Join host Tommy Hays for the monthly reading series featuring work from UNCA’s Great Smokies Writing Program and The Great Smokies Review.
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.
In this heartfelt and hilarious new novel from Greg Howard, an enterprising boy starts his own junior talent agency and signs a thirteen-year-old aspiring drag queen as his first client.
Twelve-year-old Mikey Pruitt–president, founder, and CEO of Anything, Inc.–has always been an entrepreneur at heart. Inspired by his grandfather Pap Pruitt, who successfully ran all sorts of businesses from a car wash to a roadside peanut stand, Mikey is still looking for his million-dollar idea. Unfortunately, most of his ideas so far have failed. A baby tornado ran off with his general store, and the kids in his neighborhood never did come back for their second croquet lesson. But Mikey is determined to keep at it.
It isn’t until kid drag queen Coco Caliente, Mistress of Madness and Mayhem (aka eighth grader Julian Vasquez) walks into his office (aka his family’s storage/laundry room) looking for an agent that Mikey thinks he’s finally found his million-dollar idea, and the Anything Talent and Pizzazz Agency is born!
Greg Howard was born and raised in the South Carolina Lowcountry, where his love of words and stories blossomed at a young age. Greg will be in conversation with Bobbie Pyron, author of Stay.
This event is free and open to the public. We ask that you purchase the books you want to be signed at our events from Malaprop’s. When you do this you are not only supporting the work it takes to run an events program, you are also telling the publishers that they should keep sending authors here. Can’t make it to the store for the event? Call us or order the book on our website in advance, and we’ll get it signed for you. Make sure you write your preferences in the comments if you purchase online.
GILBERT LAWAND is a Brooklyn based comedian by way of Atlanta. You can see him performing all over the New York City area at some of the best shows such as Night Train, the Knitting Factory, and Bar Matchless as well as comedy clubs like Caroline’s, Gotham, New York Comedy Club, and the Creek and the Cave. He also produces the annual Red Clay Comedy Festival which takes place in Atlanta every September. Gilbert has performed in several festivals including Bridgetown, High Plains, and the Laughing Skull Festival where he was a finalist in 2015. He’s a frequent opener for Rory Scovel and has also opened for Dave Chappelle.
ages 18+
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
FRIDAY: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-gilbert-lawand-friday-tickets-89416522225
SATURDAY: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-gilbert-lawand-saturday-tickets-89418100947
Join our traveling danger show as we burn, slice and electrocute our way across America. We have a lot to give, and we’re practically dying to show it to you. Get ready for an evening of knife throwing, sword swallowing, tap dancing, whip cracking and tassel twirling fun at Odd World Danger Show!
With performances by
Romeo the Dapper Daredevil
Kita St Cyr
La Reine The Thrill
Graham Cracker Stockdale
$10 general admission | Advance tickets on at BlackRabbitSociety.org
Photos allowed, but please no flash photography. Tag us @TwistedCircusNY on instagram.
The next installment of the monthly Writers at Home series, featuring writers from the Prose Master Class taught by Elizabeth Lutyens at UNC Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program, takes place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., in downtown Asheville. This event is free and open to everyone.
For more information about UNC Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program, visit the program’s website.
Aaron Naylor is a stand-up comedian from Kansas City, MO. He won the 2014 Kansas City’s Local Comic Standing, the 2017 Funniest Person in Wichita Competition, placed 2nd in the 2016 Cleveland Comedy Festival, and has performed at SF Sketchfest, Blue Whale Comedy Festival, Cape Fear Comedy Festival, Trial by Laughter, Asheville Comedy Festival and many other festivals. He has opened for real people who do this for a living.
Featuring Ryan Trickey
Tickets $7 advance, $10 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-at-fleetwoods-aaron-naylor-tickets-84685056283
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.
The Comedy Show will see the historic YMI Cultural Center expand its program offerings to include a monthly night of gut-wrenching laughter featuring comedians of color. Presented in partnership with JAWBREAKING.xyz and Modelface Comedy & Events, The Comedy Show will be a night of comedy on the YMI’s main stage, featuring rising comedy stars from all over the country.
February’s show will be hosted by Asheville comic Petey Smith-McDowell and feature Tiffany Anderson, Kourtlyn Wiggins and Comedy Central’s Mia Jackson.
Mia Jackson is a bonafide Georgia peach (that’s Georgian for “native”) and self proclaimed know-it-all. After graduating from the University of Georgia she hit the local comedy scene and has thrilled audiences since day one. To her credit she has appeared on NickMom’s Night Out, Viceland and was a semi-finalist on Season 9 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. She has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer and the movie Mother’s Day. In 2017, she was named a New Face at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Atlanta’s Creative Loafing named her the city’s Best Stand-Up. Her Comedy Central Half Hour special premiered this past fall. Smart, funny, and versatile, Mia entertains all types of crowds.
ages 18+
Tickets $20 advance, $25 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-comedy-show-tickets-89938018033
Joe Zimmerman grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, and started his comedy career in North Carolina. While living in the South, his stand-up group the Beards of Comedy landed a record deal with Comedy Central Records. He moved to New York City in 2012, quickly appearing on The Late Late Show and John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, as well as performing at Montreal’s prestigious Just for Laughs festival. His resume has since grown to include The Tonight Show, Conan, Nickelodeon, Last Comic Standing, and his own Comedy Central Half Hour. Joe’s solo album Smiling at Wolves reached number two on the iTunes comedy charts and is played regularly on SiriusXM. (His second, Innocence, is due this summer on Comedy Central Records.) He has also contributed humor pieces to The New York Times.
Joe’s new podcast, “A Great Listening Experience” details his questionable attempts to attain infinite knowledge and power. Among his many podcast & radio appearances, he has recently appeared on 2 Dope Queens, The Dork Forest, Bob & Tom, The Todd Barry Podcast, and The Artie Lange Show. Joe is frequently touring, headlining clubs around the country, and occasionally opening for super stars Brian Regan and Ricky Gervais.
“The combination of Joe’s calming vocalization and inventive writing is a thing of magic. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable show.”
-Buzzfeed
ages 18+
Tickets $12 advance, $15 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-joe-zimmerman-friday-tickets-87501546481
Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-joe-zimmerman-saturday-tickets-87502748075
Rosetta’s Kitchen presents Late Nite, an after-hours monthly pop-up!
In February, we’ll kick off the year with a Mardi Gras Kick-Off Party.
Friday, February 21st
10:30pm – 2:30am
Live Music
Late Nite Munchie Menu
Full Bar & $5 Cocktail Specials
Costumes if ya wanna!
FREE!
Come party with us!
Bring your little one to Book Warehouse at the Asheville Outlets (ShopAshevilleOutlets.com) in their favorite Frozen character costume for a Frozen 2 Storytime and Dress Up on Saturday, February 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Kids will enjoy a reading of Frozen 2, coloring activity, snacks, and a Frozen Scavenger Hunt complete with prizes! Taking place inside Book Warehouse, Suite 124.
Mystical Night Market presented by The Guild of Sacred Arts. Join us for a celebration of the mind, body, and spirit. Local readers, healers, and makers will be offering: astrological readings, intuitive/psychic/medium readings, Akashic Records and animal communication readings, Reiki/energy healings, transformational coaching, local art, Reiki-infused jewelry, fairy hair, natural soaps, apothecary items, and more.
No entry fees! Raffle prizes! Come join us for a night of fun!
Joe Zimmerman grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, and started his comedy career in North Carolina. While living in the South, his stand-up group the Beards of Comedy landed a record deal with Comedy Central Records. He moved to New York City in 2012, quickly appearing on The Late Late Show and John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, as well as performing at Montreal’s prestigious Just for Laughs festival. His resume has since grown to include The Tonight Show, Conan, Nickelodeon, Last Comic Standing, and his own Comedy Central Half Hour. Joe’s solo album Smiling at Wolves reached number two on the iTunes comedy charts and is played regularly on SiriusXM. (His second, Innocence, is due this summer on Comedy Central Records.) He has also contributed humor pieces to The New York Times.
Joe’s new podcast, “A Great Listening Experience” details his questionable attempts to attain infinite knowledge and power. Among his many podcast & radio appearances, he has recently appeared on 2 Dope Queens, The Dork Forest, Bob & Tom, The Todd Barry Podcast, and The Artie Lange Show. Joe is frequently touring, headlining clubs around the country, and occasionally opening for super stars Brian Regan and Ricky Gervais.
