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A year into the controversy, UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly van Noort says she never anticipated the backlash over plans to explore development of campus woods near the Five Points neighborhood in North Asheville. But van Noort continues to defend the university’s long-term vision, arguing that change is necessary for the institution’s survival and relevance — even as community opposition remains fierce.
Thomas
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Last August, in the face of overwhelming community opposition, UNC Asheville put a pause to their plans to clear-cut their 45-acre mature urban forest ecosystem and put in a 5,000-seat stadium on the edge of the Five Points neighborhood.
They hired consultants HR&A Advisors to form a committee that could guide development plans and build buy-in with the community. On Jan. 27, the committee’s members were announced. In place of the neighbors and local elected officials we hoped for, the university has stacked the committee with current and past UNCA trustees, university alumni, real estate developers and financial executives.
We also hoped for a transparent, collaborative process that would consider ecological as well as financial impacts. And to be fair, the UNCA press release announcing the committee uses phrases like “transparent evaluation,” “environmental stewardship” and “responsibility to be good neighbors.” Yet the committee’s meetings will be held in secret, and no effort was made to include any community members or environmental experts who have been critical of the university’s plans.
These points are deeply disappointing, and they seem to doom the committee to failing in its goal of building community buy-in before it even begins.
How can the committee be transparent when their meetings will be held in secret and their final recommendations will be created and delivered by a private consulting firm?
How can destroying 20,000 trees that sequester 75.5 tons of carbon and divert 2.2 million gallons of stormwa-
ter every year tie in with a pledge of environmental stewardship?
How can the university present themselves as good neighbors when they refuse to even consider voices critical of their plans?
This last point is particularly saddening. Neighbors like Scott Burroughs — a local architect who has devoted a huge amount of his professional talents to developing detailed alternative plans for the stadium and Millennial Campus development — would have made excellent additions to the committee if the administration was really interested in hearing a range of viewpoints. (You can see the alternative developments Scott has proposed at [avl.mx/fbk]).
We really hope we’re wrong, but this appears to be version 2.0 of a nontransparent, performative exercise that will exclude meaningful community and scientific input and accountability. Instead, the committee seems likely to rubber stamp exactly what the administration has wanted from the start: an unneeded stadium on an unsuitable
Word of the week
location, whose only real beneficiaries will be the developers and contractors who profit from its construction. And that would be a real tragedy.
—
Anne Walch and Woody Davis Asheville
[Regarding “Give Me a Sign: Local Psychics Shed Light on Mystical Practices,” Jan. 14, Xpress:] Psychics? Seriously?
Brionna Dallara quotes Kelly Palmatier as saying, “People are looking to the year ahead and wondering what’s in store for them.”
Did this reporter do the most basic journalistic inquiries about her claim to be able to accurately tell her clients “what’s in store for them”? She could have asked, e.g., “Did you spend the first eight months of 2024 telling your clients to get a two-month store of food, water and other essentials in place because you will be without utilities and supplies for weeks starting in September after a deadly, record-breaking, life-changing storm?”
Or, “Did you spend 2019 telling your clients that the worst pandemic in a century would cripple everything starting in early 2020?” If they didn’t, then they are no more able to foresee the future than the rest of us. And if she didn’t even ask such obvious questions, why not? Aren’t journalists supposed to be skeptical and verify everything before putting it in print?
Speaking of verifying, she made these two unqualified statements of
fact: “she connects with loved ones who have crossed over to the spirit realm,” and “professional psychics come from all walks of life, each possessing various degrees of clairvoyance.”
How did she ascertain that these assertions are true? If an interviewee claimed to have been taken aboard a Martian spaceship, would you say, “He was abducted by aliens,” or “He says he was abducted by aliens”? The latter is easy to verify; the former is not.
Dallara’s statements about the “psychics” she interviewed repeat their unproven assertions as facts. Since she accepts them as facts, please explain in detail exactly how she verified them to be true. If Xpress’ reporter has scientifically confirmed that there is a “spirit realm,” and that the consciousness of dead people reside there and communicates with chosen mortals, it’s a Nobel Prize-worthy breakthrough! I suspect, though, that she is merely as gullible as the foolish people who give “psychic” con artists money.
As for your “green flags” and “red flags,” here’s a better one: It’s a red flag if a person claims to be a psychic. It means that he or she is either a fraud or is self-deluded into a bizarre worldview that has no basis in verifiable reality. Save your money.
— Bob Woolley Asheville
Editor’s note: Xpress reporter Brionna Dallara responds: “Writing about New Age practices can be challenging. My approach was to document a community and its beliefs, not to present unverifiable claims as reality — similar to how one might report on faith leaders discussing their spiritual experiences. During my reporting, I was mindful of concerns around psychic readings in relation to life-altering events, such as Tropical Storm Helene and the pandemic, and did inquire about such. Palmatier’s response is noted in the section, “Looking ahead,” when she shares that she has not predicted large-scale events but has given insights on individuals’ personal energy in relation to events. Regarding your comments on unqualified statements, I agree that adding attribution (such as “she says” in the line “she connects with loved ones who have crossed over to the spirit realm” ) strengthens the piece and will adjust the language accordingly in the online version. I appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to clarify the piece.”
On board with making roads safer for cyclists
[ Regarding “Asheville Cyclists, Mourning a Fatal Crash, Push for
Federal Bill to Improve Road Safety,” Jan. 20, Blue Ridge Public Radio via Xpress:]
I wholeheartedly agree that anything we can do to create a safer bicycle ride in the Asheville area is a step in the right direction. I have been riding a bike since I was 4, and the most dangerous thing about riding a bike are other vehicles on the road.
Thank you for your attention and energy toward this important challenge we have in the Asheville area!
— Leslee Reiter Asheville
[Regarding “ Asheville Cyclists, Mourning a Fatal Crash, Push for Federal Bill to Improve Road Safety,” Jan. 20, Blue Ridge Public Radio via Xpress:]
Riding a bike in this area is like swimming in shark-infested waters. Biking elsewhere would be a safer option.
Driving a car on some of the roads is not safe. There are curves, blind spots and no places to pull over. The double yellow lines are merely suggestions for some drivers, as are the speed-limit signs. And there are a lot of trucks and fast drivers.
Some of these roads are just not safe for anyone or anything.
— Barbara Mueller Alexander
[ Regarding “Asheville Cyclists, Mourning a Fatal Crash, Push for Federal Bill to Improve Road Safety,” Jan. 20, Blue Ridge Public Radio via Xpress:]
The fundamental problem is two incompatible modes of transportation on roads designed for only one of them.
One of the most dangerous spots in North Asheville is the stretch between Elk Mountain Road in Woodfin and Old Marshall Highway along Riverside Drive. There are many blind corners, uphill stretches where cyclists have to slow down, but no shoulders, much less bike lanes. Cyclists are endangered, and motorists are rightfully angry waiting behind them.
The solution is not a federal mandate on an unwanted technology on vehicles, such as The White Line suggests. Even if such technology were effective, it has its own endangering effects and doesn’t address the core problem, which, again, is incompatible vehicles operating on roads designed only for motor vehicles.
If cyclists insist on traveling winding mountain roads, they either have to accept the endangerment or fund the creation of bike lanes. The onus is on them, not motorists who paid gasoline taxes for the creation and maintenance of the roads.
— Guy Smith Woodfin
I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the Mountain Xpress and all its staff members. As we transition into the new year and as I approach the completion of my 80th year, I have come to appreciate the value of simple pleasures. That includes the Mountain Xpress.
Each Tuesday afternoon, I stop by my local YMCA to pick up the weekly copy. I’m always curious and enthused about what will be on the creative cover. And from that point on, I do work my way through cover to cover. I enjoy the quality of the letters on the opinion pages. In focusing on primarily local issues, they are well-thoughtout. The cartoons and the extended opinions are always enjoyable.
The Mountain Xpress does an excellent job each week in presenting local news stories and the features that provide excellent detail on what-
ever topics are current. The health and wellness topics cover such a wide range of opportunities to learn. The weekly Community Calendar clearly demonstrates what an engaged, vibrant and diversified community we live in through all its multiple offerings. There is always something to draw my interest in the Arts & Culture sections of the paper, covering topics such as music, art, theater, and food and beverages. And of course, the two weeks during the year when the best of everything in our area is presented is just fabulous.
Personally, I save the best part of each edition for last. That is the Smart Bets and Clubland. Each week, I cut these sections from the paper and use them as a road map to plan many of my evening and weekend activities. In a recent edition, there were over 140 musical opportunities listed around town during a one-week period. Many of these events have no charge or a very low cover. It’s nice to be able to decide how much money to put in the tip jars when the cost of entry is little or nothing.
The bottom line is that the Mountain Xpress, 52 times a year, is a catalyst to my having a better life. Thank you for all the work the entire team puts into creating each unique and relevant edition.
— Richard Boyum Candler X
Editor’s note: This time, we asked our columnists to consider the saga of Auggie the dachshund, as reported by Asheville Watchdog’s John Boyle. Auggie’s owner, Virginia Harding, was fined $200 in October for violating the city’s graffiti ordinance — by putting chalk drawings of Auggie plus political comments on a public sidewalk near their home in North Asheville. After a November hearing, Boyle reports that the interim city manager waived the fine, and the city is reportedly looking at drawing up a new ordinance. Sadly, Boyle reported last month that Auggie “passed on to that great dog park in the sky” — but that he was continuing to speak out posthumously via the drawings.
To our columnists: What are your takeaways from Auggie the dachshund’s story? Does the city’s current graffiti ordinance make sense? What should be the limits of freedom of expression in our area? Here are their responses:
Bill Branyon: Virginia Harding told me that her famous dachshund, Auggie, was almost certainly named after a dachshund star of the 1960s cartoon Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. When Daddy didn’t like what Augie did, he’d moan, “Augie, my son, my son.”
He’d probably also moan over the Asheville graffiti ordinance, whose prohibitions include writings and drawings of chalk on sidewalks. Are the Asheville Auggie’s attacks on Trump a fine- and jail-worthy defacing of public property, or is it a ludicrous regulation enforced with excessive zealotry? When does free speech go too far, and when is it necessary for democracy to thrive or even survive? These are the Auggienizing questions.
For answers, time-travel to 1798 when President John Adams, a member of the Federalist Party, signed the Alien and Sedition Acts. They criminalized criticism of Adams and legalized deportation of immigrants he deemed to be part of an “invasion” force. Twentyone newspaper editors were fined and imprisoned for violations that included calling Adams “his rotundity” stuffed with “bullying speech,” “ridiculous pomp,” “foolish adulation,” “selfish avarice” and “gross hypocrisy,” and who “employs the sacred name of religion to make mankind hate and persecute one another.” All that according to the fascinating history Jefferson and Hamilton: The Struggle for Democracy in America by Claude G. Bowers. Sound familiar?
In addition, Adams recruited an army to fight revolutionary France, yet the soldiers instead terrorized Pennsylvania cities, violently abusing members of what became the Democratic Party — as well as Irish immigrants. Sound familiar?
Thomas Jefferson barely beat Adams and Aaron Burr in the 1800 presidential election, and he allowed three of the four Alien and Sedition Acts to expire. President Donald Trump is still using the fourth, the Alien Enemies Act, today to justify his deportation policies. Due in great part to those 1798 acts, the Federalist Party became so unpopular that it soon completely disappeared. Poof!
Might the same thing happen to the Trump-subservient Republican Party?
Look at Trump and his administration terrorizing American cities with ski-masked Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agents, suing newspapers and publishers, threatening to withdraw licenses from TV networks for their comedic criticisms, arresting student organizers and investigating members of Congress, as well as withholding federal funds from universities, school districts and other free-speech bastions, while trying to whitewash history. Will all this lead to the poofing of the Republican Party?
On the other hand, until Trump’s recent transformation into a habitual bomber and wannabe country kidnapper, I found his candor about the sometime brutality of American foreign policy refreshing. His vigorous free speech included calling the horrendous Iraq War “a big fat mistake” based on deliberate lies, declaring America not “innocent,” even compared to Putin, and questioning the need for NATO — an obvious consideration given both Britain and France have large enough nuclear arsenals to deter Russia. Perhaps it takes someone as blunt as Trump to shatter some American exceptionalism myths?
Compared to such enormities, Asheville’s dachshund dogmatizer seems a minuscule snafu, a case where free speech should obviously be nurtured, not smothered. Harding told me she is considering her “legal options” should the City Council not change the ordinance. As Doggie Daddy would proudly say: “Dat’s my boy who said dat!” X
Carl Mumpower: My first reaction to this month’s question was to drop a dime on Auggie. “Euthanasia” briefly passed through my conflicted conservative mind.
Then came the game-changing news that we’d lost the little guy.
I was already pretty jammed on his and his mom’s culpability.
Regardless of one’s politics, I appreciate people/pets with creativity, courage and conviction buttons. Though targeting Trump is easypeasy, taking on a taxpayer-funded bureaucracy takes all three.
Thanks to John Boyle for applying his talents to investigating this latest exercise in city government “ridiculosity.” Rising above the temptation, I won’t question the ridiculosity of investigating ridiculosity.
So, who’s accountable?
In fairness to the mayor, Council, and city administrators, managing 94,000 residents, constrained resources and an ever-blooming list of local ordinances is a tough row to hoe.
But then comes the self-inflicted wound.
As demonstrated by the lack of any political diversity on our governing body, it’s clear that my friend Bill’s left-leaning band-of-brothers-sisters-others are large and in charge.
City leaders have erred mightily in pandering to their electoral constituency.
Bending to others makes you a hostage to their whims versus your responsibilities.
The mayor and Council have a long history of such.
Recollect Occupy Asheville’s unimpeded campout outside City Hall?
How about the topless revelers performing in front of children on our downtown fountain?
Remember the rioting-protesting-partiers supported in taking over the Capt. Jeff Bowen Bridge?
Before city leaders destroyed an easily repurposable downtown landmark, there was an organized effort to deface the same. A clever person took drone film and shared it with authorities. The hammerers, chiselers and sheet-holders were granted a vandalism pass.
For direct comparison, consider Auggie’s sidewalk chalk versus the supersized “Black Lives Matter” signage painted on downtown streets. Perhaps Auggie’s owner should try pyrotechnics, weaponized water bottles and busting windows to secure a city wink.
If you’re a drug addict, thief or other form of antisocial personality, Asheville is your earthly paradise.
Art by Brian Vasilik
Party hardy on Tunnel Road or other street predator hot spots. Shop our big-box stores and take what catches your fancy. They won’t stop you; our politically/manpower-challenged police won’t arrest you; and our broken justice system won’t hold you accountable. None of the above operate with Auggie’s creativity, courage or conviction buttons.
The most egregious recent measure of selective application of the law involves racism. That’s what it is when you promise reparations on the basis of color; appoint people to boards on the basis of color; and support scholastic scholarships on the basis of color. It’s a shame the city failed to read or heed the 1964 Civil Rights Act. That would have intercepted multiple embarrass ments and $80,000 in taxpayer-fund ed legal fees unprecedently awarded to their challengers.
What are the lessons?
Auggie would say, “Be consistent.” Selectively exchanging the rule of law for the rule of convenience, bias, politics or bureaucratic ridiculosity ensures bad mojo.
Sorry we lost you, Auggie. Can you send me a ridiculosity message on whether someone’s euthanizing our city’s pigeons?
“Reality really is theater. … It’s all so nonsensical, ridiculous and chaotic.””
Have a comment, question or a local topic you’d like our columnists to debate? Email letters@mountainx.com with the subject line: Local debate.
Utilizing the advance sciences of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology to curate individual science based programs that utilizes and enhances the body’s ability to self heal, strengthen and revitalize.
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BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE
jmcguire@mountainx.com
UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly van Noort says she did not anticipate much controversy when the university began exploring the development of wooded land on its campus near the Five Points neighborhood.
After all, she says, UNC System schools such as NC State in Raleigh and Appalachian State in Boone already had embraced mixed-use developments meant to keep campuses solvent and relevant, and the process usually played out with little public pushback.
But since Five Points residents noticed a miniexcavator clearing tracks on the 45-acre urban forest on Jan. 13, 2025, the area has become the focus of the most emotionally charged land-use battle Asheville has seen in years. Neighbors organized under the banner Save the Woods. Billboards went up around town. Social media turned the chancellor into a villain.
What van Noort saw as a routine planning step became a symbol of institutional overreach for many students and residents.
Van Noort, who was named interim chancellor in 2022 and was officially instated in 2024, has overseen controversial changes before, including discontinuing multiple departments. Still, she says she was “quite surprised” by the intensity of the opposition by the Save the Woods campaign.
“This is university property,” she explains. “I had not seen this type of reaction with other [UNC System] projects.”
Looking back, she says UNCA should have communicated earlier about preliminary land assessments — not because permission was required but
to build understanding. “I apologized [to neighbors] for not informing people prior to starting assessments,” she says.
“I don’t think it would have prevented
the reaction, but it might have led to more productive conversations sooner.”
As the public face of the project, van Noort has become a frequent target of
online criticism. She says she takes it in stride.
“They’re not angry with me,” she says. “They’re angry with the position I hold.”
The UNC System Board of Governors (BOG) approved UNCA’s plan to designate several university-owned parcels as a Millennial Campus to help the university grow in 2021, before van Noort was chancellor.
A year into this ongoing and evolving debate, van Noort continues to defend the university’s long-term vision, arguing that change is necessary for the institution’s survival and relevance — and that community concerns, while deeply felt, have sometimes drifted far from the facts on the ground.
Last week, the university announced a 14-member committee that will evaluate Millennial Campus development and make recommendations for future use of the 45 acres and other land. But even this attempt by UNCA to “reset” the conversation has resulted in controversy: Critics say the process lacks transparency because no Save the Woods or neighborhood representatives are on the committee.
In June, five months after the Save the Woods movement began, the university announced ambitious plans to develop the wooded property as part of its Millennial Campus project. The site was set to include a 5,000seat multipurpose soccer stadium in partnership with the Asheville City Soccer Club, housing, retail and other amenities. University leaders said the proposal was an opportunity to boost the regional economy, provide student housing and generate more than $250 million in investment over time.
But opposition only grew, and two months later the school paused its plans and announced the formation of a Millennial Campus Development Commission, the independent advisory committee that was officially named last week and will recommend future uses for the land.
“The absolute goal is to rebuild trust,” says van Noort, who has met with some neighbors. “To reset the discussion and help people understand what is actually possible.”
Van Noort frames the Millennial Campus discussion as one piece of a much larger transformation underway at UNCA. She points to expanded financial aid through the Access Asheville program, renovations to aca-
demic buildings and residence halls, new club sports, improved access for those with disabilites and efforts to boost student retention.
“The university right now is in the process of making a lot of changes,” van Noort says. “We’re dealing with enrollment challenges, financial pressures and the need to become more relevant to today’s students. That means rethinking how we use our campus — not just for the university, but for the community.”
Housing remains a pressing concern. The university’s residence halls are at capacity, while Asheville’s high cost of living has made off-campus housing difficult for students, faculty and staff alike. Van Noort says the Millennial Campus could offer opportunities for student housing, workforce townhomes, child care facilities and mixed-use development that serves both campus and city needs.
Beyond finances, van Noort emphasizes a philosophical shift in how universities relate to their surroundings. UNCA, she says, is physically isolated, bounded on three sides by wooded land, with limited connection to surrounding neighborhoods and commercial areas.
“Students today do not want to go to school in a monastery on the hill,” she explains. “They want to feel integrated. They want amenities within walking distance — coffee shops, places to gather, places where the university and community overlap.”
With the planned I-26 Connector expected to turn Broadway into a major north-south corridor, van Noort says the university has an opportunity to become more visible and engaged — what she described as a “front porch” for Asheville.
“Increasing enrollment means increasing vibrancy,” she says. “Those things are directly connected.”
While critics have portrayed the Millennial Campus development as a land grab, van Noort notes that the model has been used across the UNC System for decades. NC State’s Centennial Campus, launched in the 1980s, now includes research facilities, housing, a hotel and the James B. Hunt Jr. Library. Appalachian State, UNC Wilmington, UNC Greensboro and UNC Chapel Hill are all pursuing similar projects.
“This is not a new or unusual concept,” she says. “The Board of Governors wants campuses to flourish. They give us tools to do that, but they don’t dictate specific projects.”
UNCA’s Millennial Campus includes not only the contested woods but also
2/28/2026
land along Broadway, Chestnut Ridge — home to the university’s Lookout Observatory — and other areas developed incrementally over time.
“There’s been fixation on one parcel,” van Noort says. “But this is about looking at the entire 200 acres holistically over the next 10 to 15 years and deciding what makes sense, and when.”
But the people who crowded into Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church on Jan. 15 for a monthly meeting of the Save the Woods committee had a different view about that one parcel.
“This place matters to people in very real ways,” said Chris Cotteta, president of the Five Points Neighborhood Association and an organizer for Save the Woods. He noted that the event occurred nearly a year to the day since the miniexcavator appeared in the woods.
“A handful of neighbors sprang into action about a year ago, and since then the support has come from all over Asheville and beyond,” he said.
The meeting drew longtime advocates and newcomers alike, including recent Asheville residents, environmental professionals, UNCA alumni and students and neighbors who live near the forest. Several attendees said personal experiences in the woods —
Xpress announces its 2026 poetry contest in celebration of April as National Poetry Month.
Are you a poet living in Western North Carolina? If so, consider submitting an original, previously unpublished work. This year’s theme, voted on by our readers, is food as community. Food is life. Food is memory. Food is connection. We’re calling on all writers to submit to this year’s Xpress Poetry Contest with food in mind. Maybe it’s a poem about your favorite Southern dish. Perhaps it’s poem inspired by a vivid memory of a meal shared with neighbors in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene. Or possibly it’s a poem that captures the way a specific scent takes you to back in time. However you relate to food, share it with us through your poetry. As always, the focus should tie to life in Western North Carolina. So if you’ve got a killer poem about your love for fresh Maine lobster or your favorite Chicago deep dish, save those for another time. Important information
All submissions are final. Meaning we will not review revised submissions. All poems should be no longer than one typed page in a 12-point font. (Any poems that go beyond the page count will be disqualified.) Again, only previously unpublished poems will be considered. No A.I. generated poems are allowed. And while we love to hear from our younger poets, we ask children under 18 to submit their work to our annual Kids Issues.
The contest is currently open for submissions and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4. Email your poem in the body of the message to tcalder@mountainx.com. Embedded links or attached documents will not be read. The subject line should read “Xpress 2026 Poetry Contest.” Include the author’s name and contact information in the email. Only one submission per person. There is no cost to enter.
A winning poem will be determined by local poet Nancy Dillingham, author of several poetry and short story collections, as well as a memoir. The winner will be published online and in print in our April 29 issue. The contest is not open to Xpress employees or their families, or freelance contributors. Contact Thomas Calder at tcalder@mountainx.com with any questions
from birding and bat walks to childhood memories — motivated them to get involved.
“The only thing you have to do to get somebody passionate about this project is to have them walk the woods once,” artist Spencer Beals said at the meeting. “I was actually surprised by how much of a wild experience I could have three minutes from downtown. It’s a hidden gem.”
Beals’ trailside art exhibit, “Batland,” was recently removed by the university, which cited safety and liability concerns.
Organizers discussed several events aimed at building momentum and raising funds, including a dance party in the woods, weekly fundraising nights at Ben & Jerry’s on Haywood Street and an art auction featuring dozens of local artists and businesses at Urban Orchard. The group also talked about plans to participate in Asheville’s Mardi Gras parade in February.
The day after the meeting, Jan. 16, Beals and others organized a UNCA student walkout that drew more than 200 students and community members.
Back at the Jan. 15 meeting, several speakers noted that the fight over the woods reflects larger tensions between public education, environmental stewardship and commercialization.
Van Noort pushes back strongly against claims that the university is indifferent to environmental concerns, pointing out that the N.C. Arboretumaffiliated Botanical Gardens sits on Millennial Campus land under a longterm lease now being renegotiated. She also cited university-maintained greenways along Broadway and W.T. Weaver Boulevard, extensive native plant landscaping and efforts to preserve tree canopy.
“We care deeply about environmental stewardship,” she says. “That narrative often gets buried under the passion of the moment.”
She also questions claims that the disputed woods function as a heavily used public park by Five Points residents and others.
“I was taken aback by the notion that there were multitudes of people using this property,” she says, noting that she has lived on campus for two years. “Students don’t even know where it is.”
Some of the opposition feels “performative,” she says, meaning it has taken on the character of a public movement rather than a debate grounded in the specifics of the land or the university’s plans. In her view, the conversation has sometimes shifted away from details about the property itself and toward broader symbolic protest.
The Millennial Campus Development Commission is being
PLANNING AHEAD: UNCA Chancellor Kimberly van Noort says developing university-owned land is vital to the school’s future. Photo courtesy of the UNC System
chaired by Peter Heckman, former CEO of Horace Mann Educators Corp. and vice chair of UNCA’s Board of Trustees (BOT), and Adam Walters, an assistant director in NC State’s Pappas Real Estate Development Program and a UNCA alumnus. The group also includes community members, urban planning experts and environmental professionals, and it will be supported by an outside consulting firm.
Nobody from Save the Woods was invited to be on the commission despite requests from Cotteta and others. “Our position has been clear: If this happens behind closed doors without community voices, there’s no way to trust the outcome,” he said at the Jan. 15 meeting.
City Council member Bo Hess, who supports the efforts of Save the Woods, agrees, saying he is “incredibly disappointed” at the decision. “I think the people who live, work and walk and play in those woods every day deserve to have a seat at that table, and not just a symbolic seat, but as partners in the way that we move forward,” he says.
Van Noort notes community voices were included through preformation interviews with local residents and Save the Woods representatives, and adds that most committee members live in or near Asheville. Additionally, she says, the group will host public engagement sessions and release summaries after meetings.
The committee was intentionally designed to be independent and as “agnostic” as possible, van Noort continues, rather than composed of advocates for a specific outcome. The group will serve in an advisory role while gathering broader community input before making recommendations to the university.
The 5,000-seat multipurpose soccer stadium proposed in June has been a particular point of contention and mockery among Save the Woods members.
“You could put [Argentine superstar] Lionel Messi over there, and like literally, dude, nobody in Asheville cares,” Beal said to laughs at the Jan. 15 meeting. “I know what people here enjoy.”
But van Noort disagrees, citing the region’s growing soccer culture and the potential for concerts, commencements and regional events. And Asheville City Soccer Club, which now plays at UNCA’s 1,000-seat Greenwood Soccer Field, needs a bigger venue before it can move up to Division I professional soccer. The club now competes in USL League Two, the highest amateur level.
Still, she acknowledges that whether such a facility belongs on the Millennial Campus remains an open question for the committee to consider.
“Best-case scenario is we place the woods into conservation and the woods are preserved forever,” Cotteta said of his group’s ultimate goal, during their Jan. 15 monthly meeting.
Hess says all possible outcomes should remain on the table, including full or partial preservation and that determining what is realistic requires continued discussion and data. He believes city and county involvement, especially in partnership with conservation nonprofits, could play a role in helping preserve at least some of the 45 acres from development.
He argues that no final decision will make everyone happy, but the priority should be preserving as much of the woods as possible.
Van Noort says that once the committee makes its recommendations to the university, the administration will decide how — or whether — to proceed, potentially issuing requests for proposals in the fall if the recommendation involves developing land through a public-private partnership. Like any such project, the BOT and BOG ultimately would have to sign off.
She hopes the process will ultimately be seen not as a threat but as an opportunity.
“This could be a true university district,” she says. “A place where students, faculty and community members run into each other over coffee or lunch. That would be incredibly energizing — for the university and for Asheville.” X
LET IT SNOW: Asheville and surrounding communities were blanketed by a significant winter storm over the weekend, with snowfall totals ranging from several inches to more than 10 inches across the region, according to the National Weather Service. Between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, the storm produced widespread accumulation, with the Asheville Regional Airport recording 4 inches of snow. Higher totals were reported in nearby areas, including about 6 inches in parts of Asheville and up to 10.8 inches in Leicester. For more images, visit avl.mx/fbo. Photo by Jeffrey DeCristofaro, text by Justin McGuire
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy treatments. I’m now in remission and have felt blessed to be here except for so much pain. My feet and hands were constantly burning – a tingling sensation, almost like when your leg is falling asleep,” shares Barbara of Biltmore Forest. Barbara was suffering from Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy or CIPN. While chemo kills cancer cells, it also causes much bodily damage. Nerves, especially those far from the brain, are among the first to be harmed. 30-40% of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy experience peripheral neuropathy.
“Standing all day was not just a challenge, and it caused me physical agony. Keeping up with my busy schedule – forget about it. I couldn’t even go for walks in my neighborhood.” Barbara, like so many others, was prescribed Gabapentin help with the pain and told there was nothing anyone could do. In Doctors’ words, ‘there is no treatment for neuropathy.’
Then Barbara found Dr. Autum Kirgan, DACM, C.SMA, L.Ac of South Slope Acupuncture & Wellness. By blending the time–tested science of acupuncture with more modern medical technology, Dr. Kirgan has designed a natural solution for peripheral neuropathy.
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“Acupuncture is incredible at restoring blood flow and stimulating damaged nerves, preventing them from dying off,” says Dr. Kirgan. “We take our treatments a step further by integrating FSM Therapy which targets specific nerves in the body using microcurrent. FSM Therapy is like watering a plant. This treatment will stimulate the blood vessels to grow back around the peripheral nerves and provide them with proper nutrients to heal and repair.
After only four weeks of treatment, Barbara is already seeing incredible improvement. “I’ve taken the handicap placard off my rearview mirror and I am finally back to walking my neighborhood. I can’t wait to see how
I feel at the end of my program! I used to think that this pain was just the price I had to pay for still being alive. Dr. Kirgan has really given me hope for a better life!”
The number of treatments needed to allow nerves to recover fully will vary from person to person and can only be estimated after a detailed neurological and vascular evaluation. If you or someone you love suffers from peripheral neuropathy (of any origin), call 828-575-5904 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kirgan and her South Slope Acupuncture & Wellness team.
They are waiting for your call. New Patient Offer
BY DANIELLE AROSTEGUI
The three Democratic candidates running for Buncombe County district attorney (DA) convened at the East Asheville Public Library on Jan. 28 for a candidate forum hosted and moderated by the Asheville chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
There are no Republican candidates for the position this election cycle. The winner of the March 3 primary effectively wins the November general election.
The candidates agreed on many issues: prioritizing violent crimes when deciding which cases to prosecute; the urgent need to clear the court case backlog and reduce the county jail’s pretrial population; the addition of a mental health court to existing diversion programs; and supporting LGBTQ rights.
But along with shared priorities and values, the three candidates
offered their distinct approaches to achieving their campaign promises.
Courtney Booth has served more than 20 years as an assistant public defender in Buncombe County. During the forum, she argued she is the most experienced candidate. Booth previously ran for the office in 2022, against current DA Todd Williams but lost in the primary by 101 votes.
“We’ve never had a DA that matches our ideals here in Buncombe County,” Booth told the audience. “The reason I wanted to run is that we can do something different.”
Katie Kurdys is the only candidate working in the current DA’s Office. She serves as a senior assistant district attorney for high-level violent crimes and gun crimes. She spoke about her past as a college dropout who worked her way through the ranks of a major restaurant chain to become executive chef before pivoting to law.
Kurdys also spoke of her commitment to bringing people together and providing a service to the community.
Martin Moore started his career in Asheville in the Public Defender’s Office and has more than a decade of experience in civil, criminal and appellate courts. He also serves on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.
During the forum, Moore spoke to his efforts to address root causes of crime by voting to fully fund public schools. Moore indicated that he would continue to take a systems-change approach to criminal justice reform if he is elected.
Each of the candidates offered nuanced visions for how they would use the DA Office to defend public safety.
Booth said she would prioritize prosecuting violent crimes as opposed to minor crimes such as trespassing. The latter, she argued, contributes to overcrowding the county jail. She added that she’s committed to reducing recidivism and the incarceration of nonviolent criminals but that some people deserve to go to prison.
“Certain people are too dangerous — they just are,” she said.
Moore noted that he would collaborate with Asheville City Council, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office and other parties to bring people together to find solutions.
“I am committed to systems reform and accountability, which can’t happen in just the four walls of the courthouse,” Moore said.
Furthermore, he vowed to prioritize prosecuting gun crimes and domestic violence over minor cannabis charges. Kurdys sees her role as enforcing the law and holding criminals accountable. While she agrees violent crime is important to prosecute, she feels that smaller crimes such as home burglaries must be addressed.
“The majority of people who commit crimes are good people who made a bad decision at a bad time,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be held accountable. I hold people accountable but temper my power with grace.”
All three candidates agreed that domestic violence was a high priority.
Kurdys would work to ensure victims receive immediate outreach and resources, while taking steps to limit the number of times they have to appear in court.
Booth would also expedite the court process and provide alternative services — such as anger management training — in cases where the victim does not press charges.
Moore emphasized outreach and prevention and vowed to increase the number of court days dedicated to domestic violence cases in order to move through the case backlog.
The candidates agreed that they would not tolerate violence from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“I would treat ICE like any other case,” Kurdys said.
Booth noted that she would have prosecuted the federal agent, Jonathan Ross, who is accused of killing Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident who was shot in her car on Jan. 7.
Moore pointed to his previous actions to safeguard the community when ICE was in Charlotte — coordinating with the sheriff and reaching out to other organizations with more specific immigration law experience for guidance.
All three candidates agreed on the importance of addressing the root causes of crime.
Kurdys emphasized taking a trauma-informed approach to justice and prosecution. She would consider underlying reasons such as poverty and adverse childhood experiences when assessing defendants. She also noted her engagement with community coalitions focused on keeping children out of the prison pipeline.
Luck, said Booth, is often what differentiates those who wind up in court from those who do not. “You make it in life because you’re born lucky or unlucky,” she said. “And I’ve realized that the criminal justice system works to trap people that are born unlucky.”
She gave the example of the current DA’s practice of having days dedicated to prosecuting Walmart thefts, which she would discontinue.
Moore argued that crime prevention is the key. “We don’t want to wait until people get into the court system before we start to help them.”
He stated that poverty and lack of opportunity are the root causes of the majority of the crimes in Buncombe County. The DA doesn’t determine the county budget, but Moore argued that fully funding schools is a necessary first step to reduce local crime and implied that he would use his power while in office to push other policymakers to prioritize his agenda.
When asked how they would handle past cases where there had been a miscarriage of justice, Moore pointed to the importance of achieving just outcomes at the trial level since he believes that the Republican-dominated N.C. Court of Appeals is no longer capable of hearing cases fairly.
Kurdys pointed to her role as the current sole member of the conviction integrity unit, which has given her experience reviewing cases and determining which should be dismissed.
When reviewing individual records, Booth said she will take into account the fact that there are neighborhoods in Asheville with a history of overpolicing.
North Carolina will hold its primary election on Tuesday, March 3. The last day for voter registration is Friday, Feb. 6. Early voting runs Thursday, Feb. 12 through Saturday, Feb. 28.
Editor’s note: Danielle Arostegui’s husband was an organizing member of the Jan. 28 forum. X
PROTEST ICE ACTIONS: Demonstrators in downtown Asheville marched in below-freezing temperatures Jan. 27, protesting the latest killing of an American citizen by federal agents.
On Jan. 24, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, was shot multiple times by federal agents. Similar to Renee Nicole Good — the 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by a federal agent on Jan. 7, in Minneapolis — the Trump administration labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist.” Members of the administration also accused him of brandishing a gun with intent to “murder federal agents.”
Multiple videos of the incident contradict the administration’s claims.
On Jan. 28, registered nurses from Mission Hospital held a vigil at Pritchard Park to honor Pretti, who served as an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.
And on Jan. 30, more than 200 Asheville High School students participated in a walkout to protest the administration. Later that afternoon, several hundred marched in downtown Asheville as part of a nationwide protest.
Photo and text by Thomas Calder
Thurs., Feb. 19th or March 19th • 11am - 1pm
Come enjoy a presentation about Givens Gerber Park: a more affordable rental retirement option (55+) and enjoy lunch on us.
Monthly fees are all-inclusive and based on income. RSVP required.
25% off admission for all NC residents with I.D. Hours of Operation
12:00-5:00pm
BY BRIONNA DALLARA
bdallara@mountainx.com
Over the next couple of months, the City of Asheville is asking the community to speak for the trees. What roles do trees play in our community? What challenges do we face when it comes to trees? What’s preventing us from planting them? These are just a few of the questions posed in a survey, open until Friday, March 27, aimed at gathering input for developing Asheville’s first Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP).
The UFMP’s purpose is to strategically improve and preserve the city’s tree canopy in order to provide maximum environmental, health and economic benefits for the community.
As presented at a Jan. 28 virtual public meeting about the UFMP, the city’s tree canopy is a tool in the face of climate change, helping lower ambient temperatures, improve air and water quality and boost the overall health of the community.
In developing the plan, the city will combine data from analysis of its urban forest with community feedback to create a road map for improvements and preservation.
“It’s not just about trees, it’s about the most important ways that trees improve your life so that the plan can give you those things,” said Mindy Mohrman, an urban forestry consultant and urban planner who presented at the virtual meeting.
Mohrman was on the original team of consultants from Kentucky-based Urban Canopy Works first hired by the city in August 2024 to analyze Asheville’s tree canopy. The analysis process was in its early stages when Tropical Storm Helene hit, completely altering the landscape formerly surveyed and putting the plan on pause.
A 2022 Urban Tree Canopy assessment showed that 56% of the city of Asheville was urban forest at the time.
The UFMP relaunch, which officially kicked off in August, includes plans to examine how the storm affected the urban forest and what community members are now prioritizing. The Jan. 28 meeting marked the first opportunity for public engagement since the relaunch. (A
TALKING TREES: City of Asheville Urban Forester Keith Aitken, pictured here at an Oct. 7 Urban Forestry Commission meeting, addressed questions about the development of the city’s Urban Forest Master Plan at a Jan. 28 virtual public gathering. Photo by Brionna Dallara
recording of the meeting can be viewed on the project website at avl.mx/fbl.)
Mohrman noted that approval of the plan won’t ensure automatic implementation of recommended policy and program changes.
She also explained that the UFMP isn’t intended to identify specific locations for planting new trees. Instead, its purpose is to recommend broader areas to prioritize for planting.
“For example, if you tell us that shade is really important to you, the plan is going to make recommendations about how to increase shade over pavement,” she said. “Maybe there’s a code requirement for new parking lots to have a certain percentage of shaded pavement.”
The virtual meeting was the first step of the project’s initial — or “discovery” — phase. This phase will span the next couple of months and include engagement opportunities for stakeholders who work closely with and are impacted by the urban forest, as well as for the broader public.
Upcoming stakeholder engagement options include workshops in March and February, focus groups in April and one-on-one interviews. Additionally, project updates will be provided to the city’s Helene People and Environment Recovery Board as part of the engagement process.
The public can also offer input through the online stakeholder sur-
vey through Friday, March 27. So far, the survey — open since Nov. 18 — has over 900 respondents. Mohrman notes that, thus far, respondents have been disproportionately white, over the age of 25 and higher-income. She encourages the participation of a more diverse range of community members.
Organizations also have the opportunity to request a roadshow presentation about the UFMP for their group — be it a homeowners association meeting, church gathering or other assembly — with Asheville Urban Forester Keith Aitken
At the Jan. 28 meeting, Aitken opened the floor for questions from the group of roughly 50 attendees. Multiple people inquired about protections for the UNC Asheville urban forest, a 45-acre wooded area on the campus that the university has targeted for development, sparking protests over the past year. (For more on UNCA’s urban forest, see “The Debate Rages On,” Page 8.)
The consultants gathered contact information for Save the Woods organizers and UNCA graduate students who’ve been collecting data from the woods. Rachel Compte of Urban Canopy Works said the UNCA forest is on the group’s radar. Aitken added that David Clarke, a botany instructor at UNCA, has been invited to the stakeholder meetings.
Updates on the Urban Forest Master Plan can be found on the project page at avl.mx/fbm. To request a roadshow presentation for a local group, visit avl.mx/fbn. X
BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE
When Jennifer Martyn replaced her own HVAC system using a little-known federal program, she realized something bigger was broken and decided she didn’t want to let millions of dollars sit untouched while people needed help.
Martyn, an Arden-based independent energy contractor, learned a federal energy grant for North Carolina had quietly landed in the state but barely reached the people it was meant to help. The money, meant to lower household energy costs and modernize aging heating systems, was tied up in bureaucracy and delays, she says, leaving contractors unpaid and homeowners in the dark, many of them seniors and low-income residents still relying on oil or propane to heat their homes.
“People had just been through [Tropical Storm] Helene,” Martyn says. “They were struggling, and this money was sitting there.”
The Energy Saver North Carolina program is funded through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by then-President Joe Biden in August 2022. The legislation set aside billions of dollars nationwide to reduce household energy costs and improve efficiency, with North Carolina receiving more than $208 million for two home energy rebate programs.
The program includes two main components: the Homeowners Managing Efficiency Savings (HOMES) program, which supports energy-efficiency improvements; and the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) program, which helps homeowners replace fossil-fuel systems with electric alternatives.
Under the HOMES program, qualifying homeowners can receive up to $16,000 for upgrades such as insulation improvements or replacing aging HVAC systems. The process begins with an energy audit that identifies changes expected to deliver the greatest energy savings. Homeowners earning at or below 80% of their county’s area median income — about $60,000 for a household of four in Buncombe or Henderson counties — can qualify for full coverage of improvements up to the program limit.
The HEAR program provides up to $13,000 for electrifying homes that cur-
rently rely on oil, gas, propane or similar fuels. That money can be used to install high-efficiency electric heat pumps and other equipment. Households of four earning between 80% and 150% of area median income may qualify for partial assistance through rebates and tax credits.
Martyn says HEAR is moving more quickly because it does not require an energy audit, and she expects that funding to be used up within months as applications increase statewide.
She points to a local homeowner living on Social Security who relied on an oil furnace she struggled to afford. Through the HEAR program, the woman received a high-efficiency electric HVAC system at no cost. The upgrade eliminated the need for expensive oil deliveries and significantly reduced her monthly energy bills, Martyn says.
“She didn’t have the money to buy oil,” Martyn says. “Now she doesn’t have to.”
Applicants must provide proof of income, proof of homeownership and one year of electric bills. Martyn says participation has been slowed by administrative delays and late payments to contractors, causing many companies to leave the program. She has continued assisting homeowners, particularly seniors and residents on fixed incomes, despite those challenges.
Martyn says interest in the program has grown largely through word-of-mouth.
“The money is there,” she says. “People just need to know about it before it runs out.”
For more information, visit Energy Savers North Carolina’s website at avl.mx/fap or reach out to Martyn at Jennifer@ncenergysavers.com. X
At its Jan. 27 meeting, Asheville City Council approved $15.5 million for the city’s Small Business Support Program. Funding is through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBGDR) program. The four recipients include Mountain BizWorks ($10 million), ArtsAVL ($2.3 million), Eagle Market Streets Development Corp. ($2.3 million) and Venture Asheville ($855,000).
Each recipient will establish and administer grant programs available to for-profit small businesses impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. Three of the organizations — Mountain BizWorks, ArtAVL and Eagle Market Streets — are collaborating on a program called Asheville Recovers Together.
The grant program is anticipated to launch in the spring, according to Mountain BizWorks. Grants can be used to help retain and create jobs; rebuild from disaster impacts; cover temporary lease costs; replace equip-
BUT EFFECTIVE: In addition to approving funding for small businesses at its Jan. 27 meeting, Asheville City Council heard from Stephanie Monson Dahl, far right, the city’s planning and urban design director. Dahl urged Council to approve a zoning text amendment change to adjust the process for nonconforming accessory dwelling units.”Staff and many of the community members and policy analysts across the country consistently see ADUs as a very small and effective way to allow existing property owners to create wealth and also add additional units to a community’s housing stock,” she said. Photo by
Jessica Wakeman
ment or inventory; and stabilize operations, according to ArtsAVL.
Overall, the city’s CDBG-DR action plan allocated $17 million to the
Small Business Support Program, part of a larger $52 million allocation to economic revitalization programs. In addition to the $15.5 million in
direct business support, the Small Business Support Program funding includes $510,000 in business planning support and $990,000 in administrative costs.
Council approved a zoning text amendment change to adjust the process for nonconforming accessory dwelling units (ADU). An ADU is a smaller unit located on the same lot as a single-family home. Stephanie Monson Dahl, the city’s planning and urban design director, explained that the nonconforming units are oddly shaped ADUs or exist on oddly shaped parcels, which contradict the city’s current building code.
“When someone owns a nonconforming [lot], they did not create that hardship,” Dahl said. Currently, nonconforming structures are required to get a variance in a quasijudicial hearing with City of Asheville’s Board of Adjustment.
Dahl said making it easier for residents to develop nonconforming ADUs could positively impact the city’s available housing supply. “Staff and many of the community members and policy analysts across the country consistently see ADUs as a very small and effective way to allow existing property owners to create wealth and also add additional units to a community’s housing stock,” she said.
Council member Antanette Mosley asked if approving the zoning text amendment change would have the unintended effect of creat-
ing more short-term rentals (STR), such as Airbnbs. “We don’t allow things to be turned into short-term rentals,” Dahl said.
City Attorney Brad Branham added that the city has staff monitoring short-term rental websites for violations.
During a public hearing on the change, Rebecca Chaplin, associate state director for the mountain region of AARP-North Carolina, said her organization supported the text amendment change as a way to potentially create more affordable housing for aging adults.
Council passed the zoning text amendment change unanimously.
• In the consent agenda, Council approved the adoption of an ordinance amending the code of ordinances “to clarify who may qualify as a permitted representative for employees during the grievance process.” According to the ordinance, the city’s grievance procedure “currently does not provide for an allowance for third-party representation of grieving employees to participate in the grievance process.” During the consent agenda public comment period, Welcker Taylor, president of Asheville Fire Fighters Association – IAFF Local 332, and Scott Mullins, Local 332’s former president, spoke in support of the adoption as well as ensuring the right to representation. (Read more about the firefighters’ grievance with the city at avl.mx/fbj.)
• Council approved Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funding recommendations for housing support. The City of Asheville receives HOME funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium. The funding includes $170,000 for Helpmate, $75,000 for Housing Authority of the City of Asheville and $50,000 for ARC of Buncombe County for tenant-based rental assistance. Funding also includes $200,000 for Henderson County Habitat for Humanity for down payment assistance, $200,000 for Community Housing Coalition of Madison County and $204,000 for Housing Assistance Corp. for homeowner rehabilitation.
• In the consent agenda, Council approved a resolution to authorize the city manager to apply for Helene Recovery Fund for Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) state grants. Funds can be used to repair, replace or
construct equipment, buildings or natural features damaged by Tropical Storm Helene. The grant can be used for projects that were ineligible or denied public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• In the consent agenda, Council approved a resolution authorizing the city attorney to intervene in Duke Energy’s Carbon Resource
Plan. According to the city, Duke Energy’s Carbon Plan Integrated Resource Plan “delays coal retirements, increases natural gas generation, reduces solar buildout and eliminates long-term planning for onshore or offshore wind or hydroelectric resources. The proposed plan also won’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions until the late 2030s, jeopardizing the city’s ability to
meet our emissions reduction and renewable energy goals.” The city can petition to weigh in on the plan in a N.C. Utilities Commission statutory review. (The City has intervened in 2020, 2022 and 2024.) This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Reporting and Editing.
— Jessica Wakeman X
As travelers increasingly turn to artificial intelligence to plan trips, Explore Asheville is adapting its online marketing to make sure the destination shows up in AI-driven searches.
The strategy was outlined by staff members during the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority’s (TDA) Jan. 28 board meeting.
“In the background of everything that is happening in this quarter, the marketing team has also been working very intentionally to experiment with AI in some specific areas, as these tools reshape how people plan travel,” said Dodie Stephens, vice president of marketing.
One of the most visible efforts is a partnership with Mindtrip, an AI-powered itinerary builder embedded on ExploreAsheville.com. The tool allows visitors to ask natural-language questions — such as planning a threeday food-focused trip or combining hiking and music — and receive customized itineraries.
“It reflects a shift from traditional website navigation to conversation-based discovery,” Stephens explained. The tool was soft-launched in the fall and has seen about 1,000 engagements.
Behind the scenes, Explore Asheville is also investing in “answer engine optimization” (AEO), a strategy aimed at ensuring the city’s information appears correctly in AI-generated responses, not just traditional search results.
“I
“We are moving beyond or adding to search engine optimization — SEO,” Stephens said. The work includes structuring content and adding FAQs (frequently asked questions) so AI systems can accurately interpret authoritative information about local businesses, events and experiences.
Because ExploreAsheville.com has built significant traffic over time, it is important for partners to keep listings current so that information is accurately “ingested” by AI platforms, said Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville and the TDA.
Isley also stressed the need for ethical use of the technology, saying a cross-functional internal team is focused on maintaining an authentic community voice and “ensuring that we’re using AI for good, not evil,” as the tools become more embedded in travel planning.
Together, the initiatives are intended to “future-proof our infrastructure,” Stephens said, as AI continues to reshape how visitors discover the area.
• Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley reported that renovations to Asheville’s historic McCormick Field are on schedule to be completed by Tuesday, April 21, the date of the Asheville Tourists’ home opener. Recent inspections show the stadium meets Major League
Baseball requirements mandated in 2021, she said. Upgrades to the 101-year-old ballpark include a new front entrance and plaza, upgraded ticket office, clubhouses, hitting cages, LED lights and a new playing surface.
• James Shelton, community development division manager for the City of Asheville, briefed board members on the city’s rollout of $225 million in federal Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery funds in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene. Shelton said $17 million of the allocation has been set aside for small-business support, including $15.5 million in direct assistance targeted to lowand moderate-income businesses, with the remainder of the funding for planning, mitigation and administrative oversight required under federal rules. Following an extensive action-planning and community-engagement process, the city awarded the $15.5 million to four partner organizations to deploy grants ranging from $5,000 to $75,000, with a goal of retaining or creating more than 1,000 jobs. Shelton stressed that the funding is not emergency relief but part of a broader $50 million economic recovery strategy that also includes future investments in flooded commercial corridors and workforce development.
—
Justin McGuire X
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BY EMILY KLINGER ANTOLIC
e.antolic@gmail.com
“As soon as that first drop of blood hit, she shot her arms up and yelled,” the nurse said to me from across the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) isolette. “I’m guessing the Hulk donated the blood she’s receiving.”
Like all new mothers, I was quickly learning how much I didn’t know about infants. For example, I hadn’t known that premature babies like mine (those born before 37 weeks’ gestation) can’t make their own blood yet, thus transfusions are a very common procedure for them.
Up until that point, I hadn’t spent much time thinking about blood. In fact, I thought donating blood was like the Olympics: done once every four years by elite ABO and Rh-blood types with strong stomachs and iron pulsing their veins. (Followed, of course, by a ceremony with golden apple juice and stickers.)
Obviously, that’s false.
But witnessing blood transfusions save the life of my newborn daughter made me curious. From vein to vein, what’s donation really like?
There are two predominant organizations in Western North Carolina where people can donate blood. The Western North Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross and The Blood Connection both have brickand-mortar locations, plus a fleet of bloodmobiles that roam the region to host blood drives.
Many of the WNC hospitals and medical centers use The Blood Connection as their exclusive source of blood products. The nonprofit serves Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
According to its annual report, The Blood Connection collected 331,455 units of blood in 2024. One “unit” equals about a pint, and each unit of whole blood can be separated into platelets, plasma and red blood cells. From there, it goes to treat individuals with bleeding disorders, anemia of prematurity or other critical conditions. Most of it helps people survive surgery, trauma, transplants or chemotherapy.
Regardless of where it ends up, the blood came from a volunteer — an ordinary person in our community who was at least 16 years old, weighed at least 110 pounds and could squeeze a foam ball until told to stop. The eligibility requirements for donors have changed over the years. Things that once excluded volunteers from donating — such as foreign travel, vaccine status, chronic conditions and the use of certain medications — are no longer deferrals. “But they can still result in a temporary or permanent deferral depending on the details,” says Amaris Jenkins, spokesperson for The Blood Connection.
Each visit to The Blood Connection donation center starts with a question: “Did you eat a big meal today?” This question is repeated by every employee you encounter, as if you’re surrounded by excited family members eager to feed you. And feed you they will.
But first there’s a quick health screening, then a finger poke to take a few drops of blood and check hemoglobin levels. If you’re deemed healthy, you’re taken to the lineup of donor lounge chairs. Most people are there donating whole blood. For this type of donation, volunteers have a needle in their arm for no more than
DONATE: There are two predominant organizations in Western North Carolina where people can donate blood. The Western North Carolina Chapter of the America Red Cross and The Blood Connection both have brick-and-mortar locations, plus a fleet of bloodmobiles that roam the region to host blood drives. Photo courtesy of The Blood Connection
15 minutes. Within that time, one unit of your blood is collected and voila! You’ve just potentially saved up to three lives.
Within hours, your body will replenish its lost plasma. Within weeks, your blood cells will have fully regenerated. And in 56 days, you can donate your latest unit of blood all over again.
Other donors in the lounge are connected to specialized machines for separating plasma, platelets or double-red cells. Some of those volunteers have the needle in their arm for up to two hours. (The required wait time for these types of donations varies.)
Regardless of your blood offering, the facility provides you with refreshments throughout the process. The workers want you fed and hydrated, and they provide a selection that is more generous than the average in-flight snack and beverage cart.
Once the needle is out, you briefly rest to allow any nausea, dizziness or chills to pass. While waiting, you get follow-up instructions: Eat and drink more and avoid strenuous activities for the rest of the day.
You leave with a neon bandage around your elbow, a snack for the
It’s not just our human loved ones that sometimes need blood. Cats and dogs also require transfusions for things such as trauma, surgery or medical conditions. While most local veterinary hospitals carry blood products, not many facilitate the donation process.
road and the knowledge that you’ve increased the likelihood that someone lives another day because of you.
Since blood donation is a personal and voluntary choice, everyone finds personal reasons for doing it.
For some, it’s purely altruistic. For others, it’s a form of karmic reciprocity. One person I spoke to said it was an “easy way to get extra PTO (personal time off).”
Intentions aside, many donation centers find ways to reward volunteers for their lifesaving acts. For example, The Blood Connection incentivizes donors with points that can be redeemed for an array of electronic gift cards.
No matter what motivates a volunteer, the anonymous act brings immeasurable gratitude from blood recipients and their loved ones.
It’s humbling to know that people in your community (including maybe the Hulk) rolled up their sleeves to preemptively save lives — maybe yours — while probably eating a bag of Cheez-Its. X
At the South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (SAVES) Blood Bank, pet owners can enroll their dogs or cats to be blood donors. Like the human process, pets also have age and weight requirements for eligibility and undergo a health screening. Unlike humans, they receive head scratches and belly rubs in addition to snacks for their generous service. X
BY BRIONNA DALLARA
During a June 2021 seminar to spread awareness about nationwide and local reparations efforts, Dr. Dwight Mullen introduced his data on wellness in Buncombe County’s Black community by hearkening back to the Asheville Colored Hospital.
In 1943, the hospital opened its doors to Black patients who had long been denied care at white-only hospitals. The facility included delivery, emergency and operating rooms, and was staffed by Black nurses and physicians who served the community until the hospital merged with Mission Hospital in 1951.
Today, the site is a parking lot for Green Man Brewery.
Such historical displacements, Mullen suggested, are emblematic of “the personalization of urban renewal” and a root cause of health disparities in the local Black population.
“Maybe one reason [for the disparities] is that only 1.9% of physicians in Buncombe County are Black,” said Mullen, former chair of the AshevilleBuncombe County Community Reparations Commission (CRC), who noted that 6% of Buncombe’s residents are Black.
The CRC was tasked with developing short- and long-term recommendations for investing nearly $4 million in reparations funds allocated by the city of Asheville and Buncombe County in 2020. The commission officially dissolved last October after issuing 39 recommendations and completing a final report, which included a comprehensive audit doc-
HEALTH HISTORY: The Asheville Colored Hospital opened on Oct. 21, 1943. Amenities included delivery and emergency rooms, operating and sterilizing rooms, and six bathrooms. Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Public Library, Asheville
umenting historical harms, supporting data and firsthand accounts from Black community members. Nine of the commission’s recommendations are focused on improving health and wellness disparities.
During the 2021 seminar, Mullen noted that addressing such disparities involves more than expanding access — it also requires access to providers within one’s own community, including Black health care professionals. Mullen explained that when patients cannot find Black doctors, nurses or allied health pro-
fessionals, many are reluctant to seek care.
“They don’t want to go talk to the white folk about the most personal of personals; and it’s not because they don’t like white folk, it’s because they have a history,” Mullen said. “People remember, this is the South,” he added, noting that it wasn’t until the 1970s that involuntary sterilizations, which often targeted people of color, ended in Buncombe County.
A key long-term recommendation of the CRC is to establish more Black health professionals in the local com-
munity. The recommendations were determined after a CRC Health and Wellness research team analyzed more than 75 documents, including Buncombe County’s Community Health Assessment and Community Health Implementation Plan, and identified three health priorities: birth outcomes/infant mortality, mental health and substance misuse, and chronic health conditions (heart disease and diabetes).
Zooming in, the CRC found that those health challenges are exacerbated in marginalized communities.
From 2015-19, for example, the Black infant mortality rate in Buncombe was 7.4 per 1,000 live births compared with white infants at 5.2 per 1,000. And during the same period, diabetes mortality rates for Black men were nearly seven times higher than rates for the white population combined. Buncombe’s disaggregated heart disease mortality rates for the period reflected that Black men had almost double the death rate compared with the white population combined as well. Those statistics are pulled from the CRC’s Cease Harm Comprehensive Audit, which informed the commis-
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Below, we speak with Jess Tripp, who has been involved in Asheville’s wellness community since 2013. In March 2024, she launched Longevity Physical Therapy. “I felt the desire to provide a higher level of care to active adults to keep them moving and feeling strong in their bodies,” she says. “My inspiration comes from rupturing my Achilles tendon in June 2023. I realized through doing my own rehabilitation the majority of athletes are not pushed to their full potential in their recovery.”
Xpress: What’s your approach for managing screen time and technology to support optimal health?
My daily approach for keeping myself balanced in regards to technology demands is not wearing my smartwatch during the day to keep myself focused on the task at hand and having “do not disturb” turned on at 8 p.m. each night. Can you share one or two food items or simple dishes that are your personal go-tos for maintaining a healthy diet?
Protein intake is always something I am working toward getting enough of to support my lifestyle — with a Greek yogurt, blueberry, granola and honey bowl being my favorite. It’s easy to prepare and toss in my work bag to help me hit my goals on busy days.
What is one wellness habit readers should consider adding to their daily or weekly routines in 2026?
To be healthier in 2026, add in strength training two to three times per week. The stronger you are, the more reserves you have to tackle the unexpected transactions (like an Achilles rupture) life may throw at you. X
sion’s recommendations and identified “how local government policies and practices have caused and continue to cause harm to Black and African American residents in Asheville and Buncombe County.”
Statistics beyond the doctor’s office also factored into the recommendations, notably food access in the Black community and Parks and Recreation health-related programming.
City and county staff are now involved in an initial review of the legal authority and jurisdiction they have to consider and implement the recommendations. (Last September, after the CRC briefed Buncombe County Commissioners on the recommendations, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a letter calling some of them into legal question. “After our initial review, we are deeply concerned that many of the recommendations, if implemented, could violate federal civil rights laws,” it said.) The legal review is expected to be completed in early 2026, in time for the next budget-planning process.
the Age-Friendly Buncombe County initiative. It also suggests ways to expand and personalize aging support services, like creating a training program for how to take care of the elderly.
2. Recruit, retain and provide systemic support for African American health professionals of all disciplines to improve health outcomes.
This recommendation aims to increase the presence, retention and visibility of Black health care providers in Asheville and Buncombe County through a multilevel strategy that engages local, state and federal partners.
3. Meet the holistic health needs of African American elders to support their ability to age in place as long as possible with comprehensive community support.
Here is a look at the nine Health and Wellness recommendations presented by the CRC in its final report.
Establish Health Care Subsidy Fund to provide comprehensive multigenerational direct primary care access.
The proposed fund would provide financial assistance to lower the cost of health insurance. This recommendation aims to align local efforts with state and federal programs that support preventive health care, aging with dignity and the elderly — particularly within Black communities and other historically marginalized groups in Buncombe County.
The recommendation calls on the county to support state efforts like former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper’s “All Ages, All Stages NC: A Roadmap for Aging and Living Well” strategic vision; federal programs like Medicaid; and local programs like
This recommendation suggests supporting state efforts like former Gov. Cooper’s strategic plan, federal programs like Medicaid and local programs like the AgeFriendly Buncombe County initiative for multigenerational direct primary care access.
4. Establish a Resiliency Sabbatical Fund to address toxic stress, trauma and chronic illnesses for individuals and families.
This recommendation proposes expanding access to Black primary care physicians through the Direct Primary Care model in Asheville and Buncombe County. This approach prioritizes preventive care, patient trust and long-term wellness by eliminating traditional insurance barriers and fostering strong provider-patient relationships.
5. Develop and fund an Asheville Black Mental Health Network to systematically address toxic stress and trauma.
This recommendation proposes the creation of a community-led
Asheville Black Mental Health Network. The network would serve as a centralized grassroots initiative aimed at improving access, coordination, education and advocacy related to Black mental health care across the local, state and federal levels. Locally, this would look like coordination with Black therapists and mental health specialists, and working with existing nonprofits such as A Therapist Like Me. Similar partnerships would be sought at a state and federal level.
6. Establish a Black Joy Fund to create multidimensional, joyfilled experiences and spaces that cultivate a healthy community.
This recommendation builds on existing local initiatives that preserve and honor Black history, such as the African American Experiences in the Smokies Project. It also endorses the restoration of historically Black spaces, celebrating cultural resilience and advancing reparative justice through community-centered programming and policy change. In addition, it calls for larger-scale reparations funded at the state and federal levels.
7. Hold institutions accountable to address harms and create policies that are restorative.
The goal of this recommendation is to establish formal policies and practices that train staff, administrators and service providers on how to prevent and reduce harm and disparities. The recommendation promotes partnerships formed with organizations such as the WNC Health Policy Initiative to elevate work spaces.
8. Create an environmental justice plan to correct past and ongoing environmental injustices and set
standards to prevent the confusion of environmental racism.
This recommendation calls for a commitment to advance energy justice by ensuring equitable access to energy-efficient housing, sustainable transportation and clean energy infrastructure for all residents — particularly Black and historically marginalized communities. Locally, this looks like educating community members about environmental racism, its historical roots and its current impacts on low-income and Black communities — such as disproportionate exposure to pollution, lack of access to green spaces and inadequate infrastructure. To support these goals, the CRC urges, Asheville and Buncombe County should actively pursue environmental justice funding opportunities and secure matching funds from public and private sources.
9. Create Black healing and birthing centers to reduce and remedy harms against Black birthing people and infants.
This recommendation focuses on increasing access to community-based doulas in Buncombe County as a strategy to improve maternal and infant health outcomes, particularly among African American families. An important step in this plan is the identification and designation of public sites throughout Buncombe where doulas can be stationed or embedded. These locations — such as community centers, clinics or public health facilities — would serve as accessible hubs for providing prenatal, birthing and postpartum support services. It also recommends aligning with state and federal partnerships that support maternal services. To read the recommendations in full, visit avl.mx/fbt. X
BY JESSICA WAKEMAN
You might think six dogs, eight cats, four rabbits, four pigs, three miniature donkeys and one miniature horse would consume all of Caroline Bloom’s time. But somehow, the co-founder of Beautiful Chaos Animal Sanctuary, a nonprofit in Leicester, has managed to squeeze in a weekend trip to Tampa, Fla., to run four races in two days as a way to benefit the 26 critters on her Buncombe County property.
On Saturday, Feb. 21, Bloom will run a 15K and a 5K, followed by a half-marathon and an 8K the next day — a total of 30.4 miles. As part of the fundraiser, she will begin at the rear of each race and see how many people she can pass. She’s asking for pledges of $1 per 100 people she outpaces. With 11,000 registered runners, she
says there is potential to raise a lot of money for Beautiful Chaos.
“I’m not sure how many people I’m going to pass, but I’m going to give it my best shot for the animals and see what I can do,” she says. All proceeds will benefit Beautiful Chaos.
Bloom and her partner, Ben Tuffield, are dedicated to living cruelty-free lives. They started the sanctuary at their home after adopting Jonah Bobby, a dog who had been bred and raised for animal testing.
“He came with a significant amount of trauma,” Bloom recalls. “It took about a year until he was kind of a dog.”
Through Jonah Bobby, the couple realized they had the temperament to care for traumatized animals.
Today, six of the animals on their farm are survivors of animal testing. Others at the sanctuary include senior pets who are hard to adopt as well as creatures with brain or heart disease.
“They are all just here for permanent sanctuary — we don’t adopt out,” Bloom explains.
In early 2024, Beautiful Chaos became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to seek grant funding. (Additionally, Bloom and Tuffield work full-time jobs.) The outdoor animals live in a barn donated by Bloom’s late mother, and the couple operate the sanctuary from their home, devoting an entire room to the rabbits.
Bloom’s run will be part of the 2026 Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic Race weekend in Tampa. Although Bloom walked the same race 10 years ago, this will be her first time running it.
Bloom, who in the past has competed in three-day ultratriathlons, says she chose to run all four of the upcoming races to keep things interesting.
“I needed a challenge,” she says. “I needed it to be ridiculous.”
Bloom notes that a recent hamstring injury kept her from running for nearly a year. “I’m not that fast,” she says with a laugh. “Especially with an injury.”
She anticipates the 5K will be the hardest because it’ll likely have the most participants. “That’s going to be the biggest challenge — maneuvering through people politely but also trying to see how many people I can pass,” she says.
The sanctuary’s animals, she notes, will keep her motivated.
“Doing something hard, I just feel like it is a resilience thing,” she says.
“[The animals] can do something hard and they can find love and healing, and I can do something hard and try and support them at the same time.”
In the meantime, before the weekend races, Bloom and Tuffield will welcome two more miniature donkeys. “It’s a lot,” she says. “We named [the sanctuary] Beautiful Chaos, and we definitely are that. We are chaos. Mass chaos.”
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fb3. X
BY JESSICA WAKEMAN
jwakeman@mountainx.com
“I may be new to filmmaking, but I am not new to the realities this film is about,” says James Walden of Woodfin.
The first-time aspiring documentarian is in the process of capturing the fentanyl crisis through personal stories and is asking Western North Carolina residents to share their journeys.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used in medical settings. It can be produced cheaply and is 50-100 times more potent than morphine, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. It’s especially dangerous because it can be used as a “filler” in other drugs, leading people to overdose.
For years, fentanyl has been one of the dominant drugs in Asheville (along with methamphetamine). From 2012-21, heroin and fentanyl caused the vast majority of drug-related deaths in Buncombe County, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health. From 2017-21, the rate of medication/drug overdose deaths per 100,000 North Carolina residents was 42.2 for Buncombe County compared with the statewide average of 27.6.
“This crisis is not only about drugs,” says Walden. “It is about housing, mental health, poverty, trauma and the way our community responds to people in need. Fentanyl exposes every weakness in the system.”
Walden says he knows about these weaknesses because he spent much of his childhood and teenage years in foster care and the juvenile justice system. For nearly a decade, he experienced homelessness, both in Arkansas and North Carolina. For seven of those years, he was using substances. He has been in recovery since July 4, 2024.
Walden’s documentary will focus on the public health emergency and aims to feature the stories of people with lived experience of fentanyl abuse. “If we want things to change, we have to start by listening to the people who are usually ignored,” he says.
The film will be self-produced. He is studying “documentary structure, interview techniques, trauma-informed storytelling and ethical ways to film people who are in vulnerable situations,” he says.
He believes his own experience navigating these experiences is integral to building trust and informs his interviews. “I am not collecting stories to exploit anyone,” he says. “I make sure the story stays focused on dignity, accuracy and real community impact.”
Walden notes he has already interviewed several residents who are experiencing homelessness. “I have seen how many people are falling through the cracks, not because they do not want help but because the systems that are supposed to support them are overwhelmed or disconnected,” he says.
ISSUES RUN DEEP: “This crisis is not only about drugs," says James Walden. “It is about housing, mental health, poverty, trauma and the way our community responds to people in need. Fentanyl exposes every weakness in the system.” Photo courtesy of Walden
He aims to expand his interviews to include the “police, fire, EMS, community paramedicine, harm-reduction programs, shelters, day centers, crisis ministries, behavioral health providers, outreach teams and recovery
organizations,” as well as peer-support specialists and local governments.
“My goal is to interview people across the entire system so I can document how each part works, where communication breaks down and what changes could actually help the community,” he says.
He also hopes to create an online platform, PeerSeed.org, which he will outfit with personal stories and recovery resources, such as grounding exercises, meditations and worksheets. The website is currently being built by volunteers.
The next year, Walden says, will be dedicated to further research and interviews. He hopes to start filming in mid-February.
“My goal is to release the documentary when it is complete and truthful, not rushed,” he says. “The timeline is guided by the quality of the work and the responsibility I have to the people who are trusting me with their experiences.”
Residents interested in sharing their stories with Walden can contact him at submissions@peerseed.gmail. com. X
FEB.
For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.
More info, page 41
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50+ Yoga
For individuals aged 50 and above, focusing on gentle movements and flexibility, taught by Barbara.
WE (2/4, 2/11), FR (2/6), MO (2/9), noon, Weaverville Yoga, 3-B Florida Avenue
Anahata Yoga
A heart-centered yoga practice focusing on the Anahata chakra, led by Barbara.
WE (2/4, 2/11), FR (2/6), SA (2/7), MO (2/9), 10:30am, Weaverville Yoga, 3-B Florida Avenue
Tai Chi Fan
The Tai Chi Fan class includes a short Flying Rainbow Single Fan
form, partner work, and Flying Rainbow Double Fan form.
WE (2/4, 2/11), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave
Small Group Weightlifting Class
A small group resistance training session using barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells to develop strength and muscle.
WE (2/4), 1pm, Jungle Gym Asheville, 30 Davenport Rd
Small Group Circuit Training Class
A circuit training group workout class aimed at increasing your general fitness and conditioning. Class is capped at 4 people, held at our private fitness studio in
Gamer’s Haunt Gala
• Gamer’s Haunt | 167 Patton Ave
• Saturday, Feb. 7 | 7 p.m.
Asheville’s Home for Magic: the Gathering and D&D is moving to a bigger, bette location. To Celebrate they will be throwing a special gala featuring drinks, finger foods, music and tables to chat at or play games. All funds raised from this event will help with their move to their new location.
West Asheville. TH (2/5), 9am, Jungle Gym Asheville, 30
Davenport Rd
Small Group Core & Cardio Class
A focused group workout that strengthens your core while boosting heart health and endurance.
FR (2/6), 9am, Jungle Gym Asheville, 30 Davenport Rd
Chinese Tea and Tai Chi Foundations
This is a class for all ages and all levels. No experience is needed.
SA (2/7), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave
SharQui Bellydance Fitness
A bellydance fitness class suitable for all levels, led by instructor Kim Reigle.
WE (2/4, 2/11), noon, SA (2/7), 10am, World Dance Asheville, 1269 Tunnel Rd
Candlelight Flow Yoga
Unwind in our all-levels
Candlelight Flow Yoga class.
SU (2/8), 5pm, Happy Body Pilates, 25 Reed St., Suite 210
Hatha Yoga
Suitable for all levels.
MO (2/9), 9am
Yin Yang Qigong
Together, we will balance the Yin and Yang within to effortlessly smooth out internal and external physical, emotional and mental disharmonies.
MO (2/9), 10am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave
Kinēsa Mat Class
Kinēsa focuses on retraining the brain and calming the nervous system to release habitual patterns of posture, movement, and body mechanics.
TU (2/10), 8:30am, Happy Body Pilates, 25 Reed St., Suite 210
Qigong for Health and Resilience
We practice a variety of simple yet powerful standing movements that can be as deep
and challenging as you wish.
TU (2/10), 9am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave
Community Yoga w/ Carrie
A free hour of yoga, meditation and mindfulness with local yoga instructor.
WE (2/11), 10:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas NC Wellness and Opportunity Center, 216 Asheland Ave
Shamanic Journey Circle
Explore your consciousness and meet your guides in the lower world, upper world, and middle worlds.
WE (2/11), 6:30pm, The Well, 3 Louisiana Avenue
Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders Support Group
This support group is peer-led and facilitated by licensed therapists & dietitians specializing in eating disorders. Regiser at avl.mx/es6.
WE (2/4, 2/11), 6pm, Online
Nicotine Anonymous
People share their experience, strength and hope to stop using nicotine. You don’t need to be stopped, just have a desire to attend.
TH (2/5, 2/12), 4:30pm, Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 1 Kenilworth Knolls Unit 4
Staying Grounded in Shaky Times
It will explore a variety of spiritual practices including meditation, breath-work, meditative movement and more.
WE (2/4, 2/11), 2pm, AmeriHealth Caritas NC Wellness and Opportunity Center, 216 Asheland Ave
Stroke Support Group w/Stronger Together Wellness Stronger Together
The North Carolina Arboretum, The Big Crafty and ArtsAVL partner up to offer The Little Crafty, an intimate craft market celebrating regional artists, nature-inspired making and the creative spirit of Western North Carolina. The event happens Saturday, Feb. 7, and Sunday, Feb. 8, starting at 1 p.m., at the Arboretum’s auditorium, with free Community Day parking at the Arboretum on Sunday. Photo courtesy of ArtsAVl
Wellness empowers stroke survivors and their caregivers through shared experiences, fostering a vibrant community that inspires healing, resilience, and hope on the journey to recovery.
TH (2/5), 3pm, AmeriHealth Caritas NC Wellness and Opportunity Center, 216 Asheland Ave
Reconnect for Better Days
This free monthly presentation offers simple but powerful strategies to help us feel better and experience better days. Register at avl.mx/fbb.
FR (2/6), noon, Online
Magnetic Minds: Depression & Bipolar Support Group
A free weekly peer-led meeting for those living with depression, bipolar, and related mental health challenges. For more information contact (828) 367-7660.
SA (2/7), 2pm, First Congregational Church of Christ of Asheville, 20 Oak Street
Solutions Group Daily living sober meeting. For more information, visit avl.mx/f91.
SU (2/8), 12:30pm, Online
Sunrise AA Meeting
Daily virtual Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. For more information, visit avl.mx/f91.
SU (2/8), 7am, Online Menopause Circle Connect while a Somatic experiencing practitioner facilitates this circle.
MO (2/9), 6pm, Moonrise Studio, 55 & 1/2 Broadway
Families Anonymous
Support group for those affected by someone else’s addiction. We support each other with support of program.
TU (2/10), 6pm, Love & Respect, 350 Chadwick Ave Suite 300
The Men’s Nest Make meaningful human connections to strengthen your social health, cultivate compassion, and learn to use your power to give and receive authentic support.
TU (2/10), 5:15pm, SeekHealing, 50 S French Broad Ave
Latin Night Wednesday w/DJ MTN VIBEZ
A Latin dance social featuring salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, and reggaeton with dance lessons for all skill levels.
WE (2/4, 2/11), 8pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd
Nia Dance Class
Nia brings the body, mind, emotions, and spirit to optimal health through music, movement, and self expression.
TH (2/5, 2/12), TU (2/10), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave
We Line Dance Instructor Brenda Mills leads an all-inclusive exercise class using line dancing to get your body moving.
TH (2/5, 2/12), 6:15pm, Stephens-Lee Rec Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Asheville Community Square Dance w/Live Old-Time Band A night of community social dance, music, laughs and fun. All dances will be taught, and will be beginner and family-friendly SA (2/7), 7pm, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd Steppin’ Out The second Sunday of every month features line dancing. No cover charge, and no boots, partner, or experience needed.
SU (2/8), 5pm, Hi-Wire Brewing - Biltmore Village, 2A Huntsman Pl
ART
Highwater: Ceramics from the Gail & Brian McCarthy Collection
Highwater features ceramics from the collection of Gail & Brian McCarthy, celebrating the 45-year legacy of Highwater Clays as a pillar of the ceramics community in WNC and beyond. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through April 26, 2026.
Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Look Homeward, Angel: Letterio Calapai’s Wood Engravings of the Asheville-Inspired Novel
This exhibition presents a folio of prints by Letterio Calapai illustrating “Look Homeward, Angel” (1929)—Thomas Wolfe’s semi-autobiographical novel set in a fictionalized Asheville. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through Feb. 22, 2026.
Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Modern Bestiary: Creatures from the Collection
This exhibition explores the artistic legacy of the medieval bestiary through a selection of animals and fantastic beasts from the Museum’s Collection. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through March 15, 2026.
Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Trolls: A Field Study
An interactive exhibition featuring twelve troll sculptures exploring human life, crafted from materials like fallen branches and wooden pallets. Open daily, 8am.
NC Arboretum, 20 Frederick Law Olmsted Way
Women of the Pacific Northwest
This exhibition celebrates the voices, visions and material mastery of female artists working today, with roots from this rich and progressive region. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through May 17, 2026.
Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Curves Ahead: Contemporary Art Exhibition
Discover Curves
Ahead, a contemporary craft exhibition showcasing regional artists whose work explores form, movement, and organic shape across multiple media. Gallery open daily, 10am. Exhibition through
March, 22.
Focus Gallery at the Folk Art Center, Milepost 382 Blue Ridge Parkway
Dialogue: Lindenfeld & Lindenfeld
This exhibition celebrates the works of mother-daughter artists, Lore Kadden Lindenfeld and Naomi Lindenfeld. It features clay and mixed media work of Naomi Lindenfeld as she responded to a selection of her mother Lore’s innovative textiles. Gallery open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through May, 9. Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St
Slow Art Friday
A volunteer educator will lead this week’s Slow Art Friday for you to experience how close looking can foster relaxation and connection.
FR (2/6), noon, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Public Tour: Featured Exhibition
A guided tour of the museum’s current featured exhibition.
SA (2/7), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Public Tour: Discovering Art in Asheville Join volunteer educators or Museum staff for an interactive tour exploring the Museum’s history and Collection.
SU (2/8), 3pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Bones Album Release & Listening Party w/ McKinney
Her debut album is a coming of age collection exploring her experience with love, loss and tragedy while suspending the listener in a rich, decadent, indie pop soundscape. See p42
WE (2/4), 6pm, Aret é , 25 Page Ave
Jazz Showcase w/Dr. Bill Bares
The White Horse Jazz showcase with Dr. Bill Bares will spotlight outstanding regional vocalists, UNCA faculty jazz artists, and additional special guests.
WE (2/4), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Road
Ronn McFarlane & Carolyn Surrick in Concert
Both of these distinguished artists have been champions of their respective instruments for decades, immersing themselves in various forms of folk and chamber music.
FR (2/6), 7:30pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State Street
Stella Cole Sings the Great American Songbook
Stella Cole’s velvet voice and vintage charm revive classics by Ella, Sinatra & Nat King Cole—fresh, nostalgic, and enchanting on the Parker stage.
TU (2/10), 7:30pm, Parker Concert Hall at Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Lane
WNC Pagan Choir: Winter Season
In this folklore and pagan-focused experience, we sing together to celebrate the old gods, the animate forces, and the spirits of the wild.
TU (2/10), 6:30pm, Land of Sky UCC, 15 Overbrook Pl Stella Cole Sings the Great American Songbook
Stella Cole’s velvet voice and vintage charm revive classics by Ella, Sinatra & Nat King
Cole—fresh, nostalgic, and enchanting on the Parker stage.
TU (2/10), 7:30pm, Parker Concert Hall at Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Lane
Streambank Repair Certification Workshop Attendees will learn how to protect and improve the natural environment of streams by stabilizing the stream bank and
other eroding areas.
TH (2/5), 9am, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Road St. 10
Anti-Valentine’s Day Flower Arranging Class Grab a friend and learn the basics of floral design with 0 romance! Guided instruction and supplies will be provided. MO (2/9), 6:30pm, Dssolvr, 63 N Lexington Ave
Community Narcan Training
Learn how to use Naloxone, an introduction
into harm reduction, what’s going on in our community and more.
TU (2/10), 10:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas NC Wellness and Opportunity Center, 216 Asheland Ave
Valentine’s Themed Charcuterie Workshop Craft your very own heart-shaped charcuterie board — just in time for the sweetest day of the year.
TH (2/12), 6:30pm, Asheville Charcuterie Co., 25 Page Ave, Ste 102
Poetry Open Mic Asheville’s longest-running open mic, welcoming all forms of creative expression. Sign-up at 8 p.m. for a 5 or 10-minute spot. WE (2/4, 2/11), 8:30pm, Sovereign Kava, 268 Biltmore Ave Love Stories w/Five WNC Storytellers
This event features traditional and personal tales of love by five WNC storytellers.
Touching, funny, tragic?
It’ll explore love in all its gloriously complicated facets.
TH (2/5), 7pm, Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville
Ralph Ellis Presents: The Accident Report w/Susan Puckett
Author Ralph Ellis will share his new novel, the Accident Report, in conversation with Susan Puckett.
SA (2/7), 3pm, City Lights Bookstore, 3 E Jackson St
Pack Book Club
We read a variety of genres. Newcomers are always welcome.
SU (2/8), 10:30am, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St
Flooded Poetry
Mondays
Poetry-specific open mic, starring you plus weekly featured readers, every Monday.
MO (2/9), 6:30pm, Flood Gallery, 802 Fairview Rd, Ste 1200
Writing Open Mic
Share your writing, poetry, essays, short-stories and more with an audience. Each participant will have a ten-minute slot.
TU (2/10), 6pm, Madison County Public Library, 1335 N Main St
Going to Water: A Writer’s Search for the Cherokee Literary Form w/Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle
She will discuss how Cherokee writers and artists are using Cherokee cultural knowledge and the seven core Cherokee values to inform artistic choices, such as structure, style, and narrative.
