Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Virtual Roller-Skating Party Collage Workshop with Anastasia Higginbotham
Jan 27 @ 6:00 pm
Online w/ Malaprop's

What You Don’t Know: A Story of Liberated Childhood (Dottir Press, JAN 26, 2021), is Higginbotham’s latest book about being young. It illustrates how families, teachers, counselors, and other “stars” are already beaming love at queer, gender nonconforming, and trans children, to protect and bless them as they are. The Roller-skating Party Collage Workshop lets kids put their community in the rink with them—real life people they know and  trust, as well as strangers or historical figures whose radiant and genuine presence (even in spirit) is liberation.

RSVP here to receive a PDF of the roller rink back drop and the link to attend the event by email.

Like most of our events, this event is free. 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 making a donation or purchasing a gift card below. Thank you!

When you purchase What You Don’t Know: A Story of Liberated Childhood from Malaprop’s below, you will also recieve a pre-printed roller rink backdrop.

SUPPLIES for the Workshop:
•  Pens and pencils
•  Scissors
•  Glue stick
•  Squares or rectangles of plain brown grocery bag (or flattened out packing paper or  construction paper) for creating faces, bodies, and hands
•  Images from magazines and catalogs to make clothes, hair, jewelry, hats, shoes, skates,  wheelchairs, and assistive devices. Nothing has to be like it is in real life. Your people  can have wings and tails, dress in actual flowers, have hair made of fire! Animals can  skate!
•  IMPORTANT—There are no rules about the materials! A pencil or pen and paper is  enough! The back of an envelope or some newspaper is enough! Stick figures are  enough! You can write “my rebel auntie” and “my gay uncle” on a couple of popsicle sticks and skate them all over the rink.

Thursday, January 28, 2021
28th Annual Organic Growers School Spring Conference Online REGISTRATION OPEN
Jan 28 all-day
Online w/ Organic Growers School

March 13-21, 2021 – Online
Kick-off Live Event
March 13, 2021
  • Three Live Keynote Talks
  • Teaser Videos for our 11 Themed Tracks
  • Lunchtime Entertainment
  • A Live Q&A With our Keynote speakers
  • A video social with other attendees
  • Access to our Exhibit Hall
Track Workshops
March 14-19, 2021
View 3 pre-recorded hour long workshops in each of 11 Themed Tracks:
  • Cherokee Foods
  • Cooking
  • Farming
  • Food Systems
  • Gardening
  • Herbs
  • Livestock
  • Mushrooms
  • Permaculture
  • Soils
  • Sustainable Living

Live Panel Discussion Sessions

March 20-21, 2021

Join a live Panel Discussion with each speaker from the Track workshops. Interact directly with panelists during the live Q & A portion!
A Virtual Sandburg Story Slam
Jan 28 all-day
Online w/ Carl Sandburg House

Carl Sandburg Home NHS will host a virtual story slam in honor of Carl Sandburg’s January 6th birthday. Throughout the month of January, storytellers are invited to prepare a true five-minute story, take a video of themselves reading the story, and submit the video to be shared here on the official Carl Sandburg Home Facebook page.
Videos will be posted on Facebook from January 27-29, and the winners announced on Saturday, January 30, at 10am. Stories should reflect the theme of “seasons,” such as nature’s change of seasons, a story from a favorite season, or the seasons of life. Visit www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/slam.htm for submission information and video formatting tips. Submissions are due by January 22, 2021.
A panel of judges will rate the stories, with first place awarded $100, second place $75, and third place, $50. All storytellers will receive a small thank you gift for participating.
Support for the Slam is provided by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, the park’s fundraising partner, and Eastern National, the non-profit partner that operates the park store.

Black History Month – Book List for Young Readers
Jan 28 all-day
Online
Organic Growers School Apprentice Link database for Farming
Jan 28 all-day
Online w/ Organic Growers School

The Apprentice Link database connects people who are serious about learning the sustainable farming trade with farmers who are willing to teach them in an apprenticeship setting. Our programs’ emphasis is specifically in the Southern Appalachians, with a focus on farms that participate in local Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) programs.

