YMI Cultural Center and Buncombe County Public Libraries have partnered on a book club exploring modern Black authors. December’s selection is The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Asheville’s YMI Cultural Center (YMI) and Buncombe County Public Libraries (BCPL) are partnering to create a book club focusing on modern Black authors and readers. Beginning Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, the Black Experience Book Club will meet twice per month at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month.

To maximize safety, meetings will be held in a hybrid in-person and online format during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone interested may join the meeting via Zoom or meet in person at the YMI Impact Center, 39 S. Market St., Suite A, Asheville, NC 28801. In-person meetings will be capped at 10 participants in order to observe social distancing.

To register to attend in-person, please call YMI staff at 828-257-4540 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Thursday or email [email protected] at any time. To receive the Zoom link or for questions regarding finding copies of book club titles, please contact Alexandra Duncan at [email protected]. You may also find information about upcoming titles and request the Zoom link through the library’s Events Calendar. Visit buncombecounty.org/library and click on Events Calendar at the top of the page.

In December 2020, the Black Experience Book Club will discuss The Water Dancer, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. In January 2021, members will discuss The Coldest Winter Ever, by Sister Souljah, and in February 2021, Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi. Selected titles for future months will be announced in book club meetings, on the library’s Events Calendar, and via YMI and BCPL social media channels. Readers may borrow any of these titles at any BCPL location or at the YMI. Copies will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, so participants are encouraged to reserve their copies early.

Smart Start Partnership for Children will be hosting a virtual book sale the weekend
of December 11th through December 13th, with a special live stream event happening on
December 12th. Santa Clause and a special Holiday Elf will be hosting the live event which
will happen via Face Book live at 10AM. Most books are priced between $2 and $5.
“We are excited to spread the holiday cheer and hopefully help parents and
guardians get last minute gifts.” said Carrie Ann Chandler Communications and
Development Director.
Smart Start has the mission to support, educate, and advocate to build a strong
foundation for young children in our community. With a variety of programs including early
literacy, kindergarten transition, parent support, and quality early childhood education,
Smart Start has been serving the Henderson County community for over twenty years.
Last year Smart Start was able to give $465,390 away in scholarships for young children
to attend quality early childcare. Proceeds from the virtual sale will go to promote all the
work Smart Start does.
To access the live stream and shop the virtual sale visit
www.faceboook.com/SmartStartPFC or www.smartstartpfc.org .
To donate or learn more about this event or the work of Smart Start Partnership
for Children call 828-693-1580. Sponsors for the event include Hunter Subaru, Bryan Byrd
Keller Williams Mountain Partners, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More, Mail Box and Pack,
Associated Land Surveyors and Planers, PC. , Judy Stroud with State Farm, First Bank,
Carolina Blue Design Group, Lakeview Putt and Play, Southern Elite Coatings, and WNC
Bridge Foundation.

Smart Start Partnership for Children will be hosting a virtual book sale the weekend
of December 11th through December 13th, with a special live stream event happening on
December 12th. Santa Clause and a special Holiday Elf will be hosting the live event which
will happen via Face Book live at 10AM. Most books are priced between $2 and $5.
“We are excited to spread the holiday cheer and hopefully help parents and
guardians get last minute gifts.” said Carrie Ann Chandler Communications and
Development Director.
Smart Start has the mission to support, educate, and advocate to build a strong
foundation for young children in our community. With a variety of programs including early
literacy, kindergarten transition, parent support, and quality early childhood education,
Smart Start has been serving the Henderson County community for over twenty years.
Last year Smart Start was able to give $465,390 away in scholarships for young children
to attend quality early childcare. Proceeds from the virtual sale will go to promote all the
work Smart Start does.
To access the live stream and shop the virtual sale visit
www.faceboook.com/SmartStartPFC or www.smartstartpfc.org .
To donate or learn more about this event or the work of Smart Start Partnership
for Children call 828-693-1580. Sponsors for the event include Hunter Subaru, Bryan Byrd
Keller Williams Mountain Partners, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More, Mail Box and Pack,
Associated Land Surveyors and Planers, PC. , Judy Stroud with State Farm, First Bank,
Carolina Blue Design Group, Lakeview Putt and Play, Southern Elite Coatings, and WNC
Bridge Foundation.

Buncombe County Libraries have teamed up with local attractions and museums to offer free admission for library card holders with a ZOOM pass!

How does it work?