TH (2/12), 6pm, UNC Asheville, 1 University Hts
Grand Kyiv Ballet Presents: Giselle
Giselle is a classical ballet known for its stunning choreography and beautiful music, and is a true masterpiece of the ballet repertoire.
WE (2/4), 7pm, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave
Branden Jacobs Jenkins: Appropriate Every estranged member of the Lafayette clan has descended upon the crumbling Arkansas homestead to settle the accounts of the newly-dead patriarch. As his three adult children sort through a lifetime of hoarded mementos and junk, they collide over clutter, debt, and a contentious family history.
FR (2/6), 7:30pm, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 S Washington St
Foreign Film Friday: The White Ribbon
Set in a village in Protestant northern Germany on the eve of World War I, The White Ribbon delineates a microcosm of society: the schoolteacher, the pastor, the local aristocracy, the steward, the doctor, the midwife, the tenant farmers, and their extended families.
FR (2/6), 7pm, Flood Gallery, 802 Fairview Rd #1200
Rouge: A Cirque & Dance Cabaret Rouge features daring aerial acts, thrilling acrobatics and poetic dance that cannot be missed.
TH (2/12), 8pm, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave
Social Seniors
A social gathering for seniors to engage in various activities and connect with peers. WE (2/4, 2/11), TH (2/5, 2/12), FR (2/6), MO (2/9), TU (2/10), 9am, Grove Street Community Center, 36 Grove S Charter School Community Forum
Explore the free alternative options offered by five different public charter schools and see what makes them different from traditional public schools.
WE (2/4), 5:30pm, Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Get There Asheville: City Council Candidate Forum
Get There Asheville is a city council candidate forum focused on the interconnected issues that shape how Asheville grows and how residents experience our city—housing, mobility, resilience, and land use.
WE (2/4), 6pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave
Witnessing Life: Enhancing Spiritual Connection
Experience a shift in perspective as you deepen your spiritual awareness and learn to witness life with presence, curiosity, and compassion.
WE (2/4), 1pm, Community Commons at CSL Asheville, 3 Science of Mind Way
WNC Sierra Club: Geology of WNC, Past & Present Geologist Richard Wiener will talk about the topography, bedrock geology, and evolution of our beautiful and intriguing slice of Earth in wNC.
WE (2/4), 7pm, Reuter Center, 300 Campus View Road
Asheville Lightwork-
ers Collaborative
This program focuses on self and global awakening and transformation through mutual support, inspiration, sharing and connection. Please call 541-799-5289 for address.
SU (2/8), 4pm, Private Residency
Atheists of WNC
This little Atheist group invites anyone who doesn’t believe in religions to come chat with like-minded people. Find out more at avl.mx/f8c.
SU (2/8), 10am, EarthFare - Westgate, 66 Westgate Pkw
Prime Plants & Practices for Aphrodisiac Formulation
Consideration
Marc Williams will lead a program where you can explore various methods and body systems relevant to developing herbal aphrodisiacs.
SU (2/8), 6pm, Herbiary Asheville, 29 Market St
Sunday Celebration
An uplifting Science of Mind Celebration. SU (2/8), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science of Mind Way
Draft: Artistry in Conversation w/ Thomas Calder & Tessa Fontaine
A new monthly series that explores how and why do people make the things they make. The debut installment will feature Cayla Clark, Daniel Shearin and Denise Kieran. See p42
SU (2/8), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science of Mind Way
Caregiver Support Group w/Stronger Together Wellness Stronger Together Wellness empowers caregivers through shared experiences, fostering a vibrant community that inspires healing, resilience, and hope on the journey to recovery.
TH (2/12), 3pm, AmeriHealth Caritas NC Wellness and Opportunity Center, 216 Asheland Ave
IBN Biz Lunch: Brevard/Pisgah Forest
A free business networking lunch event open to all, with no membership or attendance requirements.
TH (2/12), noon, Hawg Wild Smokehouse & Taproom, 91 Pisgah Hwy
Asheville Board Game Club Meetup
Play a wide variety of games—strategy, party, cooperative, and more—and we’re always happy to teach,
so no experience needed!
WE (2/4, 2/11), 5:30pm, Well Played Board Game Café, 162 Coxe Ave, 101 Board Game Night Open, casual game night—come and go as you please. An assortment of board games available to play.
WE (2/4, 2/11), 5pm, Hi-Wire RAD Beer Garden, 284 Lyman St Homeschooler’s Hangout Games help develop cognitive skills, including decision-making, problem-solving, and logical analysis. In older adults, playing games has been shown to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
TH (2/5, 2/12), 11am, Well Played Board Game Café, 162 Coxe Ave, 101
Adult Community Basketball Come shoot some hoops or play a pick up game with friends.
SU (2/8), 1pm, Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Hooping Around Community Basketball Come show your skills, play a pick-up game, and get a good sweat in during our Community Basketball.
SU (2/8), 1:15pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Southside After Praise After church, enjoy an afternoon playing spades or dominoes!
SU (2/8), 1:30pm, Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Weekly Sunday Scrabble If you like Wordle, Boggle, Words with Friends or Scrabble online, this club may be a good fit for you. All of the games are provided.
SU (2/8), 1:30pm, Stephens-Lee Rec Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Monday Night Music Video Bingo Come out for Monday Night Music Video Bingo with Jason. MO (2/9), 6pm, Mills River Brewing Co., 336 Banner Farm Rd, Mills River
Pool Night Pool night, every Monday night with a $5 buy in. Must be signed up by 7 p.m.
MO (2/9), 6:30pm, Eda’s Hide-a-Way, 1098 New Stock Rd, Weaverville
Magic: The Gathering Whether you’ve been playing for years or are just starting your journey, this is your chance to battle, brew, and build community.
TU (2/10), 6pm, Well
Played Board Game
Café, 162 Coxe Ave, 101
RAD Farmers Market
A year-round weekly market featuring local fruits vegetables, meats, bread, honey, eggs, pastries, flowers, crafts and more.
SNAP, Double SNAP, & Farmers Market
Prescriptions accepted here.
WE (2/4, 2/11), 3pm, New Belgium Brewing Asheville, 21 Craven St
Weaverville Tailgate Market
This market features a selection of fresh, locally grown produce, grass fed beef, pork, chicken, eggs, cheese, baked goods, artisan bread, eclectic handmade goodies, garden and landscaping plants.
WE (2/4, 2/11), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr
LoCol Market
The Local Collective is hosting a monthly market for locals to show off their passion projects, and hobbies.
SA (2/7), 10am, The Local Collective, 52 S Main Street
Valentine’s Market:
Love in Bloom
This fun-filled afternoon will feature hand-curated local artisans, delicious bites and even a Highland cow kissing booth.
SA (2/7), noon, Ross Farm, 91 Holbrook Rd
Carolina Ground: February Pop-Up Market
This pop-up will offer a rich array of baked goods ranging from rustic sourdough and flat breads to bagels and buckwheat brownies, pie, macarons and more. See p41
SU (2/8), 10am, Carolina Ground, 1237 Shipp St
Junk-O-Rama Vintage Market
Browse vintage clothes, jewelry, local art & more.
SU (2/8), noon, Fleetwood’s, 496 Haywood Rd
WNC Farmers Market
This year-round market features locally grown produce, fruits and vegetables, mountain crafts, plants, shops, arts and crafts, sourwood honey, and other farm fresh items.
Open daily, 8am. 570 Brevard Rd
The Big Asheville Science Salon
Cultivate curiosity and build community by sharing the coolest, grooviest, and fascinating-ist scientif-
ic discoveries.
WE (2/4), 5pm, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Road St. 10
Evergreen Middle School Open House
Come explore Evergreen Community Charter School’s Middle School that serves 6th-8th graders.
TH (2/5), 5:30pm, Evergreen Community Charter School, 50 Bell Rd
Rainbow Community School Preschool-8th Grade Open House
Administration will be available to greet you and offer tours of the campus while teachers will welcome you to their classrooms.
TH (2/5), 4pm, Rainbow Community School, 574 Haywood Rd
Public Star Gaze
This event is free and open to everyone, registration is not necessary to attend. A temporary gate code, required for entry, will be provided here on the day of the star gaze by 4:00 p.m. Sunset will occur at 6:03 p.m.
FR (2/6), 6pm, Grassland Mountain Observatory, 2892 Grassland Pkwy
The Little Crafty It will feature a carefully curated group of around 20 artists whose work draws inspiration from the natural world, including botanicals, landscapes, wildlife and the handmade traditions of the Blue Ridge.
SA (2/7), SU (2/8), 1pm, NC Arboretum, 20 Frederick Law Olmsted Way
Gamer’s Haunt Gala Asheville’s home for Magic: the Gathering and D&D is moving to a bigger, better location. To celebrate, they will be throwing a party featuring drinks, finger foods, music and tables to chat at or play games.
SA (2/7), 7pm, Gamer’s Haunt, 167 Patton Ave
Mr. & Miss Lupercalia Drag Pageant
A drag pageant celebrating the spirit of Lupercalia.
SU (2/8), 8pm, Eulogy, 10 Buxton Ave
Ring of Fire Cacao & Sound Ceremony
This rare double fire cosmic event offers a catalyst for personal growth and new beginnings.
SU (2/8), 1:30pm, The Lodge at Quietude, 1130 Montreat Rd
WNC Pizza Week
Launch Party
It will feature many participating pizza makers to kick-off this special celebration. See p41
MO (2/9), Soprana Rooftop Cucina, 192 Haywood St
Hollow Heart Festival: 2026 Billy Strings Run Market & Festival
Billy’s four-night AVL takeover is turning into a full-on festival with live music, art markets, special beer and merch releases.
TU (2/10), WE (2/11), FR (2/13), SA (2/14), noon, Dssolvr, 63 N Lexington Ave
An Evening of Greek, Armenian & Balkan Dance for Peace & Healing
This special event will feature traditional circle dances offer an experience of community, celebration, connection and joy.
TH (2/12), 6:30pm, Asheville Jewish Community Center, 236 Charlotte St
Asheville Backcountry Film Festival
Asheville screening of the 21st Annual Back-
country Film Festival, celebrating human-powered adventure, winter storytelling, and public lands advocacy.
TH (2/12), 6pm, Hatch Innovation Hub, 45 S French Broad Ave
Love Marquee
Guests can look forward to an evening filled with festive experiences, including: A DJ Set by Ganymede, a special appearance by Street Creatures, sweet treats and indulgent bites, Valentines-themed cocktails and more.
TH (2/12), 6pm, Marquee Asheville, 36 Foundy St
Asheville Drag Bingo: Totally 80’s Fundraiser for Arms Around ASD Asheville Drag Bingo is turning back the clock with Totally 80’s
Bingo, a high-energy night of drag and nostalgia. Guests are encouraged to come dressed in their best 80’s realness.
FR (2/6), 7pm, Hilltop Event Center, 21 Restaurant Ct
LP & The Vinyl: From Blues to Beatles to Bowie
This concert will benefit Arts for All Kids which opens doors to the performing arts for students across WNC through scholarships and creative opportunities.
FR (2/6), 7pm, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave
The 6th Flip Flop Hop: A Tropical Gala
This special tropical gala aims to raise funds to support education, advocacy and special projects of the WNC Down Syndrome Alliance. It will include a silent
Below, we speak with Heather Parmley, a massage therapist, yoga teacher and retreat facilitator through her business Awaken Wellness Retreats. “Giving back to my community, helping others the way others have helped me, gives me purpose,” she says. “Taking care of our bodies isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.”
Xpress: What’s your approach for managing screen time and technology to support optimal health?
and live auction, music and special themed food options.
FR (2/6), 7pm, The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave
Furr-Ever Valentine This donation-based pet portrait event benefits Asheville Humane Society, with 100% of proceeds going directly to their work.
SA (2/7), 1:30pm, Ginger’s Revenge, 829 Riverside Dr, Ste 100
Love Your Library
Chocolate Cake Contest
Show off your chocolate cake baking skills during this chocolate cake contest fundraiser hosted by Friends of the Enka-Candler Library.
SU (2/8), 2pm, Artisan Cafe & Coffeehouse, 1390 Sandhill Road
Parmley: I am so blessed to have two dogs. They get me outside every day, and I think that’s what’s most important: getting away from screens and connecting with nature; looking far out at trees and the sky, and not constantly up close. I work on my attention span by just being, sitting in silence, meditating before bed. I read paper books before bed instead of scrolling. I also often take social media breaks, deleting the apps from my phone for weeks at a time. I can struggle with screens; after all, social media is made to be addictive, and I can get sucked into funny animal videos for far too long. So it’s important that I check in with myself often on how much I’m staring at a screen. Can you share one or two food items or simple dishes that are your personal go-tos for maintaining a healthy diet?
I have quite the sweet tooth. So lately I’ve been trying new fun and healthy recipes that’ll satisfy those cravings. My new fav is cutting an apple in half, carving the core out, drizzling honey, a dash of cinnamon and then popping it in the air fryer for 15 mins. Once slightly cooled, I add Greek yogurt and a little more honey. It’s the perfect dessert that hits just right after dinner. I’m trying to eliminate processed sugars as much as possible and finding easy recipes like this has been a big game changer.
What is one wellness habit readers should consider adding to their daily or weekly routines in 2026?
Dancing! I love music, and when I get a song that I can’t get enough of, I love starting my day dancing as wildly and goofy as my body wants to. Movement is medicine … and so is laughter. X
BY JAMIE ZANE
There’s something strange about me that I accepted a long time ago: I tend to run toward rather than away from human suffering, discomfort — anything that one would consider to be the hard stuff.
So, when I was pitched to discuss the need for more open dialogue about sexual abuse for this month’s “Love & Sex in WNC” column, I didn’t flinch.
As an undergraduate, I became a certified rape crisis counselor. During the day, I was a student, in the evening I worked at a restaurant, and overnight I was on call to assist people in crisis.
If a call came through, I was required to join forces with the rest of the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and meet the specialized nurse examiner (called a SANE
nurse, which stands for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) as well as law enforcement. I was usually the first to arrive at the hospital’s emergency room to greet the survivor. At that time, in the early 2000s, I was told that there were only two SANE nurses in the entire state of New Jersey, where I lived.
I will never forget my initial training for this role. We were a small group of hopeful volunteers who wanted to make a difference. One day, we were shown a clip of a Jodie Foster movie called The Accused in which her character is raped by multiple men in a bar. Another young woman and I had to excuse ourselves from the room because we both began crying.
Our trainer came out to console us, and I said to her, “How am I going to do this work if I can’t keep it together?”
She offered words of reassurance, and she reminded me that most of us who were there had our own personal reasons and that I would find the strength to sit with others as they went through it.
In fact, I did have personal reasons.
I skipped the part about why I volunteered as a rape crisis counselor. I have built significant parts of my life around the fact that I am a survivor of multiple unwanted sexual experiences.
What does that mean, exactly?
When I was teaching a graduate sex therapy course, almost all of my students wrote on their evaluation
The point is that if you are reading this and you have never had these kinds of conversations openly, or if you’ve never thought about sexual violence in these terms, you are not alone.
I have navigated hundreds of conversations over two decades, and based on the most common reactions I have seen, I know that we are not talking about these topics nearly enough. Finding language to describe our experiences is incredibly important. A lot of these experiences are not openly discussed.
Like this one: At 19, I flunked out of art school because I had been waiting to go before a grand jury to hold a rapist accountable. Immediately after the assault, I went to a hospital and had a rape kit done. When detectives interviewed the individual, the person claimed to have never touched me. As a teenager, I thought the case was cut and dried. Still, it was a terrifying experience, and I felt debilitated with anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
forms how beneficial it was to have lengthy discussions about unwanted sexual experiences. During the course, I had students assist me in creating a continuum line with “technical consent” on one side, a gray area in the middle and “no consent” on the other side.
It filled me with pride as well as sadness to see the students putting the pieces together for themselves during these discussions.
Inevitably, someone would have a light-bulb moment. “Wait a minute,” they’d say. “So an unwanted sexual experience can be consensual, but maybe it didn’t turn out how you wanted or expected.”
“Yes,” I’d say.
“And,” they’d continue, “An unwanted sexual experience can be consensual but also coercive — and therefore it would go in the gray category.”
“Yes, exactly.”
Despite the evidence, multiple prosecutors approached me to drop the case. By the third round, I conceded. On that day, I picked up the Yellow Pages and found the same rape crisis organization that had been there for me and signed on to help.
