Calendar of Events

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

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

Registration is required for this event!

The Authors for Literacy Dinner & Silent Auction is the largest annual fundraiser for the Literacy Council of Buncombe County and features a presentation by a New York Times bestselling author. We have hosted the event for eleven years, previously featuring:

• Barbara Kingsolver 2018
• Ann Patchett, 2017
• Wiley Cash, 2016
• David Baldacci, 2015
• James Patterson, 2014
• Charles Frazier, 2013
• Jill Conner Browne, 2012
• Ron Rash, 2011
• John Hart, 2010
• Sara Gruen, 2009
• Elizabeth Kostova, 2008

The Authors for Literacy Dinner & Silent Auction begins with a cocktail hour silent auction for general admission guests while our Platinum Corporate Partner and other VIP pass-holders join the featured author for a private reception. During the reception, the author will be available to answer questions, take photographs, and personally inscribe books. (Note: VIP guests will have an opportunity to enlist a proxy bidder so that they, too, can participate in the silent auction.) Next, all guests enjoy a three-course dinner, a presentation by a Literacy Council student, and a keynote presentation by the featured author. The evening will close with a book signing for the general admission guests.

Funds raised at the Authors for Literacy Dinner & Silent Auction benefit the Literacy Council’s programs that teach reading, writing, spelling, and English language skills to individuals in Buncombe County. We serve 300 students and over 2,000 book recipients annually through four programs: Adult Literacy, Youth Literacy, English for Speakers of Other Languages, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. We give opportunities to people who don’t believe they have a second chance to learn.

Besides being a principal fundraiser, Authors for Literacy is also a vehicle to promote the Literacy Council’s mission: to increase comprehensive literacy and English language skills through specialized instruction by trained tutors and access to literacy resources. The event increases community awareness of our programming and recruits new volunteers, donors, and board members.

Put on your best formal wear, slip into your dancing shoes, and join Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective on October 26 for an elegant, exclusive Masquerade Ball. With a red carpet, live music by Rhoda Weaver (Best Vocalist, Mountain Xpress Best of X 2018), silent and live auctions, and catering by Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Win season tickets to Different Strokes! in the best-decorated mask contest (judged by a panel of experts), and get to party in the brand-new Henry LaBrun Studio at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts.

All proceeds benefit Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective and its mission of Making Theatre that Makes a Difference. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suggested donation: $10.

Everyone is welcome.No ticket required.

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

*Presented with permission from the Dramatist Play Service

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

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ODYSSEY CLAYWORKS BENEFIT AUCTION

ASHEVILLE, NC (October 11, 2019)

ODYSSEY CLAYWORKS announces the 7th Annual Odyssey Auction. Taking place November 2nd in their studio and gallery from 6-9pm, this year’s auction will feature over 140 items by established artists and local businesses. This year the auction will feature work by renowned potters Perry Haas, Bandana Pottery, and Will Dickert.

In addition to providing over $7000 in scholarships and tuition assistance to students annually, proceeds from the auction directly support the studio’s work with veterans suffering from PTSD, substance and alcohol abuse recovery programs, and adults with developmental disabilities.

Over 200 guests are expected to attend this lively event featuring a silent and live auction, beautifully catered food and drink, as well as music and dancing throughout the night. According to Studio Director Gabriel Kline, “Odyssey is known throughout the ceramics world as a premier teaching studio and we have made tremendous connections over the years. We will have work available by some of the finest artists in the country. The auction is a unique opportunity to bid on works by some of America’s most collectible ceramic artists.”

A limited number of tickets are available for the event on the Odyssey ClayWorks website, www.odysseyclayworks.com. Please call the studio for more information at 828 285 0210.

Enjoy locally sourced seasonal food while supporting Pisgah Legal Services. 15% of proceeds will benefit PLS.

Community Box Partner

Each month, we are honored to be a community partner to a local non-profit that is working to make Asheville a better place. Over the past year we have supported the following non-profits who are making a difference in our community: Pisgah Legal Services, Mountain Child Advocacy Center, Asheville City Schools Foundation, Helpmate, The Montford Players, Asheville Choral Society, Asheville Symphony, BeLoved, Food Connection, The Montford Neighborhood Association, Immediate Theatre Project, The Asheville Humane Society, Western North Carolina Aids Project, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

Great food in Montford and when diners leave donations for the Literacy Council, Chiesa will match up to $500!

Chiesa (Italian for church) is a quaint Italian restaurant featuring generations of family recipes, house-made pasta, and local ingredients. Located in the historic Montford neighborhood, Chiesa (pronounced kee-ay-sa) is housed in a building that has been at the center of the community for over one hundred years, serving as the local grocery store, then as a church, and since 2014, the neighborhood Italian restaurant. Our friendly staff welcomes all guests as family, providing a warm and comfortable atmosphere for both inside and patio dining (when weather permits).

