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.
Historians estimate that skilled Black artisans outnumbered their white counterparts in the antebellum South by a margin of five to one. However, despite their presence and prevalence in all corners of the pre-industrial trade and craft fields, the stories of these skilled workers go largely unacknowledged.
Borrowing its title from a Black culture and politics magazine of the same name, Hammer and Hope celebrates the life and labor of Black chairmakers in early America. Featuring the work of two contemporary furniture makers – Robell Awake and Charlie Ryland – the pieces in this exhibition are based on the artists’ research into ladderback chairs created by the Poynors, a multigenerational family of free and enslaved craftspeople working in central Tennessee between the early nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Through the objects featured in Hammer and Hope, Awake and Ryland explore, reinterpret, and reimagine what the field of furniture-making today would look like had the history and legacy of the Poynors – and countless others that have been subject to a similar pattern of erasure – been celebrated rather than hidden. Hammer and Hope represents Awake and Ryland’s attempts, in their own words, “at fighting erasure by making objects that engage with these long-suppressed stories.”
Robell Awake and Charlie Ryland are recipients of the Center for Craft’s 2022 Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship. This substantial mid-career grant is awarded to two artists to support research projects that advance, expand, and support the creation of new research and knowledge through craft practice.
Start 2024 with a clean slate! Haul out your half-done quilts and barely-started cross-stitch samplers. We’re swapping UFOs (Unfinished Objects) at the Weaverville Library this January. Bring unfinished craft projects or craft supplies to the Weaverville Library to trade or donate. Declutter or refresh your material stash with fellow crafters. The swap is free for everyone and available anytime during Library hours from Dec.30-Jan. 13.
HOURS:
Tuesday
10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Thursday
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Preservers, Innovators, and Rescuers of Culture in Chiapas features eleven textiles by acclaimed Indigenous artisanas (artists) from Chiapas, Mexico commissioned by US-based fiber artists and activist Aram Han Sifuentes. As part of their 2022 Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship, Han Sifuentes traveled to Chiapas to understand the function of garments and textiles within the social and cultural context of the area and to learn the traditional practice of backstrap weaving. Through the works on view, combined with a series of interviews Han Sifuentes conducted during her research, visitors learn about the artisanas and their role as preservers, rescuers, and innovators of culture and as protectors of Mayan ancestral knowledge. Together, these works present an approach to connecting and learning about culture through craft practices.
Han Sifuentes is interested in backstrap weaving because it is one of the oldest forms used across cultures. The vibrant hues and elaborate designs of each textile express the artisanas identities and medium to tell their stories. To understand how these values manifested in textiles made in Chiapas, Han Sifuentes invited the artisanas to create whatever weaving they desired over the course of three months. This is unique because most textiles in the area are created to meet tourist-driven and marketplace demands. Incorporating traditional backstrap weaving and natural dye techniques, some artisans created textiles to rescue or reintroduce weaving practices that are almost or completely lost in their communities, while others were created through material and conceptual experimentation. This range of approaches reflects how artistanas are constantly innovating while at the same time honoring and keeping to tradition.
Preservers, Innovators, and Rescuers of Culture in Chiapas is on view from November 17, 2023 to July 13, 2024.
Aram Han Sifuentes is a recipient of the Center for Craft’s 2022 Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship. This substantial mid-career grant is awarded to two artists to support research projects that advance, expand, and support the creation of new research and knowledge through craft practice.
The featured artisanas include: Juana Victoria Hernandez Gomez from San Juan Cancuc, Maria Josefina Gómez Sanchez and Maria de Jesus Gómez Sanchez from Oxchujk (Oxchuc), Marcela Gómez Diaz and Cecilia Gómez Diaz from San Andrés Larráinzar, Rosa Margarita Enríquez Bolóm from Huixtán, Cristina García Pérez from Chalchihuitán, Susana Maria Gómez Gonzalez, Maria Gonzalez Guillén, and Anastacia Juana Gómez Gonzalez from Zinacantán, Angelica Leticia Gómez Santiz from Pantelhó, and Susana Guadalupe Méndez Santiz from Aldama
Every Wednesday morning, we open up the children’s activity room to give kids time for free play with puppets. Children must be under the supervision or a parent or guardian.
Every Wednesday morning, we open up the children’s activity room to give kids time for free play with puppets. Children must be under the supervision or a parent or guardian.