• Have your library card handy and log into the Tixkeeper database.
• You can make 1 reservation per library card. Check the pass details to see how many adults and children gain entry with each pass. Reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance and you may visit each attraction once every 30 days. Reservations are made online only.
• You will get an email confirmation of your reservation and a reminder email the day before your visit.
• Pick up your tickets at any library anytime the week before your visit. Please bring the library card used for reservations with you.
• The pass will be good for YOUR RESERVATION DAY ONLY. The pass will have your name on it and cannot be used by anyone else. ZOOM passes cannot be renewed.
• Take your ZOOM pass to the museum for admission. You are responsible for knowing the schedule of the museum with regards to opening and closing times. Admission guidelines may vary and pass users must follow the rules of the museum

Smart Start Partnership for Children will be hosting a virtual book sale the weekend
of December 11th through December 13th, with a special live stream event happening on
December 12th. Santa Clause and a special Holiday Elf will be hosting the live event which
will happen via Face Book live at 10AM. Most books are priced between $2 and $5.
“We are excited to spread the holiday cheer and hopefully help parents and
guardians get last minute gifts.” said Carrie Ann Chandler Communications and
Development Director.
Smart Start has the mission to support, educate, and advocate to build a strong
foundation for young children in our community. With a variety of programs including early
literacy, kindergarten transition, parent support, and quality early childhood education,
Smart Start has been serving the Henderson County community for over twenty years.
Last year Smart Start was able to give $465,390 away in scholarships for young children
to attend quality early childcare. Proceeds from the virtual sale will go to promote all the
work Smart Start does.
To access the live stream and shop the virtual sale visit
www.faceboook.com/SmartStartPFC or www.smartstartpfc.org .
To donate or learn more about this event or the work of Smart Start Partnership
for Children call 828-693-1580. Sponsors for the event include Hunter Subaru, Bryan Byrd
Keller Williams Mountain Partners, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More, Mail Box and Pack,
Associated Land Surveyors and Planers, PC. , Judy Stroud with State Farm, First Bank,
Carolina Blue Design Group, Lakeview Putt and Play, Southern Elite Coatings, and WNC
Bridge Foundation.

Buncombe County Libraries have teamed up with local attractions and museums to offer free admission for library card holders with a ZOOM pass!

How does it work?

• Have your library card handy and log into the Tixkeeper database.
• You can make 1 reservation per library card. Check the pass details to see how many adults and children gain entry with each pass. Reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance and you may visit each attraction once every 30 days. Reservations are made online only.
• You will get an email confirmation of your reservation and a reminder email the day before your visit.
• Pick up your tickets at any library anytime the week before your visit. Please bring the library card used for reservations with you.
• The pass will be good for YOUR RESERVATION DAY ONLY. The pass will have your name on it and cannot be used by anyone else. ZOOM passes cannot be renewed.
• Take your ZOOM pass to the museum for admission. You are responsible for knowing the schedule of the museum with regards to opening and closing times. Admission guidelines may vary and pass users must follow the rules of the museum

Exploring and Settling the American West: Four Classic Books Explained and Discussed

Due to Covid-19, we are live streaming Storytime in lieu of an in-store event. Join us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/malapropsbookstore/ to tune into Miss Malaprop’s Storytime from your home.

Join us with your wee ones every week on Wednesdays at 10 am for classic and contemporary stories sure to enchant and entertain. Together, we’ll introduce children to the wonderful world of books! Recommended for ages 3-9.

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The Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) is pleased to announce Eastern Cherokee Stories: A Living Oral Tradition and Its Cultural Continuance by Sandra Muse Isaacs as the 65th winner of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Originated by the Louis Lipinsky family and now also supported by Michael Sartisky, PhD, and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Advisory Committee, the Award has been presented annually by the Western North Carolina Historical Association since 1955 for printed works that focus special attention on Western North Carolina.

“Sandra Muse Isaacs in Eastern Cherokee Stories helps the reader see the oral tradition of the Eastern Cherokee as both an ancient and contemporary means of expressing culture and identity. She allows us to see the ways in which stories continue to have the power to educate and motivate a people rooted in a deep respect and understanding of all living things. For her scholarship and for offering us a new lens on the original people of our region, Muse Isaacs was chosen as the winner of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award for 2020,” said Catherine Frank, Chair of the selection committee.

The first award in 1955 was given to Wilma Dykeman for her landmark “The French Broad.” Last year’s winners were George Ellison and Janet McCue for “Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography.” Others who have received the award over the years include such notables as Robert Morgan, Charles Frazier, John Parris, Gail Godwin, John Ehle, Robert Brunk, Michael McFee, Lee Smith, Ron Rash, Wiley Cash, Wayne Caldwell, Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr. 

The other finalists, who will read selections from their publications at the event, chosen from over 40 nominations, are:

• Leah Hampton, F*ckface and Other Stories
• Susan E. Keefe and the Junaluska Heritage Association, Junaluska: Oral Histories of a Black Appalachian Community
• Courtney Lewis, Sovereign Entrepreneurs: Cherokee Small-Business Owners and the Making of Economic Sovereignty
• Rose McLarney, Laura-Gray Street, and L.L. Gaddy, editors, A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia
• Dale Neal, Appalachian Book of the Dead

This club will meet virtually during the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are interested in attending, please email [email protected] for more info and instructions! 

Join host and Malaprop’s bookseller Patricia Furnish to discuss a range of books across different periods of history. The club tackles challenging subjects, hence “NOTORIOUS.”  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 at Malaprop’s on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm.