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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.
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Rhiannon Skye Tafoya (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Ul’nigid’, 2020, letterpress (photopolymer and Bembo & Cherokee Syllabary metal type) printed on handmade & color plan paper with paperweaving, closed: 11 × 11 ¼ inches, assembled: 23 ½ × 11 ¼ × 5 ⁵⁄₈ inches. Courtesy the Artist. © Rhiannon Skye Tafoya, image Rhiannon Skye Tafoya.
Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art features over 50 works of art in a variety of media by 30+ Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and Cherokee Nation artists. The exhibition highlights the use of the written Cherokee language, a syllabary developed by Cherokee innovator Sequoyah (circa 1776–1843). Cherokee syllabary is frequently found in the work of Cherokee artists as a compositional element or the subject matter of the work itself. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, NC from June 12, 2021 to October 31, 2021, and in the Asheville Art Museum’s Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall from November 19, 2021 to March 14, 2022. The Cherokee Syllabary is a system of writing developed by Sequoyah in the early 1800s prior to the Removal period. Through Sequoyah’s innovative work, Cherokee people embraced the writing system as an expedient form of communication and documentation. During the Removal period, the syllabary was used as a tactic to combat land dispossession. Cherokee people continue to use the syllabary as a form of cultural expression and pride, which is showcased in the contemporary artwork of the Cherokee Citizens in this exhibition.
“We’re pleased to host this gathering of works from contemporary Cherokee artists, who perfectly illustrate how our language is a living and evolving part of who we are. It’s moving to see how each artist finds inspiration in their own way from this language that connects us as Cherokee people,” said Shana Bushyhead Condill, executive director of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.
“The Asheville Art Museum and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian have been long-term collaborators, and we are delighted to further our partnership by working together to manage an open call to Cherokee artists and subsequently curate this exciting exhibition of contemporary works that take inspiration from, celebrate, preserve and interpret the syllabary,” said Pamela L. Myers, executive director of the Asheville Art Museum. “On view at both museums, we hope the exhibition engages a wide and diverse audience in dialogue with these extraordinary works.”
A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator at the Asheville Art Museum, with assistance from curatorial consultant Joshua Adams (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians). Special thanks to S. Dakota Brown, education director at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and Alexis Meldrum, curatorial assistant at the Asheville Art Museum, for their support in the planning of this exhibition. This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership, and sponsored in part by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation and Kevin Click & April Liou in memory of Myron E. Click.
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians artists include Joshua Adams, Jody Lipscomb Bradley, Nathan Bush, Kane Crowe, John Henry Gloyne, Shan Goshorn, Luzene Hill, Christy Long, Louise Bigmeat Maney, Christopher McCoy, Tara McCoy, Joel Queen, Sean Ross, Jakeli Swimmer, Rhiannon Skye Tafoya, Mary Thompson, Stan Tooni Jr., Alica Wildcatt, and Fred Wilnoty.
Cherokee Nation artists include Roy Boney Jr., Jeff Edwards, Joseph Erb, Raychel Foster, Kenny Glass, Camilla McGinty, Jessica Mehta, America Meredith, Jane Osti, Lisa Rutherford, Janet L. Smith, Jennifer Thiessen, and Jennie Wilson.
About the Museum of the Cherokee Indian
Established in 1948, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian is one of the longest operating tribal museums. Recognized for its innovative storytelling, the Museum features exhibits, artwork, and hands-on technology that brings over 15,000 years of Cherokee history to life. Located in Cherokee, NC, the Museum is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Learn more by visiting
mci.org.
Cook teams of 4-6 individuals are invited to bring ingredients and prepare meals onsite or bring meals that have been prepared elsewhere. To meet our dietary standards, we ask that each meal provides a meat, vegetable and starch.
Requirements:
Health & Safety:
ABCCM Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing and will provide emergency shelter beds, post Covid-19. Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success including stabilization, life skills, education and reintegration. We are honored to report that 8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.
Transformation Village gives hope, healing, health and a home to single women, mothers with children, and female Veterans experiencing homelessness. We provide residents a fresh start and a place to heal surrounded and supported by Christian love, trust, education and companionship.
We are seeking energetic volunteers to prepare and serve meals for our residents for lunch and dinner. This opportunity provides you with the chance to prepare meals in our commercial kitchen alongside our trained staff while serving the women and children of Transformation Village.