Guests visiting the WNC Nature Center this spring and summer have seen many new animals! Over the past six months, 19 animals representing seven species have been born or brought to the Nature Center.
Come and See


In late April, the WNC Nature Center announced the birth of a large litter of critically endangered red wolf puppies. Six females (Babs, Bonnie, Ruby, Rufina, Sienna, and Toto)and one male (Tony) have grown up in front of guests and visitors and are now almost indistinguishable in size from their parents, Gloria and Oak. The WNC Nature Center anticipates that the red wolf pups will remain in Asheville for the next two years.
On the heels of the red wolf births came two coyote pups, Cal and Walker. They were also born in April and came to the Nature Center in late July from Izzie’s Pond Sanctuary in South Carolina. While Cal and Walker are not biological brothers, they were introduced to each other at a very young age, so they have bonded and will be companions. These coyotes are incredibly shy and are usually spotted by guests behind their open den shelter.

Quickly becoming a guest-favorite, bobcat kitten Tufts joined the Nature Center in early August. He came from the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Banner Elk, North Carolina, and was named after Edgar Tufts, the founder of Lees-McRae College. The latest bobcat addition was Kohana in late November, a female bobcat who was found in the wild by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, she was born around the same time as Tufts, and the two will
be non-breeding companions.

Raccoons Grace and Frankie came to the WNC Nature Center in late September from Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. These kits have acclimated quickly with their curious behaviors and tactile foraging skills.

In our Care
To say the least, animal keepers and the veterinary care team at the WNC Nature Center have been busy keeping up with vaccines and immunizations, introducing the animals to their new habitats, and encouraging behaviors that will help with their care as they grow into adulthood.
“When you visit and see our animals, it’s important to understand why they are here with us,” says Erin Oldread. Animal Curator at the Nature Center. “Sometimes they were born under human care, like our red wolves. Other animals were permanently injured in the wild and need ongoing veterinary care. In the case of our new coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons, they were found to be unreleasable by the sanctuaries who received them. Oftentimes when you are rehabilitating a very young animal and feeding them from a bottle, they very quickly become dependent on and overly comfortable around humans. It can be harmful to them and humans if they were released back into the wild, so the WNC Nature Center is happy to give them a home.”
In the case of WNC Nature Center’s last collection of baby animals, sometimes the Center serves as a holding ground as animals develop and prepare to be released back into the wild. Appalachian Station, the Nature Center’s indoor exhibit for reptiles and amphibians, is currently housing two baby box turtles and two baby snapping turtles, all four of which are overwintering and will be released in spring 2024.

Also joining the WNC Nature Center this year are adult animals, Suli the Black Vulture and Morticia the Turkey Vulture. Suli was born in the wild but came under human care after a wing injury. She came to the Nature Center in late March from the NC Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shores. Morticia arrived from Hershey Park Zoo/Zoo America in October and joined the habitat next to Buzz, the longest living resident at the Nature Center at 33 years, in December.
Great time for a visit
Typically, the WNC Nature Center sees less crowds as Asheville enters the colder weather seasons. However, the animals who call the Nature Center home are generally more active during this time of year, and visitors can enjoy watching all the new additions encounter their first winter in Western North Carolina.
Check out the WNC Nature Center’s holiday gift guide at wildwnc.org/gift-guide to see all the ways you can support the animals who call the Nature Center home, including symbolic adoptions and purchasing items from the Animal Wishlist and Holiday Giving Tree.
About the Friends
The Friends of the WNC Nature Center are a vital partner with the WNC Nature Center. With their donors and members, the Friends enrich the Nature Center’s mission to connect people with the plants and animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. As a conservation organization, the Friends inspires a passion to know more, care more, and do more for the wildlife of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. They advance the critical work of the WNC Nature Center by supporting its growth and development through fundraising, membership, outreach education, marketing, and volunteer services.
About the WNC Nature Center
The Nature Center connects people of all ages with the plants and animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Asheville’s wildlife park is located on 42 acres and is home to more than 60 species of animals, including red pandas, river otters, black bears, red and gray wolves, and bobcats. For more information, please visit www.wildwnc.org.
Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.
Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.
Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.
And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!