To be included in this listing, Organic Growers School has vetted each farm to determine of the following criteria has been met:

  • Farms are actively engaged in the local community.
  • Farms are using organic and/or sustainable production methods. Organic Certification and other certifications are not required, but we do ask that farms and farmers are “in-the-know” and conscientiously practicing organic standards.
  • Farms are dedicated to training new farmers by providing education as a pinnacle element of their apprenticeship program.
Books and Wine! – A Book That Is The First In A Series
Jan 28 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Online

Come join us for a fun afternoon sampling some wine(s) and talking about books. As always, the book can be fiction or non-fiction ….. whatever……just so that it somehow involves whatever topic we’ve chosen for the month. And if you just want to join us to hear about the books we’ve read but haven’t read any yet yourself, come along anyhow. You’ll have a chance then to suggest a topic for us to read books on for future times. For now during these COVID times, we will be meeting via Zoom. When COVID is more under control, we will talk about starting to meet at Metro Wines again.

What we’re about

A non-committal Book Club! No pressure to finish a book or host a meeting. Just show up, Sip and swap! Bring books you’ve read. Sip wine (beer or cider) and swap books and conversation. There will be a monthly topic-specified event on the 2nd Thursday from 2-4 with other meetings thrown in from periodically.

ONLINE Lecture Series – “Bonsai at The North Carolina Arboretum: More Than Meets the Eye”
Jan 28 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Online w/ NC Arboretum

Join us for “Bonsai at The North Carolina Arboretum: More Than Meets the Eye,” a six-part series of online lectures led by Bonsai Curator Arthur Joura and special guests who will be taking an inspiring in-depth look into the ancient art of Bonsai and the creative ways in which the practice has been adapted here at the Arboretum.
The series kicks off this Thursday, January 28, at 4 p.m., and Adult Education is thrilled to present this first session FREE to Arboretum members!
Black Experience Book Club
Jan 28 @ 6:30 pm
YMI Impact Center

Man reading book

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.

Black Experience Book Club Sign Up
Jan 28 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Online and YMI Impact Center
Black Experience Book Club

Join us for a bi-monthly book club sponsored by the YMI Cultural Center and Buncombe County Public Libraries. This month, we’ll be discussing The Coldest Winter Ever, by Sister Souljah.

Join us for a bi-monthly book club sponsored by the YMI Cultural Center and Buncombe County Public Libraries. This month, we’ll be discussing The Coldest Winter Ever, by Sister Souljah.

The Black Experience Book Club is a hybrid in-person and online book club.

To attend in person, call the YMI from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Thursday at 828-257-4540 or email submit@ ymiculturalcenter.org. In person meetings are limited to 8 attendees. To attend by Zoom, click “Sign Up” on this event listing. There is no limit on Zoom attendance.

Books are available to borrow on a first-come first-serve basis at both the YMI and Buncombe County Public Libraries.

Friday, January 29, 2021
A Virtual Sandburg Story Slam
Jan 29 all-day
Online w/ Carl Sandburg House

Carl Sandburg Home NHS will host a virtual story slam in honor of Carl Sandburg’s January 6th birthday. Throughout the month of January, storytellers are invited to prepare a true five-minute story, take a video of themselves reading the story, and submit the video to be shared here on the official Carl Sandburg Home Facebook page.
Videos will be posted on Facebook from January 27-29, and the winners announced on Saturday, January 30, at 10am. Stories should reflect the theme of “seasons,” such as nature’s change of seasons, a story from a favorite season, or the seasons of life. Visit www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/slam.htm for submission information and video formatting tips. Submissions are due by January 22, 2021.
A panel of judges will rate the stories, with first place awarded $100, second place $75, and third place, $50. All storytellers will receive a small thank you gift for participating.
Support for the Slam is provided by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, the park’s fundraising partner, and Eastern National, the non-profit partner that operates the park store.

Black History Month – Book List for Young Readers
Jan 29 all-day
Online
Organic Growers School Apprentice Link database for Farming
Jan 29 all-day
Online w/ Organic Growers School

The Apprentice Link database connects people who are serious about learning the sustainable farming trade with farmers who are willing to teach them in an apprenticeship setting. Our programs’ emphasis is specifically in the Southern Appalachians, with a focus on farms that participate in local Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) programs.