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| Robert Rauschenberg, John from the Ruminations series, 1999, photogravure on paper, edition 3/46, publisher: Universal Limited Art Editions, Bay Shore, NY, 29 ½ × 38 7/8 inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation / VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. |
Ruminations on Memory contends with the act of remembrance and reflection, featuring a rare presentation of all nine prints from Robert Rauschenberg’s Ruminations portfolio, Judy Chicago’s Retrospective in a Box portfolio, and selections from the Museum’s Collection. Organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator, this exhibition will be on view in Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall at the Museum from November 19, 2021 through March 14, 2022 in conjunction with A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art.
Artworks are vessels for processing, recalling, and reflecting on the past. Artists often draw upon materials from their own pasts and grasp at fleeting moments in time in the creation of an object. For the viewer, observation of an artwork can draw out personal memories.
Artworks in a variety of media explore various ways of remembering, including individual memories that focus on the moments from an artist’s past; generational memory that looks back to one’s ancestors, whether recent or long past; and collective memory, wherein in an image might evoke bygone times that balance between constructed and real. Through these artworks that ruminate upon the past, viewers may discover the stirrings of their own thoughts and recollections prompted by the works before them.
Ruminations on Memory offers a unique opportunity to experience the entirety of a major print portfolio by American painter Robert Rauschenberg (Port Arthur, TX 1925–2008 Captiva, FL). Rauschenberg was a student at Black Mountain College in NC for the 1948–1949 and 1951–1952 academic sessions and for the 1951 and 1952 summers. His Ruminations series consists of nine color photogravures which were printed in 1999 and reflect on Rauschenberg’s early life, his friends and family, and the memories he held dear. The series represents especially significant mature work by Rauschenberg that looks back to his most formative moments as an artist including his time at Black Mountain College and the friendships and ideas formed there.
Also presented in the exhibition is an important series of prints by Judy Chicago (born Chicago, IL 1939). Five decades into her career, Chicago stands as one of the foremost artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, having committed to socially minded work, uplifting in particular experiences salient to her feminine and Jewish identities. Retrospective in a Box consists of seven prints and a portfolio created in collaboration with the master printers at Landfall Press, and provides an overview of her major motifs and ideas, including the print Spring the Dinner, a nod to her seminal 1979 work The Dinner Party.
In addition to the artworks from the Museum’s Collection, visitors will be able to experience Felix Gonzales-Torres’s “Untitled” (L.A.), on loan from the Art Bridges collection. “Untitled” (L.A.) is one of the artist’s iconic interactive candy installations where memories are engaged not only through sight but through sound, touch, taste, and smell as well.
Learn more about Ruminations on Memory and A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art at ashevilleart.org.
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It’s the Year of the Tree in North Carolina State Parks, and we are encouraging guests to celebrate trees all year long! Start off in the winter months while branches are bare and capture some unique tree shapes or the beauty of frosty evergreens. You may win a prize for your efforts!
GREAT PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO 3 WINNING ENTRIES
1st Prize: The winning photo will be our Facebook cover photo for two weeks, and the photographer will receive two annual passes to Chimney Rock State Park, two boat tour tickets from Lake Lure Tours, and dinner for two at the Old Rock Café.
2nd Prize: After the first place photo, the second place photo will be our Facebook cover photo for one week. The photographer will receive two annual passes to Chimney Rock State Park and dinner for two at the Old Rock Café.
3rd Prize: The third place photographer will receive two adult day passes (or one family pack of day passes) to Chimney Rock State Park and dinner for two at the Old Rock Café.
CONTEST RULES:
Winners will be notified personally and announced on Chimney Rock’s social media. For more information, call 1-828-625-9611, ext. 1812 or email us at [email protected].
Bounty & Soul is a community-based non-profit with a mission to connect people to food, education and each other.
Like to get creative and crafty? Enjoy preparing fun educational games for children? We invite you to be a part of this small, sweet, and intentional shift that directly supports our Kids Programming. We are looking to have 1-2 folks join us Mondays from 1:30-3:30pm at the Bounty & Soul office. We’re talking bubbles, meditation pin wheels, produce fortune tellers, mini-cook books, exercise games and more!
Requirements:
Health/Safety:
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 2:45-6pm
K-6th graders.
Does your child enjoy having fun and making new friends? Offering
arts, crafts, special events, homework assistance and more!
Families currently enrolled in the school system’s reduced or free
meal program, please contact your recreation center for discount
fee information.
Locations: Burton, Grant, Montford, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee
Montford Pre-Teen Afterschool Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021 – June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
5th-6th graders.