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An interactive story time for the whole family featuring books, rhymes, and songs in Spanish and English. These early literacy programs for kids and their caregivers are designed to develop a joy for learning through books, songs, and activities. Ms. Kate will host story time in the community room at the library. This will not be a ticketed event. |
The Pack Library Book Club is a book discussion group that meets the second Wednesday of each month at 10:30AM at the library. We read and discuss a variety of book genres. The book for January 2024 is “Solito” by Javier Zamora.
Newcomers are always welcome! If you have any questions about book club, you can email [email protected] .
The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition American Art in the Atomic Age: 1940–1960, which explores the groundbreaking contributions of artists who worked at the experimental printmaking studio Atelier 17 in the wake of World War II. Co-curated by Marilyn Laufer and Tom Butler, American Art in the Atomic Age which draws from the holdings of Dolan/Maxwell, the Asheville Art Museum Collection, and private collections will be on view from November 10, 2023–April 29, 2024.
Atelier 17 operated in New York for fifteen years, between 1940 and 1955. The studio’s founder, Stanley William Hayter (1901–1988) established the workshop in Paris but relocated to New York just as the Nazi occupation of Paris began in 1940. Hayter’s new studio attracted European emigrants like André Masson, Yves Tanguy, and Joan Miró, as well as American artists like Dorothy Dehner, Judith Rothschild, and Karl Schrag, allowing for an exchange of artistic ideas and processes between European and American artists.
The Asheville Art Museum will present over 100 works that exemplify the cross-cultural exchange and profound social and political impact of Atelier 17 on American art. Prints made at Atelier 17—including those by Stanley William Hayter, Louise Nevelson, and Perle Fine—will be in conversation with works by European Surrealists who were working at the studio in the 1940s and 1950s. The exhibition will also feature a selection of domestic mid-century objects that exemplify how the ideas and aesthetics of post-war abstraction became a part of everyday life.
Throughout the history of painting from the mid-19th century forward, artists have used an
endless variety of approaches to record their world. Beyond the Lens: Photorealist Perspectives on Looking, Seeing, and Painting continues this thread, offering an opportunity to explore a singular and still forceful aspect of American art. Photorealism shares many of the approaches of historical and modernist realism, with a twist. The use of the camera as a basic tool for organizing visual information in advance of painterly expression is now quite common, but Photorealists embraced the camera as the focal point in their creative process.
Beyond the Lens presents key works from the collection of Louis K. and Susan Pear Meisel,
bringing together paintings and works on paper dating from the 1970s to the present to focus on this profoundly influential art movement. The exhibition includes work by highly acclaimed formative artists of the movement such as Charles Bell, Robert Bechtle, Tom Blackwell, Richard Estes, Audrey Flack, and Ralph Goings as well as paintings by the successive generations of Photorealist artists Anthony Brunelli, Davis Cone, Bertrand Meniel, Rod Penner, and Raphaella Spence. Featured artworks in the exhibition include diverse subject matters, but the primary focus is on the common and every day: urban scenes, “portraits” of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, still life compositions using toys, food, candy wrappers, and salt and pepper shakers. All provide opportunities for virtuoso studies in how light, reflection, and the camera as intermediary shapes our perception of the material world.
This multigenerational survey demonstrates how the 35-mm camera, and later technological
advances in digital image-making, informed and impacted the painterly gesture. Taken together, the paintings and works on paper in Beyond the Lens show how simply spellbinding these virtuosic works of art can be.
“Beyond the Lens offers a fascinating look into the Photorealism movement and delves into the profound connection between the artists’ observation and creative process,” says Pamela L. Myers, Executive Director of Asheville Art Museum. “We are delighted to present this curated collection of artworks encapsulating the creative vision and technical precision that defines this artistic genre.”
Photorealism found its roots in the late 1960s in California and New York, coexisting with an explosion of new ideas in art-making that included Conceptual, Pop, Minimalism, Land and Performance Art. At first, representational realism coexisted with the thematic and conceptual explosion but was eventually relegated to the margins regarding critical and curatorial attention. Often misunderstood and sometimes negatively criticized or lampooned as a betrayal of modernism’s commitment to abstraction, the artists involved in Photorealism remained committed explorers of the trail they had blazed. In the decades of the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century, realistic and symbolic painting experienced a renaissance, as contemporary artists are increasingly drawn to narrative and storytelling. Concurrently, using a camera as a preparatory tool equally legitimate and valuable as pencils and pens has made the rubric of Photorealism increasingly relevant.