To be included in this listing, Organic Growers School has vetted each farm to determine of the following criteria has been met:

  • Farms are actively engaged in the local community.
  • Farms are using organic and/or sustainable production methods. Organic Certification and other certifications are not required, but we do ask that farms and farmers are “in-the-know” and conscientiously practicing organic standards.
  • Farms are dedicated to training new farmers by providing education as a pinnacle element of their apprenticeship program.
Saturday, January 30, 2021
28th Annual Organic Growers School Spring Conference Online REGISTRATION OPEN
Jan 30 all-day
Online w/ Organic Growers School

March 13-21, 2021 – Online
Kick-off Live Event
March 13, 2021
  • Three Live Keynote Talks
  • Teaser Videos for our 11 Themed Tracks
  • Lunchtime Entertainment
  • A Live Q&A With our Keynote speakers
  • A video social with other attendees
  • Access to our Exhibit Hall
Track Workshops
March 14-19, 2021
View 3 pre-recorded hour long workshops in each of 11 Themed Tracks:
  • Cherokee Foods
  • Cooking
  • Farming
  • Food Systems
  • Gardening
  • Herbs
  • Livestock
  • Mushrooms
  • Permaculture
  • Soils
  • Sustainable Living

Live Panel Discussion Sessions

March 20-21, 2021

Join a live Panel Discussion with each speaker from the Track workshops. Interact directly with panelists during the live Q & A portion!
A Virtual Sandburg Story Slam
Jan 30 all-day
Online w/ Carl Sandburg House

Carl Sandburg Home NHS will host a virtual story slam in honor of Carl Sandburg’s January 6th birthday. Throughout the month of January, storytellers are invited to prepare a true five-minute story, take a video of themselves reading the story, and submit the video to be shared here on the official Carl Sandburg Home Facebook page.
Videos will be posted on Facebook from January 27-29, and the winners announced on Saturday, January 30, at 10am. Stories should reflect the theme of “seasons,” such as nature’s change of seasons, a story from a favorite season, or the seasons of life. Visit www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/slam.htm for submission information and video formatting tips. Submissions are due by January 22, 2021.
A panel of judges will rate the stories, with first place awarded $100, second place $75, and third place, $50. All storytellers will receive a small thank you gift for participating.
Support for the Slam is provided by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, the park’s fundraising partner, and Eastern National, the non-profit partner that operates the park store.

Black History Month – Book List for Young Readers
Jan 30 all-day
Online
Farm Dreams entry-level workshop w/ The Organic Growers School
Jan 30 all-day
Online w/ The Organic Growers School

Farm Dreams

January 30th or February 20th – Online
If you’re in the exploratory stages of starting your own farm, this entry-level workshop is designed just for you. You will receive practical, common-sense information on sustainable farming and how to move forward.
Organic Growers School Apprentice Link database for Farming
Jan 30 all-day
Online w/ Organic Growers School

The Apprentice Link database connects people who are serious about learning the sustainable farming trade with farmers who are willing to teach them in an apprenticeship setting. Our programs’ emphasis is specifically in the Southern Appalachians, with a focus on farms that participate in local Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) programs.

To be included in this listing, Organic Growers School has vetted each farm to determine of the following criteria has been met:

  • Farms are actively engaged in the local community.
  • Farms are using organic and/or sustainable production methods. Organic Certification and other certifications are not required, but we do ask that farms and farmers are “in-the-know” and conscientiously practicing organic standards.
  • Farms are dedicated to training new farmers by providing education as a pinnacle element of their apprenticeship program.
Registration Opens for ASAP’s 2021 Business of Farming Virtual Conference
Jan 30 all-day
Online w/ ASAP

The conference will offer more than a dozen workshops led by farmers and regional professionals, including several that address the continued effects of COVID-19 on the industry, such as Direct Marketing in the Time of COVID, Optimizing Your Online Store, and Planning for Meat Sales in 2021. The conference also includes a business planning track in collaboration with Mountain BizWorks. The popular Grower-Buyer Meeting will return in a virtual format, giving farmers the chance to meet individually with grocers, distributors, and chefs. Farmers can receive one-on-one support on legal, recordkeeping, marketing, and production planning issues.