New program designed to meet the needs of your pre-teen.
Providing time dedicated to school assignments, life skills, arts,
communication, leadership, fitness, nutrition, and loads of fun.
Location: Montford
Teen Leadership Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
6th-9th graders.
Looking for a cool and enriching alternative for your Teen to attend
this school year? We offer creative activities, diverse projects,
field trips, and more.
Locations: Grant, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee
Literacy Together (formerly the Literacy Council of Buncombe County) is a nonprofit organization working with children, youth, and adults to increase comprehensive literacy and English language skills through access to literacy resources and specialized instruction by trained volunteer tutors. Literacy Together relies on volunteer tutors to offer students personal instruction and high-quality materials through various programs.
The Youth Literacy Program is seeking tutors to meet with students K-5 twice a week for 50 minutes, between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. The Youth Literacy Program works with two after-school programs that primarily serve youth of color. The two locations are in Asheville.
Youth Literacy tutors work with children from low-income families who read, write, and/or spell below their grade level. Tutors in this program complete an initial orientation and a 16-20 hours training, which includes some pre-course work and/or homework (short articles to read, short videos to watch). They then receive follow-up support and the option to attend in-service training throughout their tutoring commitment. Youth Literacy tutors commit to working with their students for at least one school year.
Time Commitment:
Requirements:
Training:
Dive into the world of Broadway in this high-energy, low-pressure class exploring the plot, characters, music, and dances of a musical! Learn songs from the show, put your best foot forward with fun musical theatre-style choreography, and explore scene work in this process-based class that builds theatre skills and a sense of ensemble. With an emphasis on creative play, improvisation, and theatre technique, young artists will leave this class having tried their hand at all of the key elements of musical theatre. No experience is necessary.
Cook teams of 4-6 individuals are invited to bring ingredients and prepare meals onsite or bring meals that have been prepared elsewhere. To meet our dietary standards, we ask that each meal provides a meat, vegetable and starch.
Requirements:
Health & Safety:
ABCCM Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing and will provide emergency shelter beds, post Covid-19. Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success including stabilization, life skills, education and reintegration. We are honored to report that 8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.
Transformation Village gives hope, healing, health and a home to single women, mothers with children, and female Veterans experiencing homelessness. We provide residents a fresh start and a place to heal surrounded and supported by Christian love, trust, education and companionship.
We are seeking energetic volunteers to prepare and serve meals for our residents for lunch and dinner. This opportunity provides you with the chance to prepare meals in our commercial kitchen alongside our trained staff while serving the women and children of Transformation Village.
**All Ages**
Rehearsals: Mondays & Wednesdays, 5:30pm – 7:00pm (classes begin in February)
Show: June 3-5, 2022
J.M. Berrie’s seminal play that brought us the boy that would never grow up!
It tells the story of Wendy, John and Michael Darling’s adventures in Neverland with the inimitable Peter Pan, “the boy who would not grow up.” In Neverland, the Darlings are introduced to the Lost Boys, Peter’s jealous fairy friend Tinker Bell, the infamous pirate Captain Hook, and the crocodile who swallowed Hook’s hand.
Taught by Tom Chalmers
Ages 18+
Feb 7-Mar 14, 2022 | Mondays at 6:30-8:30 PM
This class will be offered in person on the ACT Mainstage, following all the recommended protocols for safety and sanitation. Limited to 8 students. In person classes are 50 minutes with an added 10 minutes for temperature checks. For ages 18+.
This course covers the fundamentals of improvisational acting with an emphasis on comedy; such as listening, commitment, intuitive reaction, as well as recognizing and capitalizing on emerging patterns. Final showcase to be held on Friday, March 18th. Tuition will be $180.00 – payment plans and scholarships will both be available.
vs. 
TV: BALLY SPORTS SOUTHEAST – RADIO: CHARLOTTEWFNZ 610 AM/102.5 FM
Join us every Monday night for Singo (Musical Bingo)!
Singo will run from 7-8:15 pm.
No reservations needed, just get ready for a good time and a chance to win some Down Dog prizes!
UNC Asheville’s Department of English welcomes guest author and essayist Dinty W. More to the Ingles Mountain View Room in Highsmith Union for a reading and talk as part of their spring Visiting Writers Series.