In reflection, I realize now that this decision to become a volunteer counselor came from both a place of great shame and moral injury, as well as a desperate need to somehow turn this devastating experience into something positive.
Early on in my stint as a rape crisis counselor, I was leaving the hospital with a woman who had no one else in her life to lean on. I realized then that if I was capable of doing this work, I absolutely should.
“But, like, if you’re in a relationship and you’re always agreeing to sex that is unwanted, it can cause a lot of damage or resentment over time,” another student chimed in.
And you can probably see where this is going.
After years in this volunteer position, I took on a different role in sexual abuse prevention. This was in Colorado, and it was a volunteer-run pilot program. We would go into fourth grade classrooms to teach kids (whose parents consented to the course) about how to keep themselves safe and to teach the adults who cared for them how to understand the differences between typical sexual development versus orange or red flags of potential abuse. The course also included resource handouts sent home to parents.
As a society, what can we do to prevent sexual violence?
The answer to that is always going to be better education. I don’t expect it in school systems. I don’t expect it in most homes. I don’t expect it in most churches or other community environments. It has to be sought after and prioritized.
On my website, avl.mx/fbq, you can find a number of titles appropriate for various age ranges. “Talk with Your Kids” is a great online resource. “Less Awkward” is another. For parents and teachers, Sex, Teens, and Everything in Between is an essential read. And I’d be remiss to not point readers to Peggy Orenstein‘s resource list for sex education: avl.mx/ekp.
As a recent New York Times opinion video notes, around one in three girls and one in nine boys will experience some form of child sexual abuse, often from someone they know.
We need to be able to face what is an actual epidemic in our culture and world. That takes a lot of courage. We need to view vulnerability as courage, and we need to be able to overcome shame with humanity.
When someone speaks up about an experience, and we see others attacking the victim for doing so, we need to speak up for that person. We also need to understand how unwanted sexual experiences are normalized in the culture and dismissed with such frequency that it makes no one want to speak up about personal experiences. I have sat with far too many survivors who told me that they had never told anyone or, even worse, that when they tried to tell someone, they were greeted with more shame.
I started this piece off by mentioning that it’s strange that I run toward the really hard things in life. But the truth is that it’s actually not that strange at all for survivors of unwanted sexual experiences or other types of trauma to do that very thing. Sometimes it’s a part of how we process and make meaning out of it. And other times it’s because we know how awful it is, and we don’t want that for anyone else.
As always, you can reach me at jamie@outofthewoodstherapy.com if you have any sex or relationship questions. Please remember to put Mountain Xpress in the subject line. And thank you for reading this vulnerable piece. X
Below, we speak with Liz Roseman, an acupuncturist with Sustainable Health Acupuncture, and a life coach. “I stay inspired by the breakthroughs and growth that my patients and life coaching clients have,” she says. “There is nothing better than ending a day energized from these interactions, and I’m often surprised at what I learn about even long-term clients.”
Xpress: What’s your approach for managing screen time and technology to support optimal health?
Roseman: I set time limits and will leave my phone in a different room so it’s harder for me to just mindlessly check it. I keep it off during walks and during time with friends. I also try to turn it off at least an hour before I go to sleep.
Can you share one or two food items or simple dishes that are your personal go-tos for maintaining a healthy diet?
A bowl of fruit with multiple colors is a part of my daily breakfast, along with a protein source — eggs or meat. I try to make it mostly in-season, but that gets harder in the winter. So many antioxidants and fruit help to reduce my cravings for other sweet “food” — aka food that’s not real food.
What is one wellness habit readers should consider adding to their daily or weekly routines in 2026?
Don’t turn your phone on for at least the first hour you are awake. The screen hijacks our nervous system, essentially putting us into “on/go” mode, and the first 10 minutes we are awake is a very crucial time, where we are meant to ease into being awake. And you’ll end up getting less screen time as a result. X
BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN
earnaudin@mountainx.com
During renovation work at White Horse Black Mountain on Jan. 21, a small section of wall in the former ticket booth area unexpectedly came down. According to a press release, “no one was injured, and there was no risk to the public.”
The music venue and event space remains closed while repairs are made, but in the interim, it is partnering with local businesses to continue its concerts and community events. The majority of White Horse’s schedule will shift to Black Mountain’s Monte Vista Hotel, and other performances will take place in the Assembly Room at Givens Highland Farms.
“This transition also comes with a financial strain. We’re facing increased operating costs from relocating events, production logistics and marketing, while also seeing reduced revenue due to fewer shows and limited capacity,” says Judi Melton, White Horse’s director of marketing and community relations, in an email. “We are doing everything we can to stay visible and sustainable during this period.”
Venue leadership is also encouraging the public to purchase White Horse memberships, which help fund performances, workshops and grants to community organizations. Members also receive priority access to shows and special events as well as complimentary performances each month.
“White Horse has always been about more than entertainment,” Melton says. “We support regional artists, partner with nonprofits and help drive cultural and economic activity downtown. This is a pivotal time for us.”
To learn more, visit avl.mx/ew1.
Hendersonville Theatre’s latest production, Appropriate, opens Friday, Feb. 6.
The play by Pulitzer Prize winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins follows the estranged members of the Lafayette family, who reunite at their late father’s decaying Arkansas home. There, past dramas quickly arise as the three adult siblings sort through the patriarch’s hoarded belongings, clash over debt
and inheritance, and reckon with their fraught family history. While sifting through the possessions, they make a disturbing discovery, leading to a series of revelations and confrontations.
Described in a press release as “darkly comic and deeply unsettling, Appropriate grapples with mature subject matter, including strong language, themes of racism and the legacy of slavery, and drug references, offering audiences a provocative and unflinching examination of family, inheritance and American history.”
The production is directed by Guillermo Jemmott, lasts approximately 150 minutes and is recommended for ages 13 and older due to mature themes. The show runs Fridays-Sundays, Feb. 6-22, with performances on Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $5-$32.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/c1y.
Back up and running after being decimated by flooding from Tropical Storm Helene, local art market Marquee celebrates its fourth anniversary with its annual Love, Marquee event on Thursday, Feb. 12, 6-9 p.m.
Festivities include a DJ set by Ganymede, a performance by Street Creature Puppet Collective, specialty food and Valentine’s cocktails for purchase, plus a Love Letter Community Wall in collaboration with Battery Park Book Exchange and Story Parlor, on which guests may share notes of appreciation and connection. The event is free to attend.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fbc.
The Southern Highland Craft Guild (SHCG) is accepting applications for its 2026 Emerging Artist Program. The professional development opportunity is designed to support early-career craftspeople across the Southern Appalachian region.
Two cohorts of 10 artists will be selected and receive participation in the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands (July or October edition),
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: White Horse Black Mountain experienced a construction incident on Jan. 21. Photo courtesy of White Horse
a 50% booth fee discount, marketing support,waived guild membership application fee and opportunities to connect with fellow emerging artists and build professional networks.
This year’s Emerging Artist Program also includes expanded professional development opportunities via a partnership with Mountain BizWorks and its Craft Your Commerce program. Through virtual sessions, the cohorts will gain insights on such topics as pricing work, building an online presence, grant writing and photographing artwork.
Applicants must live in a county within SHCG’s regional footprint and must have been selling their work professionally for less than seven years. They must be at least 18 years old, cannot be currently enrolled in a university or college arts program and must work in an SHCG-represented medium, including clay, leather, glass, mixed media, wood, fiber, manmade materials, metal, natural materials, jewelry or paper. The application
deadline is Saturday, Feb. 28, at 11:59 p.m.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fbd.
Asheville’s River Arts District (RAD) is a finalist for Best Arts District in the Nation in USA Today’s 10Best Awards.
“This nomination is an opportunity to spotlight the resilience, creativity and collective spirit of the artists and makers who power the River Arts District,” says Jeffrey Burroughs, president of River Arts District Artists, in a press release. “A win would help amplify the RAD’s recovery story and remind the country why Asheville’s creative community matters.”
Voting runs through Monday, Feb. 16, at noon. Each person may vote once per day.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fbe. X
Silas
BY THOMAS CALDER
Silas Durocher, singer and guitarist for the local psychedelic indie-rock group The Get Right Band, grew up in a household filled with music.
“My folks, and especially my dad, played the Grateful Dead all the time,” he says.
Other staples included Pink Floyd, Country Joe and the Fish, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors. “I remember telling my mom when I was pretty young ... that my favorite Grateful Dead song was ‘Blues For Allah,’ and she said something like, ‘That’s not anybody’s favorite Grateful Dead song; I bet you’re going to be a musician.’”
As part of Xpress‘ recurring feature “The Playlist,” Durocher put together “Modern Psychedelia (for
We
Want to advertise?
Mountain Xpress),” available on Spotify. The playlist features national and local acts. You can download it at avl.mx/fbs.
To accompany the list, Xpress spoke with the musician about his selections and ways he believes psychedelic music can benefit our mental and physical well-being.
You can see The Get Right Band perform Friday, Feb. 6, 6 p.m., at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Xpress: Your playlist made me realize my limited understanding of modern psychedelia. With this in mind, how would you describe the sound to someone new to the genre?
Durocher: I have a very broad definition of “psychedelia.” To me, it’s more of a feeling than a genre. Any genre can be psychedelic if it gives you that feeling of melting into the music. Yes, it’s music that’s fun to listen to in an altered state of mind, but it’s also music that can get you to an altered state even when you’re sober. The music that’s psychedelic to me generally has some ear candy and effects, and could be seen as coming out of the tradition of Pink Floyd and
Black Mambo by Glass Animals
We Can Work It Out by Poolside
Easy Life by Leisureville
Ylang Ylang by FKJ, (((O)))
Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes
Charlie’s Garden by Djo
iTopia by The Get Right Band
Fare Evader by Surprise Chef
Habit by Still Woozy
Head in the Clouds by Eleanor Underhill
late Beatles, but I really think psychedelic is in the eye of the beholder.
I love that description of “melting into the music.” Your playlist’s opening track definitely achieves that. What was it about Glass Animals’ “Black Mambo” that struck you as an ideal intro for a playlist focused on modern psychedelic music?
I don’t hear Glass Animals described as psychedelic very often, but I think their first album, Zaba, is one of the most psychedelic albums of the modern era. I love how dreamy and jungly they get on “Black Mambo.” I love how they use such trippy effects and production on indie-pop songs. Playlist order is always important, but even more so when the goal is to give the listener a start-to-finish experience where they can melt into the music and feel all the psychedelic vibes. “Black Mambo” felt like the perfect way to set the stage.
“Black Mambo” definitely sets the stage. Just as Hermanos Gutiérrez’s “Hoy Como Ayer” seems like the perfect outro. Maybe it’s odd to discuss the concluding track this early in the
Courtesy of Silas Durocher. Download the playlist on Spotify at avl.mx/fbs.
Charmed by Σ tella, Redinho
Mirage by Glass Beams
Johanna’s Dream by BALTHVS
Minding the Usher by Dr. Dog
Dopamine Dream by Pop Fiction
Horseshoes by CaroMia
Inside Out by Spoon
Metanoia by Skinshape
Hoy Como Ayer by Hermanos Gutiérrez Series
MENTAL BREAK: “I find myself listening to a lot of music like what’s on this playlist — songs that are laid-back and calming and spacious enough to leave room for my mind to wander — because it feels healthy for my nervous system," says Silas Durocher. Photo courtesy of Durocher
conversation, but can you speak to it in terms of sequencing? It’s got a great Spanish rhythm to it with those wonderful and haunting lead notes that slide in every so often.
Anytime I’m in the mood for something spacious and beautiful and contemplative (which for me is very often), I put on Hermanos Gutiérrez. Their music is perfectly minimalist — that space leaves so much room to enjoy the tone of their guitars, the trail of the reverb, the emotion of the melodies ... and, so importantly, the thoughts and feelings of the listener. For my taste, any psychedelic listening experience needs to start and end gently. I wanted the playlist to ease you back out into the world with something that would leave you in a dreamy, peaceful place.
There is also some great lyrical variety throughout the playlist. I’m thinking specifically about the transition between Alabama Shakes’ “Sound & Color” and Djo’s “Charlie’s Garden.” The former has really intense and deeply longing lyrics and delivery. Then you get Djo’s almost whimsical number with lines like: “Wakin’ up, it’s the fat back shank of the day/What to do?/ Take a cup, drink the sleepy away.” Speak to me about the way you think
of tonal variety — both within this playlist and within your own music.
I want a playlist or album to take the listener on a journey. If it doesn’t have enough variety, it doesn’t hold my attention, it doesn’t feel like I’m being taken on an experience. On this playlist, for example, there is the lighthearted indie-stoner-pop vibe of “Easy Life” followed by the classical-meets-modern-chillhop production of “Ylang Ylang.” It’s an experience to hear those songs back to back. The hope is that each new song is a breath of fresh air after the previous song, without being such a dramatic tonal shift that it pulls you out of the psychedelic listening experience.
Talk to me about your song “iTopia,” especially as it relates to listeners who are coming across The Get Right Band for the first time. In what ways does this song reflect The Get Right Band’s overall sound and approach to music, and in what ways is this tune unique to your catalog?
“iTopia” is the title track from The Get Right Band’s last full record, which was a concept album about technology and social media. It’s a
great representation of the band’s groovy and psychedelic side. It’s one of my favorites of ours because of how much we used the studio to write and produce this song. It’s also a bit of an outlier because it only has a few words and isn’t structured like a typical song. Also notable: that big synth solo in the middle was played so beautifully by Bo Koster, who performs with My Morning Jacket and Roger Waters — all absolute legends of psychedelia.
Beyond discovering new artists, what do you hope someone takes away from their experience listening to your playlist?
I like to use music as a way to shift my mood. I find myself listening to a lot of music like what’s on this playlist — songs that are laid-back and calming and spacious enough to leave room for my mind to wander — because it feels healthy for my nervous system. It feels akin to meditation or a walk in the woods; it feels like the opposite of scrolling social media or being bombarded with all the bad news in the news. I hope this playlist can be that for other people — something that brings a little peace and joy to the nervous system. X
Below, we speak with Tanya Harding, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, who has been part of the wellness community in Asheville since 2021. Harding says she has “a passion for helping properly identify anxiety disorders” and a goal of creating “a center for OCD treatment in Asheville.”
Xpress: What’s your approach for managing screen time and technology to support optimal health?
Harding: Properly addressing screen time through moderation is key. Creating new habits takes consistency and perseverance. By setting a realistic goal with how much time is allotted during the course of the day and introducing replacement habits such as taking a brisk walk, listening to music and painting are ways to develop new patterns and limit screen time.
Can you share one or two food items or simple dishes that are your personal go-tos for maintaining a healthy diet?
To maintain a healthy body, several easy go-to add-ins are kimchi and kefir to help with gut health and bone broth, which provides not only hydration but collagen, magnesium, potassium and trace minerals. I consume these three things every day.
What is one wellness habit readers should consider adding to their daily or weekly routines in 2026?
For many of my clients, I suggest using binaural beats as part of their wellness routine. Binaural beats are different tonal frequencies played simultaneously, one in each ear, and when the brain fills in a third beat, which is not actually there, it promotes brain entrainment, which decreases anxiety and improves focus, helps with sleep and creativity. X
Asheville Poetry Review’s founder reflects on journal’s finale and his difficult new chapter
BY TESSA FONTAINE
When you ask poet Keith Flynn about early influences, he doesn’t give you names. Instead, he starts reciting lines from Wiliam Blake.
“The cut worm forgives the plough,” he says, his deep voice booming. “Prudence is a rich, ugly old maid courted by incapacity.”
In a writing class his sophomore year at Mars Hill University, his teacher handed him Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, and life for him began anew. “The aphorisms got in my body, and I couldn’t imagine anything more honorable than being a poet,” he says.
And so a poet he became. Also a prose writer and musician. Flynn went on to found the Asheville Poetry Review (APR) in 1994 and has since served as the publication’s editor.
Though he has performed and taught internationally for years, his family goes back six generations in Madison County. ”There’s no separating where I’m from and my poetry,” he says.
For most of his life, Flynn has been a fixture in the Asheville arts scene. But he has recently decided that, after more than 30 years, the APR will end in April with the release of its 2026 issue.
In email and social media announcements to the community, Flynn has explained that he’s been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer complicated by portal hypertension in his liver and spleen.
The response? Over 3,000 messages of love, support and thanks.
When I spoke recently with Flynn on the phone, he was at a hotel, resting for the night after a chemotherapy treatment in Charlotte. He still has 54 hours of chemo ahead, six months of infusions. The doctors estimate that the treatments will afford him 18-24 more months to live.
“But you know what?” he says. “I’m here to fight. That’s one thing people who know me already know.”