Community Box Partner

Each month, we are honored to be a community partner to a local non-profit that is working to make Asheville a better place. Over the past year we have supported the following non-profits who are making a difference in our community: Pisgah Legal Services, Mountain Child Advocacy Center, Asheville City Schools Foundation, Helpmate, The Montford Players, Asheville Choral Society, Asheville Symphony, BeLoved, Food Connection, The Montford Neighborhood Association, Immediate Theatre Project, The Asheville Humane Society, Western North Carolina Aids Project, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

Great food in Montford and when diners leave donations for the Literacy Council, Chiesa will match up to $500!

Chiesa (Italian for church) is a quaint Italian restaurant featuring generations of family recipes, house-made pasta, and local ingredients. Located in the historic Montford neighborhood, Chiesa (pronounced kee-ay-sa) is housed in a building that has been at the center of the community for over one hundred years, serving as the local grocery store, then as a church, and since 2014, the neighborhood Italian restaurant. Our friendly staff welcomes all guests as family, providing a warm and comfortable atmosphere for both inside and patio dining (when weather permits).

Community Box Partner

Each month, we are honored to be a community partner to a local non-profit that is working to make Asheville a better place. Over the past year we have supported the following non-profits who are making a difference in our community: Pisgah Legal Services, Mountain Child Advocacy Center, Asheville City Schools Foundation, Helpmate, The Montford Players, Asheville Choral Society, Asheville Symphony, BeLoved, Food Connection, The Montford Neighborhood Association, Immediate Theatre Project, The Asheville Humane Society, Western North Carolina Aids Project, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

Great food in Montford and when diners leave donations for the Literacy Council, Chiesa will match up to $500!

Chiesa (Italian for church) is a quaint Italian restaurant featuring generations of family recipes, house-made pasta, and local ingredients. Located in the historic Montford neighborhood, Chiesa (pronounced kee-ay-sa) is housed in a building that has been at the center of the community for over one hundred years, serving as the local grocery store, then as a church, and since 2014, the neighborhood Italian restaurant. Our friendly staff welcomes all guests as family, providing a warm and comfortable atmosphere for both inside and patio dining (when weather permits).

The hilarious Big and Tall Comedy Tour raises money for veterans all across America! A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to American Legion Post 28 and Spartanburg Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9539!
The show is a hilarious stand-up comedy event featuring comedy veterans Ernesto “Big Ern” Galano and headliner Mike Bova! Big Ern brings 30 minutes of laugh out loud stand-up, and then Mike Bova takes the stage. Mike’s one hour set is a combination of 30 minutes of side splitting stand-up, then he picks up his guitar for the last 30 minutes and sings hysterical parodies, funny songs and adds celebrity impressions. This is a one-of-a-kind show you don’t want to miss and won’t soon forget! Content is R-rated and recommended for adults 18+

Community Box Partner

Each month, we are honored to be a community partner to a local non-profit that is working to make Asheville a better place. Over the past year we have supported the following non-profits who are making a difference in our community: Pisgah Legal Services, Mountain Child Advocacy Center, Asheville City Schools Foundation, Helpmate, The Montford Players, Asheville Choral Society, Asheville Symphony, BeLoved, Food Connection, The Montford Neighborhood Association, Immediate Theatre Project, The Asheville Humane Society, Western North Carolina Aids Project, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

Great food in Montford and when diners leave donations for the Literacy Council, Chiesa will match up to $500!

Chiesa (Italian for church) is a quaint Italian restaurant featuring generations of family recipes, house-made pasta, and local ingredients. Located in the historic Montford neighborhood, Chiesa (pronounced kee-ay-sa) is housed in a building that has been at the center of the community for over one hundred years, serving as the local grocery store, then as a church, and since 2014, the neighborhood Italian restaurant. Our friendly staff welcomes all guests as family, providing a warm and comfortable atmosphere for both inside and patio dining (when weather permits).

Asheville’s favorite improv comedy troupe comes to the ACT Mainstage for one night only! Reasonably Priced Babies (RPB) consists of the very talented performers Tom Chalmers, Mondy Carter, Karen Stobbe, Kim Richardson and Josh Batenhorst, with Aaron Price providing musical accompaniment. Stay after the show for a first-ever talk-back session with Reasonably Priced Babies – and have a chance to ask RPB any questions and take part in a RPB giveaway!

By purchasing tickets for this fun-filled evening, you will also be supporting your community, as all proceeds from this special production will go to supporting Asheville Community Theatre.