This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and guest curated by Terrie Sultan.
This exhibition is sponsored in part by Jim and Julia Calkins Peterson.
Romare Bearden (Charlotte, NC 1911–1988 New York, NY), African American writer and artist, is renowned for his collages. He constantly experimented with various techniques to achieve his artistic goals throughout his career. This exhibition highlights works on paper and explores his most frequently used mediums, including screen-printing, lithography, hand-colored etching, collagraph, monotype, relief print, photomontage, and collage.
Bearden’s work reflects his improvisational approach to his practice. He considered his process akin to that of jazz and blues composers. Starting with an open mind, he would let an idea evolve spontaneously.
“Romare Bearden: Ways of Working highlights Bearden’s unique artistic practice and masterful storytelling through art,” says Pamela L. Myers, Executive Director of the Asheville Art Museum. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Jerald Melberg Gallery to present these extraordinary works on paper in conversation with Bearden’s collage Sunset Express, 1984 in the Museum Collection (on view in the Museum’s SECU Collection Hall). This exhibition will also provide a glimpse into the cultural histories and personal interests that influenced his art-making practice, and we hope it encourages introspection and dialogue with our visitors.”
Jerald Melberg states, “Romare Bearden’s groundbreaking artistic practice continues to captivate audiences worldwide. With an unparalleled legacy of creativity and innovation, Bearden’s contributions to art remain deeply influential years beyond his life.” We have enjoyed organizing this exhibition with the Asheville Art Museum to showcase his artistic genius and inspire visitors from the Western North Carolina region and beyond.”
This exhibition is made possible in part by the Judy Appleton Fund. Many thanks to the Jerald Melberg Gallery for the loan of these important artworks and to Mary and Jerald Melberg for their long-standing support of the arts, artists, and the Asheville Art Museum.
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A fun combination of movement, songs, and stories along with yoga poses and learning breath techniques–good for everyone! This program will be held outside when weather permits; bring your own mat for outside classes. If classes are moved indoors, there is limited space. Questions? Call Swannanoa Library at 828-250-6486 |
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Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art. Several artists of the Studio Glass Movement came to the region, including its founder Harvey K. Littleton. Begun in 1962 in Wisconsin, it was a student of Littleton’s that first came to the area in 1965 and set up a glass studio at the Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina. By 1967, Mark Peiser was the first glass artist resident at the school and taught many notable artists, like Jak Brewer in 1968 and Richard Ritter who came to study in 1971. By 1977, Littleton retired from teaching and moved to nearby Spruce Pine, North Carolina and set up a glass studio at his home. Since that time, glass artists like Ken Carder, Rick and Valerie Beck, Shane Fero, and Yaffa Sikorsky and Jeff Todd—to name only a few—have flocked to the area to reside, collaborate, and teach, making it a significant place for experimentation and education in glass. The next generation of artists like Hayden Wilson and Alex Bernstein continue to create here. The Museum is dedicated to collecting American studio glass and within that umbrella, explores the work of Artists connected to Western North Carolina. Exhibitions, including Intersections of American Art, explore glass art in the context of American Art of the 20th and 21st centuries. A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works from the Museum’s Collection. |
Join us for our Smart Series on Monday Morning Leadership on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, from noon – 1 p.m. in the Chamber’s second floor boardroom.
Most companies lack a solid succession plan for leaders, leading to premature promotions and unprepared managers. Gain a fresh perspective on team leadership for yourself or your supervisors!
Presenter Meredith Campbell, Owner and Chief Joy Facilitator of Express Employment Professionals, will share 8 insights from the book “Monday Morning Leadership” by David Cottrell.
Registration is required. This event is a Chamber membership benefit, but we’re extending an invitation to non-members for $15.
Most companies don’t have a succession plan for managers and leaders when current leaders move out of the workforce or lessen their workloads. As a result, more workers are being promoted into management positions before they are ready or have had management training. This content provides 8 insights to help alleviate this problem by offering basic supervisory and management training to all levels of leaders. This training program is based on the book Monday Morning Leadership by renowned author, speaker and business owner David Cottrell. The book shares the story of a manager struggling to increase his team’s performance. An experienced leadership mentor offers him insights into improving his own management skills, leading to higher team achievements.
