests and HPV tests—is to find problems, like cell changes, so they can be treated before they turn into cancer.
The traditional test for early detection has been the Pap test. For women aged 30 and over, an HPV test is also recommended. HPV tests can find any of the high-risk types of HPV that are commonly found in cervical cancer.
Women should start screening with the Pap test at age 21, according to current guidelines for cervical cancer screening.
Starting at age 30, women have three options available for screening:
- A Pap test alone every three years.
- Co-testing with a Pap and HPV test, every five years.
- An HPV test alone, every five years.
Depending on the results of the Pap and/or HPV tests, a healthcare provider may recommend additional screening or procedures, so some women may be screened more often.
After age 65, women older than 65 who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk can stop screening. Women who have had a hysterectomy (with removal of the cervix) also do not need to be screened, unless they have a have a history of a high-grade precancerous lesions.
To learn more about each type of screening, click here.
Breast And Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP)
The Buncombe County Health and Human Services BCCCP is a program serving women and transgender people providing free chest and cervical exams, pap smears and HPV testing, and mammograms. This program is open to those:
- Between the ages of 40-64.
- Who have no insurance.
- Income below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- A Buncombe County resident. Local NC BCCCP contact information can be found here.
- Other women and transgender people ages 21 to 39 may be eligible.
To learn more about eligibility or schedule an appointment, call (828) 250-6006.
| Would you love to teach mindfulness to your kids but haven’t had the time or been able to get in a regular routine? Join children’s author Jennifer Fae in a guided meditation reading of her book, My Big Heart. A book signing will follow. Books can be purchased after the program or online at jenniferfae.com. The author has even created a free audio that goes along with the book that you can play before bed each night. Grades k-5 and their caregivers are welcome. |
|
Qigong is like Yoga but done standing and with more movement so it creates a flow of energy and gently increases circulation throughout your body. The smooth flowing movements are easy to learn as each exercise is performed 8-10 times before proceeding to the next. It is the grandfather of Tai Chi and other martial arts and is the self-help aspect of Chinese medicine. Suitable for all fitness levels, the benefits of well-being, relaxation, calmness and improved balance are often felt often during the very first lesson. And it can be practiced at home in only a few minutes any time you want to improve how you feel. For information email [email protected] |
Friday, January
12, 2024
BCAlerts From CodeRED
Stay informed. Get emergency notifications and general Buncombe County information on your smartphone, telephone, or email.
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Pisgah Legal support w/ Healthcare.gov Marketplace
Qualify Free: Vaccination and Testing, Screening Cervical Cancer
Pardee Mammo on the Go On-Site Screenings
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Here is what you need to know.
What is CodeRED?
Along with emergency and critical messages, the CodeRED notification system will also enhance community engagement via the release of important but non-emergency information such as vaccine site notifications, inclement weather closures and schedule changes, and other county service information.
Sign up for BC Alerts by texting BCAlert(not case sensitive) to 99411 or visit to sign up for the new system. If residents have previously signed up for Nixle BC Alerts, they will need to re-register in order to continue receiving notifications after June 30.
Alerts to choose from:
- Emergency
- General
- Recreation Services
- Election Reminders
- Governing
- Weather
NOTICE: For CodeRED support, please call 1-866-939-0911. For all other questions email [email protected].
The deadline to enroll in a health insurance plan on the HealthCare.gov Marketplace is fast-approaching. Local nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services offers free help with enrollments for people in Western North Carolina.
Consumers have until January 16, 2024, to choose a plan. The Marketplace Open Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov generally runs from November 1 to January 15. In 2024, January 15 is a federal holiday, so consumers will have an extra day to enroll in a plan. Consumers who enroll before the January 16 deadline will have coverage that starts February 1, 2024.
“Pisgah Legal’s certified Navigators help thousands of people in our region find plans each year,” said Pisgah Legal’s Chief Operations Officer Jackie Kiger. “We know that quality, affordable health insurance is vital for folks in our community, and we are here to guide people through that process without any pressure to choose a certain plan.”
Consumers enrolling in a plan on HealthCare.gov (for Spanish-speakers Cuidadodesalud.gov) are guaranteed to receive comprehensive coverage and cannot be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions. All plans cover essential benefits, including doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, and maternity care.
Make an appointment today by visiting www.pisgahlegal.org/health or calling (828) 210-3404.
Bilingual Navigators are available to assist in Spanish, and free translation services are available for speakers of other languages.
Pisgah Legal and other enrollment partners of WNC participating organizations give local people free, unbiased health insurance information and enrollment assistance in the NC Health Insurance Marketplace. These organizations include: Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Mountain Projects, Inc., Western Carolina Medical Society, and Pisgah Legal Services. Pisgah Legal Services is a member of the North Carolina Navigator Consortium.