“The combination of Joe’s calming vocalization and inventive writing is a thing of magic. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable show.”
-Buzzfeed
ages 18+
Tickets $12 advance, $15 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-joe-zimmerman-friday-tickets-87501546481
Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-joe-zimmerman-saturday-tickets-87502748075
This month’s Queer Comedy Party stars Kendall Farrell!
Kendall Farrell is a New York City based standup comedian from Vermont. He was named a ‘Comic To Watch’ at the 2019 New York Comedy Festival and will headline Caroline’s as part of their Breakout Artist series in 2020. His work has been heard on SiriusXM as well as seen in web content for Adult Swim and at comedy festivals across the country including the Brooklyn Comedy Festival, the Red Clay Comedy Festival, the Women in Comedy Festival, the 10,000 Laughs Festival, the Rogue Island Comedy Festival, and the Cream City Comedy Festival, among others.
ages 18+
Tickets $10
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/queer-comedy-party-ft-kendall-farrell-tickets-88758018623
Join host and Malaprop’s Bookseller Allison Beatty to dive into the wreck of the wily and wonderful world of sci-fi, weird fiction, speculative fiction, literary horror, and disturbing fiction with a healthy mix of underappreciated classic and contemporary books. Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!
The club meets the at Malaprop’s on the last Monday of every month at 7:00pm.
Join host and Malaprop’s Bookstore Manager Justin Souther to discuss writers — and their literature — in translation and the cultural, political and artistic influences that mold them. Click here to see a list of the monthly selections. Attendees receive 10% off the club’s current selection at Malaprop’s!
The club usually meets the last Thursday of every month at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe.
Books for kids 0-18! Priced to sell! Most for $1 or less!
Proceeds provide books for young children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Malaprop’s is pleased to partner with The Great Smokies Writing Program and Departments of History and English at UNC Asheville to bring #1 New York Times bestselling author Erik Larson back to Asheville!
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and The Devil in the White City delivers a startlingly fresh portrait of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz.
In THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people the art of being fearless. It is a story of political brinksmanship but also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchills prime-ministerial country house, Chequers, and his wartime residence, Ditchley, where Churchill and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest. Drawing on a wealth of untapped sources, including recently declassified files, intelligence reports, and personal diaries only now available, Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their daughters, Sarah, Diana, and the youngest, Mary, who chafes against her parents wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; her illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the cadre of close advisors who comprised Churchills Secret Circle, including his dangerously observant private secretary, John Colville; newspaper baron Lord Beaverbrook; and the Rasputin-like Federick Lindemann.
THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE takes readers out of today’s political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership when in the face of unrelenting horror Churchills eloquence, strategic brilliance, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.
ABOUT ERIK LARSON
Erik Larson is the author of seven books, five of which became New York Times bestsellers. His latest Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, hit #1 on the list soon after launch. His saga of the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893, The Devil in the White City, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and won an Edgar Award for fact-crime writing; it lingered on various Times bestseller lists for the better part of a decade. Hulu plans to adapt the book for a limited TV series, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese as executive producers. Eriks In the Garden of Beasts, about how America’s first ambassador to Nazi Germany and his daughter experienced the rising terror of Hitler’s rule, has been optioned by Tom Hanks for development as a feature film. Learn more at https://eriklarsonbooks.com/
Lace Larrabee is back with another group of hilarious atlanta ladies for another weekend stand up comedy!!!
Featuring Shelby Tesio, Karen Felix, Heather Tolley-Bauer, and Karen Waygood
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Haircare
ages+
Tickets $12, VIP $18
FRIDAY 2/28
GA: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-totally-exhausted-women-friday-tickets-87848750979
VIP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vip-lazoom-comedy-totally-exhausted-women-friday-vip-tickets-87849198317
SATURDAY 2/29
GA: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-totally-exhausted-women-saturday-tickets-87849711853
VIP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-totally-exhausted-women-saturday-vip-tickets-87849878351
VIP tickets come with a bag of BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair products worth $15!!!
Hot off her newly-released album “Make Something Beautiful,” Brit Drozda will make her Asheville debut this month with a special performance. The Charlotte-based folk-rock singer-songwriter will open for Brew Davis at Ambrose West on the evening of February 29, with songs from her latest album, plus a performance of her hit song “Breathing,” which is featured in the acclaimed documentary “Valiant,” as well as songs from her album “Let Me Hang The Moon, and a new unreleased song debut, “Seashells.”