Dinty W. Moore was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, and spent his formative years fishing for bluegill, riding a bike with a banana seat, and dodging the Sisters of St. Joseph. He earned a BA in writing from the University of Pittsburgh, worked briefly as a journalist, and also served short stints as a documentary filmmaker, modern dance performer, zookeeper, and Greenwich Village waiter. It was only after failing at each of these professions that he went on to earn an MFA in fiction writing from Louisiana State University.
A National Endowment for the Arts fellowship recipient, Moore is author of the memoirs Between Panic And Desire, and To Hell With It, the writing guides The Story Cure, Crafting the Personal Essay, and The Mindful Writer, among other books. He has published essays and stories in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, The Southern Review, The Georgia Review, Kenyon Review, Creative Nonfiction, and elsewhere. He is founding editor of Brevity, the journal of flash nonfiction, and teaches master classes and workshops across the United States as well as in Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, and Mexico. He is deathly afraid of polar bears.
This is the first of three events in the 2022 Spring Visiting Writers Series presented by the UNC Asheville English Department. Additional events include a reading and talk from Diné writer of fiction and non-fiction Natanya Ann Pulley on March 17 and a reading and talk from bestselling author Nadia Owusu on March 29.
Additional information may be found at english.unca.edu/engage/visiting-writers-series/
Community Expectations
As members of this community, we care about everyone. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors have a shared commitment to take the necessary precautions to avoid spreading COVID-19 while following all recommended health guidelines. Please see UNC Asheville’s Community Expectations. Masks are required of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.
Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.
Derived from an entirely different set of films, from the Wizard of Oz to Mary Poppins to Interstellar to Game of Thrones. An entertaining and enlightening review of all the science that our favorite movies got wrong, combined with some of the stuff they got right. Incorporates the latest films as well as some classics that you may not have known had any science in them at all.
Apply by 2/14 | $500-2,500 grants for arts-based community projects. Priority will be given to projects based in low-income neighborhoods, Title 1 public schools, and communities in need.
Asheville Gallery of Art’s February show, “Time for Renewal” will feature works by three new gallery members: Kathy Goodson, Margie Kluska, and Johnnie Stanfield. The show will run February 1-28 during gallery hours, 11am-6pm. An event to meet the artists will be held at the gallery on First Friday, February 4, from 5-8pm at 82 Patton Avenue.
This show represents a seasonal reset. What is to come will be better. We have had our time to pause, and now it is time to refresh. For the earth, this is Spring, a time for new growth. In February, the light begins to change, and shadows shift. Underlying it all is the promise of our renewal.
Kathy Goodson
Color is one of Kathy’s visual languages. She captures the drama of her botanical flowers and leaves so they appear to leap off the painting…a visual feast in silk and dye or encaustic. The thrill of creating something unexpected is an elixir to her, with reds and fuchsia being her favorites. When creating an abstract, she begins by thinking about color, then a story begins to grow, which leads to a visual symbol or image, loaded with meaning related to the story. All of this happens before she puts the first brush stroke on the silk or
the wood. Her process is interactive, and she lets the painting create, then lead her.
“Color captivates me especially when winter begins to change into spring. The Lenten Rose is the first to emerge in late winter, with subtle and muted colors…unlike the later flowers of spring and summer.”
Margie Kluska
Margie has been drawing since she was a child. She enjoys studying the works of the classical artists and Hudson River School painters, and she has only recently taken up oil painting. Her inspiration is taken from nature, landscapes, wildlife, and flora. Living surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains has inspired her to paint views that take one’s breath away. Distant mountain ranges, glorious sunsets, soaring hawks, and ever-changing weather patterns offer her extensive references which she captures on canvas. Her style, “loose realism”, captures the reality of each scene with a slight bent towards Impressionism.
“Light affects our moods. Whether it’s a sunrise, sunset, or storm clouds parting to expose a blue sky, our moods are instantly transformed.”
Johnnie Stanfield
An award-winning artist, Johnnie is known for her colorful, vivid watercolor and acrylic paintings of horses, fishing lure studies, and local landscapes. She is inspired by the emotion created when she sees an object or something in nature that recalls a past memory. She is then compelled to paint it, to convey and share that feeling with the viewer. Johnnie will paint a subject in watercolor to give it a softer feel so the viewer can devote their own emotion to the painting or add to the emotion she has created. If it is detailed, she will usually use acrylic or oil. Her paintings hang in private collections throughout the Southeast.
”Sheltering in Place” was inspired by my cat, during the shelter in place mandate in Spring, 2020. Like all of us, we waited for the sunshine, to renew our spirit and celebrate its warmth, while wondering when we could go back out into the world and resume our life as usual.”