During our time, I’ll share, and we’ll discuss these 8 insights. Attendees will walk away with a new viewpoint and approach to team leadership either for themselves or the supervisors they support.
Each insight can be applied on its own or in partnership with the other insights.
- Become a Driver
- Focus on the Main Thing
- Escape from Management Land
- Follow the “Do Right” Rule
- Hire Tough
- Do Less or Work Faster
- Be the Chief Bucket Filler
- Enter the Learning Zone
Meredith Campbell is Owner and Chief Joy Facilitator of Express Employment Professionals in Asheville, NC. She is active in the community and volunteers with local organizations such as the local SHRM chapter, MANNA Food Bank, and Eblen Charities. She is a graduate of Leadership Asheville 33, holds her PHR, and is an active Asheville Chamber of Commerce Member.
Meredith became owner of Express Employment Professionals in January of 2014, and she has been with the Express team since 2007. Since 2007, 2,461 job seekers have found permanent employment in Western North Carolina due to the work of the local Express Employment Professionals team.
Registration is required so we may plan accordingly.
This event is offered as a benefit for Chamber membership. We also believe these are important topics for everyone, so we are opening this event to non-members for $15. We welcome you to come and check us out! Please contact Jessica Kanupp, our Member Development Specialist, at [email protected] if you’re considering a Chamber membership.
Join us for the inaugural meeting of Goodwill’s Youth Advocacy Collective, to bring together youth in our community.
You’re invited to attend the inaugural meeting of Goodwill’s Youth Advocacy Collective.
Why: To bring together youth and young adult service providers for networking, collaboration, education, and sharing of best practices.
Who: You! Invite any peers who you think should be involved.
Our first meeting will include an overview of the group’s mission and Goodwill’s services. A catered lunch will be provided.
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Join a one-hour Getting Started with Libby ONLINE webinar, and learn Libby with the Experts! From downloading the app & signing in, to searching & borrowing titles, placing holds, adjusting reading settings, and more, our Libby experts are here to get you started. The session will close with a mini-quiz and live Q&A. Want to learn Libby, but can’t attend one of our monthly sessions live? Sessions will be recorded and emailed to everyone registered 24 hours after the webinar. Please register to receive the recording. To register go to this link: If you don’t have the Libby app downloaded on your device already, you can download the Libby app on most iOS and Android devices. Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play store and search for Libby. Your result should be Libby, by OverDrive, and the app is FREE! You can also use Libby in your web browser by going to libbyapp.com. Webinar is set in Eastern Time. If you would like to show the time in your zone, click on “Time shows in Eastern Time (US and Canada)” and choose your time zone. |
Sing with our Choir at a progressive church
Come join us! Contact Mark Acker for more information ([email protected]).
Rehearsals on Wednesday’s, 3:30-4:45
This is a great opportunity for community-based organizations to glean more in-depth information about Buncombe County’s nine Community Investment Grant programs, as well as the Open Space Bond and Affordable Housing Bond RFPs. This event is meant for community-based organizations and not for private businesses or individuals seeking grants.
Read more to see if the following opportunities might be right for your organization. Explore www.buncombecounty.org/grants for more in-depth information about these grant opportunities.
Affordable Housing Services Program
Affordable Housing funding is intended to ensure comprehensive opportunities for affordable and safe housing as a foundation for healthy and thriving families and neighborhoods. Goals include: increasing the supply of Affordable Housing for rent; Increasing the supply of Affordable Housing for homeownership, especially for BIPOC households; Preserving the supply of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH); Supporting activities that achieve functional zero homelessness; Supporting activities that encourage the use of all vouchers. Applications open Dec. 11, with an application deadline of January 26, 2024. Click here for more details.
Aging Services Funding
The Aging Services grants are made in alignment with the Buncombe County’s Age-Friendly Action Plan, which reflects the vision of an age-friendly community where older adults are safe, well, and engaged. While the 2024 Action Plan is under development the committee will continue to review applications in connection to the 2018-2023 Action Plan goals which are to: prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults; prevent financial fraud and scams; improve health and wellbeing among older adults; improve and support financial wellbeing among older adults; improve and support caregiver wellbeing; increase older adults’ access to transportation; improve older adults’ access to services and supports; and increase age-friendly capability of Buncombe County. Funding includes State/Federal Home and Community Care Block Grant as well as local County dollars. Applications open Jan. 16, 2024 with an application deadline of Feb. 23, 2024.