More than 14,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year, but the disease is preventable with vaccination and appropriate screening.
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a time to learn more about cervical health and cervical cancer prevention and take steps to help eliminate this preventable cancer.
The two most important tools to remember when it comes to cervical health are vaccination and testing.
Vaccination
The HPV vaccine has been around since 2006. In that time, rates of cervical cancer incidence have dropped significantly among vaccinated women. One study from Sweden looked at 11 years (2006 through 2017) and found 90% reduction in cervical cancer incidence compared with the incidence in women who had not been vaccinated.
HPV vaccines help prevent infection from both high-risk HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer and low-risk types that cause genital warts.
The CDC recommends all boys and girls get HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12. The vaccine produces a stronger immune response when taken during the preteen years. For this reason, up until age 14, only two doses are the vaccine are required. Women and men can get the vaccine up to age 45 but for those 15 and older, a full three-dose series is needed.
You can get the vaccine at your doctor’s office or the Buncombe County Health and Human Services Department at 40 Coxe Avenue in Asheville.
Learn more about the HPV vaccine here.
Screening
The goal of cervical cancer screening—Pap tests and HPV tests—is to find problems, like cell changes, so they can be treated before they turn into cancer.
The traditional test for early detection has been the Pap test. For women aged 30 and over, an HPV test is also recommended. HPV tests can find any of the high-risk types of HPV that are commonly found in cervical cancer.
Women should start screening with the Pap test at age 21, according to current guidelines for cervical cancer screening.
Starting at age 30, women have three options available for screening:
- A Pap test alone every three years.
- Co-testing with a Pap and HPV test, every five years.
- An HPV test alone, every five years.
Depending on the results of the Pap and/or HPV tests, a healthcare provider may recommend additional screening or procedures, so some women may be screened more often.
After age 65, women older than 65 who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk can stop screening. Women who have had a hysterectomy (with removal of the cervix) also do not need to be screened, unless they have a have a history of a high-grade precancerous lesions.
To learn more about each type of screening, click here.
Breast And Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP)
The Buncombe County Health and Human Services BCCCP is a program serving women and transgender people providing free chest and cervical exams, pap smears and HPV testing, and mammograms. This program is open to those:
- Between the ages of 40-64.
- Who have no insurance.
- Income below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- A Buncombe County resident. Local NC BCCCP contact information can be found here.
- Other women and transgender people ages 21 to 39 may be eligible.
To learn more about eligibility or schedule an appointment, call (828) 250-6006.
Mammo on the Go, a Department of Pardee Hospital, offers on-site convenience and state-of-the-art 3D breast imaging with quality care from our expert team of female technologists. Pardee’s mobile mammography unit will be on-site at this location and is currently accepting appointments.
To schedule your appointment, visit MammoOnTheGo.com
Patient requirements for mammogram screenings include:
Must be 40 years of age or older
Must have a referring provider to accept results
Must not be pregnant or currently breastfeeding
Must not have any new breast problems or concerns
Must not have had a mammogram in the last 12 months
Must be able to get on and off the bus independently
Mammograms are covered by most health insurance plans. Check with your insurance provider for exact coverage. Financial assistance is available for those who qualify. Call (828) 698-7306 for more information.
Saturday, January
13, 2024
BCAlerts From CodeRED
Stay informed. Get emergency notifications and general Buncombe County information on your smartphone, telephone, or email.
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Pisgah Legal support w/ Healthcare.gov Marketplace
Qualify Free: Vaccination and Testing, Screening Cervical Cancer
Experience the Gifts of Mary Magdalene: Empower Your Sacred Self Leadership
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Here is what you need to know.
What is CodeRED?
Along with emergency and critical messages, the CodeRED notification system will also enhance community engagement via the release of important but non-emergency information such as vaccine site notifications, inclement weather closures and schedule changes, and other county service information.
Sign up for BC Alerts by texting BCAlert(not case sensitive) to 99411 or visit to sign up for the new system. If residents have previously signed up for Nixle BC Alerts, they will need to re-register in order to continue receiving notifications after June 30.
Alerts to choose from:
- Emergency
- General
- Recreation Services
- Election Reminders
- Governing
- Weather
NOTICE: For CodeRED support, please call 1-866-939-0911. For all other questions email [email protected].
The deadline to enroll in a health insurance plan on the HealthCare.gov Marketplace is fast-approaching. Local nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services offers free help with enrollments for people in Western North Carolina.