Meet Biblioboard, Buncombe Library’s Newest Digital Resource
Jan 30 @ 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
online w/ Buncombe County Libraries

Create, share, and discover with Buncombe County Public Library’s newest resource, Biblioboard.

BiblioBoard Library is an easy-to-use platform of high-quality digital content. Biblioboard offers books, articles, documents, images, audios, and videos. BiblioBoard Library is host to content from traditional publishers, indie authors, cultural institutions, and local thought leaders. Users can access BiblioBoard Library through the library’s website or on the device of their choice.

Some features of Biblioboard:

  • No waitlists or holds
  • Streaming audio and video are available on a wide variety of topics
  • Check out curated collections of the best indie authors.
  • Available for desktop, iOS, and Android devices

Local authors can submit their work for inclusion in the library catalog or publish books with Press Books. You can submit and share your work locally or nationally.

Interested? Check it out, and access Biblioboard today by clicking here.

Sunday, January 31, 2021
28th Annual Organic Growers School Spring Conference Online REGISTRATION OPEN
Jan 31 all-day
Online w/ Organic Growers School

March 13-21, 2021 – Online
Kick-off Live Event
March 13, 2021
  • Three Live Keynote Talks
  • Teaser Videos for our 11 Themed Tracks
  • Lunchtime Entertainment
  • A Live Q&A With our Keynote speakers
  • A video social with other attendees
  • Access to our Exhibit Hall
Track Workshops
March 14-19, 2021
View 3 pre-recorded hour long workshops in each of 11 Themed Tracks:
  • Cherokee Foods
  • Cooking
  • Farming
  • Food Systems
  • Gardening
  • Herbs
  • Livestock
  • Mushrooms
  • Permaculture
  • Soils
  • Sustainable Living

Live Panel Discussion Sessions

March 20-21, 2021

Join a live Panel Discussion with each speaker from the Track workshops. Interact directly with panelists during the live Q & A portion!
Black History Month – Book List for Young Readers
Jan 31 all-day
Online
Organic Growers School Apprentice Link database for Farming
Jan 31 all-day
Online w/ Organic Growers School

The Apprentice Link database connects people who are serious about learning the sustainable farming trade with farmers who are willing to teach them in an apprenticeship setting. Our programs’ emphasis is specifically in the Southern Appalachians, with a focus on farms that participate in local Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) programs.

To be included in this listing, Organic Growers School has vetted each farm to determine of the following criteria has been met:

  • Farms are actively engaged in the local community.
  • Farms are using organic and/or sustainable production methods. Organic Certification and other certifications are not required, but we do ask that farms and farmers are “in-the-know” and conscientiously practicing organic standards.
  • Farms are dedicated to training new farmers by providing education as a pinnacle element of their apprenticeship program.
Registration Opens for ASAP’s 2021 Business of Farming Virtual Conference
Jan 31 all-day
Online w/ ASAP

The conference will offer more than a dozen workshops led by farmers and regional professionals, including several that address the continued effects of COVID-19 on the industry, such as Direct Marketing in the Time of COVID, Optimizing Your Online Store, and Planning for Meat Sales in 2021. The conference also includes a business planning track in collaboration with Mountain BizWorks. The popular Grower-Buyer Meeting will return in a virtual format, giving farmers the chance to meet individually with grocers, distributors, and chefs. Farmers can receive one-on-one support on legal, recordkeeping, marketing, and production planning issues.

Meet Biblioboard, Buncombe Library’s Newest Digital Resource
Jan 31 @ 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
online w/ Buncombe County Libraries

Create, share, and discover with Buncombe County Public Library’s newest resource, Biblioboard.

BiblioBoard Library is an easy-to-use platform of high-quality digital content. Biblioboard offers books, articles, documents, images, audios, and videos. BiblioBoard Library is host to content from traditional publishers, indie authors, cultural institutions, and local thought leaders. Users can access BiblioBoard Library through the library’s website or on the device of their choice.