For further information about this show, please contact the Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the gallery’s website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery’s Facebook page.
MANNA FoodBank is grateful to partner with Asheville Outlets for this important virtual food drive!
Since 1983, MANNA has and continues to serve communities across 16 counties of Western North Carolina through a network of hundreds of dedicated partners, providing food with hope and dignity to people experiencing hunger in our 6,434 square mile region. MANNA is an accredited member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization.
To learn more about MANNA’s work and programs, visit mannafoodbank.org.
We’re looking for a team of dedicated volunteers to commit to monthly service days at the site of the future Karen Cragnolin Park. Volunteers will work outside at a safe social distance to remove invasive species. We will be working in groups of 15 or less and wearing masks to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
If you are interested in helping please fill out this survey (link below) so we can determine the best day and time to offer this monthly day of service.
Karen Cragnolin Park Update: We are delighted to report that the remediation of Karen Cragnolin Park (KCP) – named in honor of our visionary founder – is complete, and that we are initiating the first phase of the project by constructing the park’s greenway and an accompanying landscaped corridor. This will activate and connect the park (to the two adjacent greenways) and continue the journey of bringing the park fully online. Our goal with this phase is to create a beautiful aesthetic corridor with carefully selected plantings and design elements accompanied by educational, cultural and historical signage for people to experience as they move through the park. This phase is projected to cost approximately $1 million and will be achieved through individual donors and institutional and grant funding. Construction will begin when funding commitments are secured. To learn more about supporting our efforts please contact me at [email protected].
As background, the 5.3 acre site was formerly home to the EDACO junkyard for over 50 years. Located adjacent to the French Broad River and bounded by Amboy Road, the car crushing operation contaminated the land and water with oil, gas, grease and antifreeze. RiverLink worked with experts to implement an extensive soil remediation process to restore the land.
Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architecture’s vision for KCP is bold and transformative. Upon full completion, KCP will serve as one of the missing links in the larger open space and greenway system, connecting Carrier Park to French Broad River Park. KCP will offer a contemplative and rejuvenating space that honors the natural and cultural history of the site while providing access to the water’s edge. The park will also stabilize riparian edges, collect and slow stormwater, and promote a wide range of habitats. The completed project will embrace the concept of a “living laboratory” – an outdoor classroom that makes the dynamic riparian and ecological processes visible. An educational, stimulating, and enjoyable park experience will cultivate a community invested in the long-term stewardship of the river and the park system for generations to come. Please see our website for the Master Plan and complete vision.
Buy one of these murals for yourself or to donate to a local organization (make sure you check with them first), and keep the good work going! All proceeds from this auction will be split evenly between The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County’s COPE Program and the Asheville Area Arts Council’s Arts Build Community Grant. Auction ends February 28.
Following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN, on May 25, 2020, protests broke out across the nation. Floyd was killed after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. In response, hundreds of protestors gathered in downtown Asheville from May 29- June 6, 2020, with cries for justice and change.
During this time, Lowe’s Home Improvement generously donated plywood for downtown business owners to cover their storefronts while Asheville had its own reckoning. Business owners and artists seized this opportunity to lend their support for needed changes by painting murals on the plywood covering downtown businesses. Local muralists Gus Cutty, Kathryn Crawford, and Dustin Spagnola were the driving force behind this initiative.
When it came time for the murals to come down, local artists Evar Hecht and Ben Nelson had the foresight to collect and temporarily store these works, gathering over 150 pieces of plywood. The Asheville Area Arts Council, with the help of Dogwood Health Trust, then stepped in to move the murals to a secure, climate-controlled storage facility and worked with Aisha Adams of Equity Over Everything to determine next steps.
After several COVID setbacks, the arts council is proud to have partnered with the Martin Luther King Jr Association of Asheville and Buncombe County to present this virtual exhibition, auction and speaker series. It is our hope that the proceeds from the auction will support continued change and healing in our community.
Thank you to Dogwood Health Trust for generously providing the funding to make this project possible, and to the artists and business owners for donating their time and energy to capture this moment in our history.
A video about the exhibition is featured as part of the 41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration.
In February, we honor and recognize Black Legacy Month at Buncombe County Public Libraries. We will be celebrating throughout February through several online events, staff-curated booklists, and a collection of online resources and exhibits.
Virtual book clubs will discuss On Girlhood by Glory Edim and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. You can register for either book club on the library calendar.
When you visit your library, look for special Black Legacy Month displays and book selections.