Consumers have until January 16, 2024, to choose a plan. The Marketplace Open Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov generally runs from November 1 to January 15. In 2024, January 15 is a federal holiday, so consumers will have an extra day to enroll in a plan. Consumers who enroll before the January 16 deadline will have coverage that starts February 1, 2024.
“Pisgah Legal’s certified Navigators help thousands of people in our region find plans each year,” said Pisgah Legal’s Chief Operations Officer Jackie Kiger. “We know that quality, affordable health insurance is vital for folks in our community, and we are here to guide people through that process without any pressure to choose a certain plan.”
Consumers enrolling in a plan on HealthCare.gov (for Spanish-speakers Cuidadodesalud.gov) are guaranteed to receive comprehensive coverage and cannot be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions. All plans cover essential benefits, including doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, and maternity care.
Make an appointment today by visiting www.pisgahlegal.org/health or calling (828) 210-3404.
Bilingual Navigators are available to assist in Spanish, and free translation services are available for speakers of other languages.
Pisgah Legal and other enrollment partners of WNC participating organizations give local people free, unbiased health insurance information and enrollment assistance in the NC Health Insurance Marketplace. These organizations include: Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Mountain Projects, Inc., Western Carolina Medical Society, and Pisgah Legal Services. Pisgah Legal Services is a member of the North Carolina Navigator Consortium.
More than 14,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year, but the disease is preventable with vaccination and appropriate screening.
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a time to learn more about cervical health and cervical cancer prevention and take steps to help eliminate this preventable cancer.
The two most important tools to remember when it comes to cervical health are vaccination and testing.
Vaccination
The HPV vaccine has been around since 2006. In that time, rates of cervical cancer incidence have dropped significantly among vaccinated women. One study from Sweden looked at 11 years (2006 through 2017) and found 90% reduction in cervical cancer incidence compared with the incidence in women who had not been vaccinated.
HPV vaccines help prevent infection from both high-risk HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer and low-risk types that cause genital warts.
The CDC recommends all boys and girls get HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12. The vaccine produces a stronger immune response when taken during the preteen years. For this reason, up until age 14, only two doses are the vaccine are required. Women and men can get the vaccine up to age 45 but for those 15 and older, a full three-dose series is needed.
You can get the vaccine at your doctor’s office or the Buncombe County Health and Human Services Department at 40 Coxe Avenue in Asheville.
Learn more about the HPV vaccine here.
Screening
The goal of cervical cancer screening—Pap tests and HPV tests—is to find problems, like cell changes, so they can be treated before they turn into cancer.
The traditional test for early detection has been the Pap test. For women aged 30 and over, an HPV test is also recommended. HPV tests can find any of the high-risk types of HPV that are commonly found in cervical cancer.
Women should start screening with the Pap test at age 21, according to current guidelines for cervical cancer screening.
Starting at age 30, women have three options available for screening:
- A Pap test alone every three years.
- Co-testing with a Pap and HPV test, every five years.
- An HPV test alone, every five years.
Depending on the results of the Pap and/or HPV tests, a healthcare provider may recommend additional screening or procedures, so some women may be screened more often.
After age 65, women older than 65 who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk can stop screening. Women who have had a hysterectomy (with removal of the cervix) also do not need to be screened, unless they have a have a history of a high-grade precancerous lesions.
To learn more about each type of screening, click here.
Breast And Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP)
The Buncombe County Health and Human Services BCCCP is a program serving women and transgender people providing free chest and cervical exams, pap smears and HPV testing, and mammograms. This program is open to those:
- Between the ages of 40-64.
- Who have no insurance.
- Income below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- A Buncombe County resident. Local NC BCCCP contact information can be found here.
- Other women and transgender people ages 21 to 39 may be eligible.
To learn more about eligibility or schedule an appointment, call (828) 250-6006.
Step into this sacred space and unlock the divine gifts of Mary Magdalene as we embark on a transformative journey to empower your sacred self-leadership and receive sacred blessings. The ongoing cosmic shift heralds the ascent of the Divine Feminine, a transcendent force resonating within the collective consciousness and very core of your being – from the depths of your soul to the essence of your cells.
Join us in recognizing and integrating the divine union of your inner feminine and masculine aspects, guiding you toward unity, empowerment, love, and a life experience infused with grace.
In this 90 minute program, you will immerse yourself in this profound experience, where the alchemy of crystals and anointing with sacred oils accelerates your inner spiritual awakening. A guided meditation in the Love Frequency will clear and activate the innate wisdom and divine potential within, allowing you to embrace the boundless love that resides within.
Delve into the tenets of ancient alchemy and modern knowledge, learning to embody the sacred self-leader of your most authentic and abundant life. Uncover the art of infusing the mundane aspects of daily life with sacredness through simple yet profound modern alchemical practices.