Clean Water Fund
The Clean Water Fund provides funding to nonprofit and government organizations working to improve water quality in Buncombe County. This fund supports Buncombe County’s strategic plan vision of “high quality air, water, farmland and renewable energy for future generations.” Funding is available for new construction, repair, restoration, plantings, etc. Construction drawings and engineering studies are eligible for funding; however, shovel ready projects are preferred. The application deadline is January 29, 2024.
Community Recreation Grants
The purpose of the Buncombe County Parks and Recreation Grants Program is to provide funding to qualified organizations within Buncombe County interested in partnering to carry out our mission through the promotion of recreational fitness, health and wellness initiatives as well as community-based activities and capital improvements that increase recreational opportunities for the communities served. Grant awards will build momentum for long-term change in the community in alignment with the Buncombe 2025 plan. Applications open Feb. 5, 2024 with an application deadline March 29, 2024.
Early Childhood Fund
The overall goal of the fund is to ensure that every child in Buncombe County has an equal opportunity to thrive during their first 2,000 days including access to quality early childhood education. Funding is earmarked to support early care and education for children birth through kindergarten, including infants/toddlers, preschoolers, and pre-kindergarteners. Funding will be allocated for projects working toward increasing slots for enrollment, increasing quality, developing/diversifying the early childhood workforce, supporting families, and enhancing the effectiveness of the overall system of early care and education. Applications open Dec. 18, with an application deadline of Feb. 9, 2024.
Juvenile Crime Prevention Program
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Division of Juvenile Justice partners with Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils in each county to galvanize community leaders, locally and statewide, to reduce and prevent youth involvement with the juvenile justice system. The intent is to provide community-based alternatives to youth development centers and to provide community-based programming, treatment, counseling or rehabilitation services for youth involved in, or at risk of becoming involved with the juvenile justice system. Applications open January 2024 (exact dates TBD).
Strategic Partnership Grants
Strategic Partnership Grants fund nonprofit organizations with programs that promote a healthy, safe, well-educated, and thriving community with a sustainable quality of life. Funded projects must align with Buncombe 2025 Strategic Plan focus areas: Educated & Capable Community; Environmental & Energy Stewardship; Resident Well-Being; and a Vibrant Economy. Applications open Dec. 18, with an application deadline of Feb. 9, 2024.
Tipping Point Grants
These are small grants to help amplify community efforts. These grants will either fuel what is already happening or allow the development of local projects. The idea is that by onloading positive factors and offloading negative factors, the scales can tip toward greater community resiliency. Projects should be led by a nonprofit, connected to a specific neighborhood or geography or underserved population, and grounded in cultural identity and sense of place. Applications open Dec. 18, with an application deadline of Feb. 9, 2024.
Visit www.buncombecounty.org/grants for full details including application information, previously funded projects, performance reporting, and funding committee materials.
Join us for this educational and fun guided drum session. This class is super fun and no drumming experience is needed. In this hour long session we will establish the foundations of rhythm and experiment with various concepts from there.
Elevate & Connect
Gear up for our monthly socials, where networking takes center stage. Join other Young Professionals under 40, for connections, exchange of ideas, and occasional guest speakers. Enjoy a complimentary beverage on us, as you mingle in style. Bring your energy, business cards and elevate your professional circle!
Young Professionals are Presented by:
Thanks to our monthly Host:
Join the growing tech scene in Asheville and connect with fellow developers and designers in town. Each event will include a presentation (or two) and the opportunity to discuss technical, design, and product challenges with our talented community of creators and engineers.
Interested in presenting? Apply here: https://forms.gle/bJyj9AK9ruJpXzYX6
AVL Tech Connect starts at 5:30 with 30 minutes of socializing and presentations start at 6:00.
Event series supported by: AVL Digital Nomads, Venture Asheville, and the NC Biotech Center
Hosted at The Track at Asheville, there will be an opportunity to experience the thrill of SIM racing toward the end of the event.
Sign up and help us spread the word!
Weekly mountain music JAM with
players in a round, where the session is focused on regional fiddle tunes and songs, You are welcome to come and listen or to
learn and join in. This event supports the Henderson County Junior Appalachian Musician (JAM) Kids Program, Free but
donations are accepted.