Books for kids 0-18! Priced to sell! Most for $1 or less!
Proceeds provide books for young children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Lace Larrabee is back with another group of hilarious atlanta ladies for another weekend stand up comedy!!!
Featuring Shelby Tesio, Karen Felix, Heather Tolley-Bauer, and Karen Waygood
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Haircare
ages+
Tickets $12, VIP $18
FRIDAY 2/28
GA: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-totally-exhausted-women-friday-tickets-87848750979
VIP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vip-lazoom-comedy-totally-exhausted-women-friday-vip-tickets-87849198317
SATURDAY 2/29
GA: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-totally-exhausted-women-saturday-tickets-87849711853
VIP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-totally-exhausted-women-saturday-vip-tickets-87849878351
VIP tickets come with a bag of BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair products worth $15!!!
18+
$5 Members | $7 Non-Members
Cherith Fuller is a writer and comedian in Atlanta, GA. She performs regularly at clubs across the country like the Laughing Skull Lounge and The Comedy Attic, and has opened for everyone from Big Jay Oakerson to Moshe Kasher to Janeane Garofalo. She has written for Reductress and been featured on Audible. She has also performed at the Limestone Comedy Festival, the Laughing Skull Comedy festival, and Gilda’s Laughfest among others.
Tickets $7 advance, $10 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-at-fleetwoods-cherith-fuller-tickets-86022259895
Join host Alex Ruiz to discuss a wide-ranging selection of fiction and non-fiction focused on the LGBTQ community. 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 the first Monday of every month at 7:00 pm.
Join former Malaprop’s General Manager Linda-Marie Barrett for this woman-only book club that seeks to have fun by reading books (fiction & non) by women writers. 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 6:30 P.M. on the first Tuesday of the month at the Battery Park Book Exchange.
The Malaprop’s Book Club, hosted by Jay Jacoby, explores a diverse selection of fiction and nonfiction books determined by member suggestion. Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!
The club will meet at 7:00 PM in the cafe. This is a special date. The club usually meets the first Wednesday of every Month.
Join host and Malaprop’s Bookseller Patricia Furnish to discuss a range of books across true crime and public affairs. The club meets the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Click here to learn more about the club, view important news, and find the pick for this month.
Ramon Rivas is a laid back, largely unemotional stand up comedian, writer, actor, independent artist & eminent latino from Lorain, OH. Ramon resonates a low-fi swag with the finest taste in jokes, juices & dope experiences one can have while immaculately navigating as an ambiguously brown man in America.
Initially making a name for himself by building up the Cleveland comedy scene through ACCIDENTAL COMEDY productions while traveling around the country to cities like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles & more, Ramon eventually started garnering respect around the country for his comedic chops & sandwich acumen, being recognized by COMEDY CENTRAL as a COMIC TO WATCH in 2015 and by most bodega bois across the country.
He founded his own festival, ACCIDENTAL COMEDY FEST in 2011. The festival has grown to be one of the countries best kept secrets, and garners industry attendees & out of state visitors to Cleveland. His work and the overall growth of the Cleveland scene was featured in the documentary film MAKE FUN (2013) available now to stream on AMAZON PRIME.
Rivas made his television debut in 2016, when he was one of 17 artists selected to record THE HALF HOUR with COMEDY CENTRAL. An outlier from the middle of the country, without a manager or an agent getting that sort of opportunity gave the streets hope.
Rivas also has a burgeoning career sounding like he just woke up from a nap on TV shows, with appearances as a contestant on @MIDNIGHT twice, as a cannabis shaman on numerous segments on VICELAND & began acting seriously on S4E3 of BROAD CITY and followed that up with an appearance on S2E7 of HBO’s CRASHING. His stand up was also featured on HBO Latino’s stand up special ENTRE NOS.
You can catch Ramon touring the country or highly chatting with people in these streets or highly eating snacks on COOKING ON HIGH on Netflix or listen to his dulcet tones every week on PREBAKED, where he uses his cannabis sommelier skills to pair a specific strain to match every guests characteristics. He’s a regular at some of the countries most respected comedy institutions.
ages 18+
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-ramon-rivas-tickets-89426062761