Embark on a journey of transformation, transitioning from mere survival to authentic thriving. Adora shares her personal healing journey, highlighting the profound connection with the Divine Feminine – especially Mary Magdalene, who as a guiding presence, embodies the mastery of love, faith, trust, surrender, and tantra. This workshop invites you to join in the healing power of sacred community to express your leadership, creativity, sensuality, and empowerment, enabling your inner feminine to rise as a radiant beacon of love, light, and peace.
This event is at Crystal Visions, Hendersonville NC 20 minutes from Asheville
Sunday, January
14, 2024
BCAlerts From CodeRED
Stay informed. Get emergency notifications and general Buncombe County information on your smartphone, telephone, or email.
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Pisgah Legal support w/ Healthcare.gov Marketplace
Qualify Free: Vaccination and Testing, Screening Cervical Cancer
CRAFT: Authors in Conversation with Denise Kiernan and Rachel Hawkins
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Here is what you need to know.
What is CodeRED?
Along with emergency and critical messages, the CodeRED notification system will also enhance community engagement via the release of important but non-emergency information such as vaccine site notifications, inclement weather closures and schedule changes, and other county service information.
Sign up for BC Alerts by texting BCAlert(not case sensitive) to 99411 or visit to sign up for the new system. If residents have previously signed up for Nixle BC Alerts, they will need to re-register in order to continue receiving notifications after June 30.
Alerts to choose from:
- Emergency
- General
- Recreation Services
- Election Reminders
- Governing
- Weather
NOTICE: For CodeRED support, please call 1-866-939-0911. For all other questions email [email protected].
The deadline to enroll in a health insurance plan on the HealthCare.gov Marketplace is fast-approaching. Local nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services offers free help with enrollments for people in Western North Carolina.
Consumers have until January 16, 2024, to choose a plan. The Marketplace Open Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov generally runs from November 1 to January 15. In 2024, January 15 is a federal holiday, so consumers will have an extra day to enroll in a plan. Consumers who enroll before the January 16 deadline will have coverage that starts February 1, 2024.
“Pisgah Legal’s certified Navigators help thousands of people in our region find plans each year,” said Pisgah Legal’s Chief Operations Officer Jackie Kiger. “We know that quality, affordable health insurance is vital for folks in our community, and we are here to guide people through that process without any pressure to choose a certain plan.”
Consumers enrolling in a plan on HealthCare.gov (for Spanish-speakers Cuidadodesalud.gov) are guaranteed to receive comprehensive coverage and cannot be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions. All plans cover essential benefits, including doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, and maternity care.
Make an appointment today by visiting www.pisgahlegal.org/health or calling (828) 210-3404.
Bilingual Navigators are available to assist in Spanish, and free translation services are available for speakers of other languages.
Pisgah Legal and other enrollment partners of WNC participating organizations give local people free, unbiased health insurance information and enrollment assistance in the NC Health Insurance Marketplace. These organizations include: Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Mountain Projects, Inc., Western Carolina Medical Society, and Pisgah Legal Services. Pisgah Legal Services is a member of the North Carolina Navigator Consortium.
More than 14,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year, but the disease is preventable with vaccination and appropriate screening.
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a time to learn more about cervical health and cervical cancer prevention and take steps to help eliminate this preventable cancer.
The two most important tools to remember when it comes to cervical health are vaccination and testing.
Vaccination
The HPV vaccine has been around since 2006. In that time, rates of cervical cancer incidence have dropped significantly among vaccinated women. One study from Sweden looked at 11 years (2006 through 2017) and found 90% reduction in cervical cancer incidence compared with the incidence in women who had not been vaccinated.
HPV vaccines help prevent infection from both high-risk HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer and low-risk types that cause genital warts.
The CDC recommends all boys and girls get HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12. The vaccine produces a stronger immune response when taken during the preteen years. For this reason, up until age 14, only two doses are the vaccine are required. Women and men can get the vaccine up to age 45 but for those 15 and older, a full three-dose series is needed.
You can get the vaccine at your doctor’s office or the Buncombe County Health and Human Services Department at 40 Coxe Avenue in Asheville.
Learn more about the HPV vaccine here.
Screening
The goal of cervical cancer screening—Pap tests and HPV tests—is to find problems, like cell changes, so they can be treated before they turn into cancer.
The traditional test for early detection has been the Pap test. For women aged 30 and over, an HPV test is also recommended. HPV tests can find any of the high-risk types of HPV that are commonly found in cervical cancer.
Women should start screening with the Pap test at age 21, according to current guidelines for cervical cancer screening.