Below, you will find our Librarians’ reading list highlighting Black authors that include selections for all ages.
We look forward to seeing you at the library!
Black Legacy Month Reading List
Books for Families to Share
My Heart Flies Open by Omileye Achikeobi-Lewis
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
The Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist
Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham
This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges
Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes
Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Hubbard
Recognize! An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life Edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson
Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons
My Hair Is Magic by M.L. Marroquin
M is for Melanin by Tiffany Rose
Exquisite: the Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Buckingham Slade
Nina: a Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd
Dream Street by Tricia Elam Walker
Chapter Books For Older Kids
Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist
Blended by Sharon Draper
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
New Kid by Jerry Craft
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia
Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Books for Teens
The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
March by John Lewis and Andrew Ayden
Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panther’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon
Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Powell
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi
Books for Adults
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet
The Yellow House by Sarah Broom
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
You Are Your Best Thing edited by Tarana Burke
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Soul City: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia by Thomas Healy
All About Love by bell hooks
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
400 Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Disha Philyaw
How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has extended the countywide face covering requirement for all indoor public spaces through Feb. 16, 2022. The indoor mask requirement also extends to Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Town of Montreat, Weaverville, and Woodfin.
In Buncombe County, COVID-19 case rates continue to be high, and per the CDC definition, the County remains an area of high transmission. The percent positivity remains in the moderate category, and the death rate remains in the substantial category.
The Omicron surge has been rapid in its climb and intense in the burden of cases. About 12,700 new cases were added to our total number of cases in the last month, averaging out to around 410 cases per day and almost 3,000 cases per week. With this recent surge, Buncombe County has now reached 46,000 total cases of COVID-19 identified since March 2020. However, we are beginning to see a decline in new cases and percent positivity. As of yesterday, we have seen the case rate decrease from 907 new cases to 875 new cases per 100,000. This decline appears to be continuing today. Additionally, the percent positivity has declined for the first time since mid-December. For the last week or so, we have been experiencing percent positivity well over 25% and now, we find the percent positivity at around 24%.
Western North Carolina regional hospital data shows continued increase in inpatient beds occupied with COVID-19 and a steady increase in ICU utilization. For the Mission Hospital system, inpatient beds with COVID-19 have experienced a high stabilization. Sadly, 13 new deaths have been reported for the dashboard and this brings our death rate from 4.2 deaths per 100,000 per week to 5 deaths per 100,000 in this last week. There have been a total of 488 COVID-19 related deaths in Buncombe County.
Public health officials are hopeful that these trends will show a more prominent decline. Stacie Saunders, Buncombe County Public Health Director says, “We expect cases to continue to decrease, it is likely that the hospitalizations and deaths may also begin to see a decrease in the next several days to weeks. That being said, we are clearly still a community with high transmission and it’s important to continue to take the basic steps to protect yourself with the tools that we have to fight COVID-19.”
Over the last few weeks, Public Health and Emergency Management have been working to obtain and allocate at-home test kits to the community to create a temporary bridge for the community to access at-home testing while testing demand was high. Through parallel paths of distribution dedicated to equity and general population distribution, 34 unique organizations were allocated about 5,100 test kits and 15,000 masks, and 18 fixed sites distributed over 6,600 test kits and 12,000 masks.
If you are having symptoms consistent with COVID-19, stay home and contact your provider or visit a testing provider to get tested. Many community partners are providing testing, and home kit options are available. These locations and resources are listed at ncdhhs.gov/GetTested.
Our county saw slower uptake of vaccines with holidays and winter breaks from school. At this point, 72% of the eligible population has received at least one dose and 69% of our eligible population has received their full primary series. Over 94,000 individuals have received their 3rd or booster dose, which is about 55% of the of the fully vaccinated eligible population. Vaccination is encouraged for those who still need it and it is not too late. Saunders says, “With the holiday behind us and still high transmission, now is a good time to start your series if you haven’t or to give your new year a boost.”
Buncombe County Health and Human Services will partner with Buncombe County Schools to host school-based vaccination clinics. All vaccines will be available and are free. Please check www.buncombeready.org for confirmation of these events as the weather forecast in the coming weeks may necessitate rescheduling clinics. This Saturday, the vaccination clinic will be located at TC Roberson High School on February 5, 2022 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Vaccination Clinic at 40 Coxe Avenue is in operation Tuesday – Friday from 9 am – 4 pm. You can also visit www.yourspotyourshot.nc.gov for a vaccine provider near you.