Some features of Biblioboard:

  • No waitlists or holds
  • Streaming audio and video are available on a wide variety of topics
  • Check out curated collections of the best indie authors.
  • Available for desktop, iOS, and Android devices

Local authors can submit their work for inclusion in the library catalog or publish books with Press Books. You can submit and share your work locally or nationally.

Interested? Check it out, and access Biblioboard today by clicking here.

Monday, February 1, 2021
Black History Month – Book List for Young Readers
Feb 1 all-day
Online
Registration Opens for ASAP’s 2021 Business of Farming Virtual Conference
Feb 1 all-day
Online w/ ASAP

The conference will offer more than a dozen workshops led by farmers and regional professionals, including several that address the continued effects of COVID-19 on the industry, such as Direct Marketing in the Time of COVID, Optimizing Your Online Store, and Planning for Meat Sales in 2021. The conference also includes a business planning track in collaboration with Mountain BizWorks. The popular Grower-Buyer Meeting will return in a virtual format, giving farmers the chance to meet individually with grocers, distributors, and chefs. Farmers can receive one-on-one support on legal, recordkeeping, marketing, and production planning issues.

Live Stream: Alan Gratz presents Ground Zero: A Novel of 9/11
Feb 1 @ 2:00 pm
Online w/ Malaprop's

We are thriled to celebrate the release of Ground Zero with Asheville author Alan Gratz! Click here to register to attend on Crowdcast.

Alan Gratz’s eagerly-anticipated new novel is just in time for the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. Ground Zero is another pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear — and the stunning links between the past and present. The book tells the parallel stories of Brandon—who is visiting his dad at work at the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001—and Reshmina—who stumbles upon a wounded American soldier in her village in Afghanistan on September 11, 2020. Two kids. One devastating day. Nothing will ever be the same.

Alan Gratz will sign and personalize books purchased from Malaprop’s! Please leave your personalization request in the comments section during checkout. 

This is a free event. If you decide to attend and to purchase the authors’ books, we encourage you to 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. If you would like to support us without purchasing a book, you may purchase a gift card or make a donation of any amount. Thank you!

Alan Gratz is the New York Times bestselling author of several highly acclaimed books for young readers, including AlliesGrenade, RefugeeProjekt 1065Prisoner B-3087, and Code of Honor. Alan lives in North Carolina with his wife and daughter. Look for him online at alangratz.com.

Tuesday, February 2, 2021
28th Annual Organic Growers School Spring Conference Online REGISTRATION OPEN
Feb 2 all-day
Online w/ Organic Growers School

March 13-21, 2021 – Online
Kick-off Live Event
March 13, 2021
  • Three Live Keynote Talks
  • Teaser Videos for our 11 Themed Tracks
  • Lunchtime Entertainment
  • A Live Q&A With our Keynote speakers
  • A video social with other attendees
  • Access to our Exhibit Hall
Track Workshops
March 14-19, 2021
View 3 pre-recorded hour long workshops in each of 11 Themed Tracks:
  • Cherokee Foods
  • Cooking
  • Farming
  • Food Systems
  • Gardening
  • Herbs
  • Livestock
  • Mushrooms
  • Permaculture
  • Soils
  • Sustainable Living

Live Panel Discussion Sessions

March 20-21, 2021

Join a live Panel Discussion with each speaker from the Track workshops. Interact directly with panelists during the live Q & A portion!
Black History Month – Book List for Young Readers
Feb 2 all-day
Online
Registration Opens for ASAP’s 2021 Business of Farming Virtual Conference
Feb 2 all-day
Online w/ ASAP

The conference will offer more than a dozen workshops led by farmers and regional professionals, including several that address the continued effects of COVID-19 on the industry, such as Direct Marketing in the Time of COVID, Optimizing Your Online Store, and Planning for Meat Sales in 2021. The conference also includes a business planning track in collaboration with Mountain BizWorks. The popular Grower-Buyer Meeting will return in a virtual format, giving farmers the chance to meet individually with grocers, distributors, and chefs. Farmers can receive one-on-one support on legal, recordkeeping, marketing, and production planning issues.