Starting at age 30, women have three options available for screening:
- A Pap test alone every three years.
- Co-testing with a Pap and HPV test, every five years.
- An HPV test alone, every five years.
Depending on the results of the Pap and/or HPV tests, a healthcare provider may recommend additional screening or procedures, so some women may be screened more often.
After age 65, women older than 65 who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk can stop screening. Women who have had a hysterectomy (with removal of the cervix) also do not need to be screened, unless they have a have a history of a high-grade precancerous lesions.
To learn more about each type of screening, click here.
Breast And Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP)
The Buncombe County Health and Human Services BCCCP is a program serving women and transgender people providing free chest and cervical exams, pap smears and HPV testing, and mammograms. This program is open to those:
- Between the ages of 40-64.
- Who have no insurance.
- Income below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- A Buncombe County resident. Local NC BCCCP contact information can be found here.
- Other women and transgender people ages 21 to 39 may be eligible.
To learn more about eligibility or schedule an appointment, call (828) 250-6006.
Join us at Little Jumbo for CRAFT: Authors in Conversation, a series conceived and hosted by New York Times bestselling author Denise Kiernan. On Sunday, January 14, Denise’s guest will be novelist Rachel Hawkins.
Doors open at 4:00 PM. Conversation starts no later than 4:30 PM. Seating is first come, first served.
No registration is required.
Little Jumbo staff will create a specialty cocktail or mocktail for each CRAFT event.
Little Jumbo offers free parking at 5 Points Restaurant across Broadway. There is also street parking nearby. Find more information at denisekiernan.com/craft.
THE HEIRESS
From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a twisted new gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind.
When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.
But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.
Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.
Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.
But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will––and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.
Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, Reckless Girls, and The Villa, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.
Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist, producer, and host of “CRAFT: Authors in Conversation.” Her new young reader’s book, We Gather Together: Stories of Thanksgiving from then to now, arrives September 2023, and is a companion title to the popular adult nonfiction book, We Gather Together, and children’s picture book, Giving Thanks. Her book The Last Castle was an instant New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback and was also a Wall Street Journal bestseller. She is also the author of The Girls of Atomic City, which is a New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and NPR bestseller and has been published in multiple languages. She lives in North Carolina.
Monday, January
15, 2024
BCAlerts From CodeRED
Stay informed. Get emergency notifications and general Buncombe County information on your smartphone, telephone, or email.
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Pisgah Legal support w/ Healthcare.gov Marketplace
Sign up for BCAlerts today
Here is what you need to know.
What is CodeRED?
Along with emergency and critical messages, the CodeRED notification system will also enhance community engagement via the release of important but non-emergency information such as vaccine site notifications, inclement weather closures and schedule changes, and other county service information.
Sign up for BC Alerts by texting BCAlert(not case sensitive) to 99411 or visit to sign up for the new system. If residents have previously signed up for Nixle BC Alerts, they will need to re-register in order to continue receiving notifications after June 30.
Alerts to choose from:
- Emergency
- General
- Recreation Services
- Election Reminders
- Governing
- Weather
NOTICE: For CodeRED support, please call 1-866-939-0911. For all other questions email [email protected].
The deadline to enroll in a health insurance plan on the HealthCare.gov Marketplace is fast-approaching. Local nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services offers free help with enrollments for people in Western North Carolina.
Consumers have until January 16, 2024, to choose a plan. The Marketplace Open Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov generally runs from November 1 to January 15. In 2024, January 15 is a federal holiday, so consumers will have an extra day to enroll in a plan. Consumers who enroll before the January 16 deadline will have coverage that starts February 1, 2024.
“Pisgah Legal’s certified Navigators help thousands of people in our region find plans each year,” said Pisgah Legal’s Chief Operations Officer Jackie Kiger. “We know that quality, affordable health insurance is vital for folks in our community, and we are here to guide people through that process without any pressure to choose a certain plan.”
Consumers enrolling in a plan on HealthCare.gov (for Spanish-speakers Cuidadodesalud.gov) are guaranteed to receive comprehensive coverage and cannot be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions. All plans cover essential benefits, including doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, and maternity care.
Make an appointment today by visiting www.pisgahlegal.org/health or calling (828) 210-3404.
Bilingual Navigators are available to assist in Spanish, and free translation services are available for speakers of other languages.
Pisgah Legal and other enrollment partners of WNC participating organizations give local people free, unbiased health insurance information and enrollment assistance in the NC Health Insurance Marketplace. These organizations include: Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Mountain Projects, Inc., Western Carolina Medical Society, and Pisgah Legal Services. Pisgah Legal Services is a member of the North Carolina Navigator Consortium.