Join us on Wednesday, January 10th at 6pm back at Plēb Urban Winery and mix and mingle with other people who are new to or veterans in healthcare to swap stories, share experiences, network, and make new friends within our industry. The goal of this event is just to build new relationships and make connections. Please feel free to reach out directly with any questions, concerns, or suggestions related to this event.
Please RSVP if you do plan to attend to make sure we have the proper space to accommodate the group as well as give notice to the venue. Looking forward to meeting you. (Or seeing you again!)💛💛
Join us on Wednesday, January 10th at 6pm back at Plēb Urban Winery and mix and mingle with other people who are new to or veterans in healthcare to swap stories, share experiences, network, and make new friends within our industry. The goal of this event is just to build new relationships and make connections. Please feel free to reach out directly with any questions, concerns, or suggestions related to this event.
Please RSVP if you do plan to attend to make sure we have the proper space to accommodate the group as well as give notice to the venue. Looking forward to meeting you. (Or seeing you again!)💛💛
This is a hybrid event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online. Registration is required. Jill McCorkle will present her latest book, a story collection entitled Old Crimes. Old Crimes delves into the lives of characters who hold their secrets and misdeeds close, even as the past continues to reverberate over time and across generations. And despite the characters’ yearnings for connection, they can’t seem to tell the whole truth. In “Low Tones,” a woman uses her hearing impairment as a way to guard herself from her husband’s commentary. In “Lineman,” a telephone lineman strains to connect to his family even as he feels pushed aside in a digital world. In “Confessional,” a young couple buys a confessional booth for fun, only to discover the cost of honesty.
Jill McCorkle has the distinction of having published her first two novels on the same day in 1984. Of these novels, the New York Times Book Review said: “one suspects the author of The Cheer Leader is a born novelist. With July 7th, she is also a full grown one.” Since then she has published five other novels—most recently, Hieroglyphics—and four collections of short stories. Five of her books have been named New York Times notable books and four of her stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories. McCorkle has received the New England Booksellers Award, the John Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature, the North Carolina Award for Literature and the Thomas Wolfe Prize; she was recently inducted into the NC Literary Hall of Fame. McCorkle has taught at Harvard, Brandeis, and NC State where she remains affiliated with the MFA Program in creative writing and she is core faculty in the Bennington Writing Seminars.
This is a hybrid event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online.
The event is free but registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.
Please click here to register for the VIRTUAL event. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.
Please click here to register for the IN-PERSON event. Note the important event details on the RSVP form.
This event includes a book signing. If you would like a signed book but can’t attend in person, you may order a signed copy online below. If you would like to have your book personalized, please order online or call the store at least two hours before the start of the event. When ordering online, use the comments field to provide a name for personalization, e.g. “To Paul.” NOTE: We do our best to get books personalized when requested but personalization is not guaranteed.
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 purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!
Old Crimes delves into the lives of characters who hold their secrets and misdeeds close, even as the past continues to reverberate over time and across generations. And despite the characters’ yearnings for connection, they can’t seem to tell the whole truth. In “Low Tones,” a woman uses her hearing impairment as a way to guard herself from her husband’s commentary. In “Lineman,” a telephone lineman strains to connect to his family even as he feels pushed aside in a digital world. In “Confessional,” a young couple buys a confessional booth for fun, only to discover the cost of honesty.
Profoundly moving and unforgettable, for fans of Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and Lily King, the stories in Old Crimes reveal why McCorkle has long been considered a master of the form, probing lives full of great intensity, longing and affection, and deep regret.
Jill McCorkle has the distinction of having published her first two novels on the same day in 1984. Of these novels, the New York Times Book Review said: “one suspects the author of The Cheer Leader is a born novelist. With July 7th, she is also a full grown one.” Since then she has published five other novels—most recently, Hieroglyphics—and four collections of short stories. Five of her books have been named New York Times notable books and four of her stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories. McCorkle has received the New England Booksellers Award, the John Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature, the North Carolina Award for Literature and the Thomas Wolfe Prize; she was recently inducted into the NC Literary Hall of Fame. McCorkle has taught at Harvard, Brandeis, and NC State where she remains affiliated with the MFA Program in creative writing and she is core faculty in the Bennington Writing Seminars.
Every Wednesday
Trivia Night