Last year, I had the good fortune of reading alongside Flynn at the N.C. Writers’ Network. Let me tell you, his presence is enormous.
He’s tall and strong with a gray ponytail and goatee. But it isn’t just his stature that reads large. At the mic, his voice resonated rich and sonorous while reciting his poems, then, suddenly, he broke into a gospel song. He closed his eyes. His voice — beautiful, deep, full of vibrato — knocked the room into silent reverie.
“Poetry has given me everything,” Flynn says. “It’s the closest thing to a religion I have.”
During much of our recent conversation, it feels as if Flynn is doing a poetry performance, reciting haiku or song lyrics; it’s just the way he speaks. He says his mind has been oriented to sound since he began singing in church at age 5 or 6; his mother was the choir director. And the sonic expressions moved him, eventually emerging as written poetry.
“I was 19 when I started publishing, and for almost 45 years since then, I’ve written every day,” he says. “My entire life has been focused on trying to trail that muse wherever she takes me.”
The muse travels widely. For Flynn, poetry is much broader than the written word. From 1984-99, he was lyricist and lead singer for the nationally acclaimed Asheville rock band The Crystal Zoo, which produced three albums, one of which was a spoken-word and music compilation.
He’s also the executive director and producer for Animal Sounds Productions and the TV and radio show “LIVE at White Rock Hall,” both of which create collaborations between musicians and writers.
Flynn says he is always trying to discover more about the knowledge deep inside himself and what is possible.
“The search for poetry is the search for truth,” he says.
LIFE IN VERSE: Local writer and musician Keith Flynn launched Asheville Poetry Review in 1994. This spring, as Flynn grapples with health challenges, the journal will release its final issue. Photo by Matt Rose
His truths have been printed again and again; he has written eight books, including six collections of poetry and two collections of essays. His 2007 essay collection, The Rhythm Method, Razzmatazz and Memory: How To Make Your Poetry Swing, is used in classrooms around the world, including as a text in an estimated 150-170 writing programs, Flynn says.
One of the things that makes APR unique is its scope. Since its inception, it has published over 1,800 new and established writers from 22 countries.
“I wanted to record what was taking place,” says Flynn. “I wanted to represent what was here.” In every issue, he publishes the work of first-time writers as well as translations of non-English poems and pieces by more experienced writers who Flynn believes haven’t received the attention they deserve.
APR has produced a special Celtic issue, a Hungarian issue and an issue featuring 10 great neglected poets of the 20th century. Its list of contributors can look like a roundup of some of our most famous contemporary poets, from Robert Bly, Patricia Smith and Lawrence Ferlinghetti to Joy Harjo, Gary Snyder, Billy Collins, Lucille Clifton, Ai and Yusef Komunyakaa.
APR has also created opportunities for poets and editors on the other side of the publishing process. Asheville poet and Orison Books founder Luke Hankins wrote to Flynn over 20 years ago after admiring volumes of APR at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café
That letter led him to an intense apprenticeship under Flynn’s guidance and a place on the APR editorial staff for more than 20 years. “Over time, an indissoluble bond was forged through
our mutual dedication to the vast potential of the written word,” Hankins says.
Also on APR’s staff is local writer Sebastian Matthews. “I am not sure folks today understand what a big deal the Asheville Poetry Review is in the national — and international — poetry circles,” he says.
Matthews says he and Flynn have been friends for 27 years. Flynn, he says, has “kept a top-notch print journal not just afloat but thriving in a time where most journals are floundering or going under. It’s quite a feat.”
When Flynn reflects on starting the journal, he admits he was naive. “But I was not afraid,” he points out. “The lack of fear will allow you to do things you might not think of otherwise.”
That lack of fear has been a through line for Flynn as he’s taught and performed all over the world, moving fluidly between genres and building bridges into the publishing world for so many writers.
He says he has never wanted to be pinned down.
“If someone gives you a brand, they are trying to limit your scope or give you a ceiling for your ambitions,” he says. “That was never of interest to me.”
The road ahead for Flynn isn’t certain. Though the APR will close, more than 30 years of archives are available for free online.
And he isn’t slowing down with his other projects. He has finished or is close to finishing five new books, which will be published within the next few years, including two collections of poems, a collection of interviews and essays, and two novels. He also has a new album set to be released in October.
“Keith is central to Asheville’s well-deserved reputation as a vibrant literary community,” Hankins says, noting the many unforgettable events Flynn has headlined both as a writer and musician.
Neither Hankins nor Matthews dwells on what is being lost with the cessation of APR. In fact, Matthews likens the journal and its influence to another local institution, Black Mountain College, which closed in 1957 after operating for 24 years but has left an enduring legacy in the local art world.
“All good things come to an end,” Matthews says. “We can mourn Asheville Poetry Review’s closing, but I’d rather celebrate its longevity and its continuing influence on the next wave of poets and poetry journals. … It will live on.”
For more on the Asheville Poetry Review and to find the archive of past issues, visit avl.mx/fab.
Editor’s note: Tessa Fontaine is an Asheville-based author whose recent works include The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts and the novel The Red Grove. X
The second yearly WNC Pizza Week returns Monday-Sunday, Feb. 9-15, at restaurants across the region. Organized by local food writer/tour guide Stu Helm and Asheville Food Tours, the celebration features specialty pies at discount prices from pizza makers throughout the Asheville area, plus two spotlight events.
The WNC Pizza Week Launch Party takes place Feb. 9, 5-9 p.m., at Soprana Rooftop Cucina, with many of the participating pizza makers in attendance. Proceeds from food and drink purchases will be donated to Bounty & Soul, a local nonprofit fighting food insecurity.
On Thursday, Feb. 12, 5-7 p.m., at Twisted Laurel’s Asheville location, a dozen celebrity contestants will compete in the Hot Slice contest, eating progressively spicier mini-slices of pizza and tapping out one at a time until a winner is crowned. Proceeds from the event will go to Meals on Wheels of Asheville & Buncombe County and a charity of the winner’s choosing.
“It was a really fun — and busy — week,” says Jordan Siddons of Smokee’s Pizza of last year’s inaugural celebration in a press release. “There is so much good pizza in WNC and so many different styles, and sometimes I think it takes an event like this to show that to folks.”
To learn more, visit avl.mx/classifiedv.
Firefly Gathering offers a Winter Botany & Wild Foraged Tea workshop on Saturday, Feb. 7, 12:30-4 p.m.
Ethnobotanist and longtime Firefly instructor Marc Williams will lead the immersive outdoor afternoon, centered on winter plant identification and wild foraging. While walking the host site’s garden and surrounding landscape, participants will practice identifying plants without their flowers, fruits or leaves; discuss off-season plant characteristics and their traditional uses; and explore resources for continuing one’s studies. The afternoon will close with sharing wild-foraged tea.
The class is suitable for all levels of experience. The minimum age is 10 with an accompanying adult. Tickets are $25-$65. The location is near Asheville; details will be provided upon registration.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fb4.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day gift purchasing, Carolina Ground flour mill hosts a pop-up market on Sunday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at its location at 1237 Shipp St., Hendersonville. Other participating businesses include French Broad Chocolate, Honey Badger Bakes, Folk Saints, Hominy Farm, Stonewall Bakery, Milk Glass Pie, Beeswax + Butter, Le Bon Café, Bryson Homestead and David Gate.
The market is free to attend and will feature a wide variety of baked goods, plus dulce de leche and chocolates, botanical-dyed yarns, soap, salve, books, honey, sorghum and baking accouterments. The Le Bon Café’s coffee bus will have espresso drinks and chai available for purchase. And Carolina Ground will offer its usual selection of flours along with cornmeal, polenta, grits and more from Farm and Sparrow.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fb5.
The first installment in James Beard Award semifinalist Ashley Capps’ three-part winter baking series at Wrong Way River Lodge occurred Feb. 1, focusing on Swiss roll cake. But two more hands-on experiences await.
On Sunday, Feb. 22, Capps will teach participants how to make strudel, and on Sunday, March 15, the topic will be pot pies. Time slots are available each day at 1 and 3 p.m. Classes last 75 minutes and include demonstrations, a lecture and visual learning along with light hands-on practice. Attendees should bring an apron.
Take-home materials and treats are included, along with coffee and hot cocoa. Children ages 4 and older are welcome to attend with a parent or accompanying adult. Tickets are $50 per adult, $25 per child. Wrong Way River Lodge is at 9 Midnight Drive.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fba.
A dedicated group of volunteers known as the “Soup Ladies” is sell-
ing homemade soup to benefit Meals on Wheels of Asheville & Buncombe County. Orders are being taken through Wednesday, Feb. 11, and pickup is on Sunday, Feb. 22, noon-2 p.m., at the local Meals on Wheels headquarters.
“When I learned how many seniors rely on Meals on Wheels in our community, I was stunned,” says Arlene Cotler, event organizer and professional caterer, in a press release. “I can’t solve national or global hunger, but I can make soup and nourish our neighbors.”
Soup options include chicken chili (gluten-free), lentil with sausage (gluten-free), miso mushroom barley (vegetarian) and Italian wedding soup. Each order costs $50 and includes a choice of any two 12-ounce soup servings, plus a homemade chocolate brownie, ginger cranberry pound cake and take-and-
bake French bread rolls. The group’s goal is to raise $25,000.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fb9.
Asheville Independent Restaurants’ annual signature event, Taste of Asheville, is set for Thursday, March 26, 5:30-8:30 p.m. The celebration of the city’s culinary scene features over 50 restaurants and beverage purveyors. Organizers encourage the public to check the AIR website for updates on the event’s location and the upcoming launch of ticket sales.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/6w6.
— Edwin Arnaudin X
The daughter of powerhouse blues singer Melissa McKinney, the artist simply known as McKinney has blazed her own creative trail, establishing herself as a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Now, after paying her dues on the local and regional scene for nearly a decade, her debut album, Bones, is ready to share. The LP is described in a press release as “a coming-of-age collection exploring her experience with love, loss and tragedy while suspending the listener in a rich, decadent, indie pop soundscape.” Tapping in to Asheville’s rich musical scene, it features such local artists as Eli Kahn, Jacob Bruner, Ted Marks, Derian Blane, JC Mears, Rachel Waterhouse, Andrew Scotchie, Isaac Hadden, Chris Everett, Lenny Pettinelli and Micah Thomas
by Edwin Arnaudin
The public will have a chance to be the first to hear Bones during a listening party on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 6-9 p.m., at Aretè, 25 Page Ave. Tickets are $10. The album will officially be released on Monday, Feb. 9, and will be available on all major streaming platforms.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fbi. X
Over the past few years, Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective founder and managing artistic director Stephanie Hickling Beckman has witnessed a lot of staged readings through various initiatives with her nonprofit. And in the process, she’s seen how such performances, in her words, “strip theater down to its essentials — story, voice and connection — while opening doors for actors who may not yet have the time, training or confidence to commit to a full production.”
That spirit inspired “Ink of Our Kin,” a series of staged readings cel-
ebrating ethnic and cultural diversity, running the last three weekends in February at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts’ Tina McGuire Theatre. Selections include August Wilson‘s The Piano Lesson (FridaySaturday, Feb. 6-7), Stephen Adly Guirgis‘s The Motherf***** with the Hat (Friday-Saturday, Feb. 13-14) and Lorraine Hansberry‘s A Raisin in the Sun (Friday-Saturday, Feb. 20-21). Each reading begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per show or $40 for a three-performance pass.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fbg. X
How and why do people make the things they make? Those are the questions at the heart of Draft: Artistry in Conversation, a new monthly series hosted by local authors Tessa Fontaine and Thomas Calder at DayTrip.
The debut installment takes place Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 6:30 p.m., featuring a panel conversation with comedian Cayla Clark (Blind Date Live), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Shearin (of River Whyless) and Denise Kieran, author of The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation’s Largest Home and the forthcoming Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution The series continues on the second Tuesday of each month and is free to attend.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fbf.
Editor’s note: Calder serves as managing editor of Xpress; Fontaine is an occasional freelance contributor. X
After playing six sold-out shows across two weekends last February at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, guitarist extraordinaire Billy Strings returns to the city’s largest performance venue Tuesday-Wednesday, Feb. 10-11, and Friday-Saturday, Feb. 13-14.
However, those shows don’t need any more attention — and are in fact all sold out. But for fans of flatpicking guitarists who missed out on tickets or simply want to keep the
good times going after Strings’ first show, the Larry Keel & Jon Stickley Duo is happy to oblige, Feb. 10 at 11 p.m., at Asheville Music Hall. Icons in their own rights who are also prime candidates to join Strings on stage at some point during his four-night run, Keel and Stickley nicely complement each other’s rhythm and lead playing on acoustic guitar while never losing their own individual personalities. Tickets are $20.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/fbh. X
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4
12 BONES BREWING
SMOKEHOUSE & BREWING
Trivia Night w/King Trivia, 7pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Taper’s Choice w/Rich
Ruth (alt-indie), 8pm
EULOGY
Night Moves w/Johnny Delaware (indie-rock), 7pm
FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY
Saylor Brothers Jamgrass Wednesdays, 6:30pm
GALACTIC PIZZA
Trivia Night, 6:30pm
HI-WIRE BREWING -
BILTMORE VILLAGE Weekly Trivia, 7pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB
Old-time Jam, 5pm
PISGAH BREWING
CO.
Beer & Loathing (honky-tonk), 6pm
SHAKEY'S SSIN w/DJ Ragga Massive, 10pm
SLY GROG LOUNGE Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 8pm
TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING
CO.
Matt Smith’s WellCrafted Music Series w/ Jon Stickley, Lyndsay Pruett & Christian Ferri (multi-genre), 6pm
THE ODD
Terraoke Karaoke Takeover, 9pm
THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Alien Funk Academy (hard-rock, space-funk), 9pm
TURGUA BREWING CO.
Lightning Round Trivia w/Marty, 6pm
TWIN LEAF BREWERY
Open Mic Night, 6:30pm
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5
185 KING STREET
Congdon & Co. w/Izzi Hughe (country), 7pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Candi Jenkins (country, roots), 8pm
EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY
Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm
EULOGY
Matt Pryor (emo), 7pm
FILO POST 70 Albi (Americana), 6pm
FLOOD GALLERY
True Home Open Mic, 6pm
FRENCH BROAD
RIVER BREWERY
Jerry's Dead Thursdays, 6pm
GREEN MAN BREWING
Thursday Night Trivia, 7pm
HI-WIRE BREWINGBILTMORE VILLAGE
Family Feud Style Trivia, 7pm
HI-WIRE SOUTH
SLOPE
South Slope’s Open Mic Night, 6pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB
Bluegrass Jam, 7pm
LEVELLER BREWING CO.
Traditional Irish Session, 6pm
OKLAWAHA
BREWING CO.
Thursday Karaoke, 9:30pm
ONE WORLD
BREWING WEST
Fee Fi Phaux Fish (phish tribute), 8pm
ONE WORLD BREWING
Thursday Residency w/Timothy Kelley (acoustic), 7pm
PISGAH BREWING
CO.
Rockabilly Roy & the Kopy Kats, 7pm
SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/DJ Franco Nino, 9pm
STATIC AGE LOFT
Auto-tune Karaoke w/ Who Gave This B*tch a Mic, 10pm
THE CROW & QUILL
DJ Soul Motion (R&B, soul), 8pm
THE GREY EAGLE
Vanessa Collier (R&B, soul), 8pm
THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Tand (rock’n’roll), 9pm
THE ORANGE PEEL
The Movement w/ Tropidelic (reggae), 7:30pm
TURGUA BREWING
CO.
Alien Music Club Jazz Jam, 5:30pm
TWIN LEAF BREWERY
Trivia Night, 6:30pm
URBAN ORCHARD
CIDER CO.
Wayward Trivia, 6:30pm
VOWL BAR AT DSSOLVR
Hot Couch Karaoke w/ DJ BridalPartiBucardi, 8pm
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6
185 KING STREET
Heavy Lifters (Ska), 8pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Heated: Heated Rivalry Dance Party, 9pm
BURGER BAR
Burger Bar Comedy Night, 7pm
ELEVATED
KAVA LOUNGE
DOWNTOWN
Open Mic Night, 8pm
EULOGY
All Your Friends: An Indie Dance Party, 7pm
FITZ AND THE WOLFE
Fancy & the Friends in Low Places (Country), 8pm
FLEETWOOD’S
Beau Anderson, Scribblers & Supaheat, (alt-rock, post-punk), 9pm
FRENCH BROAD
RIVER BREWERY
Clouds of Delusion (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm
JACK OF THE WOOD
PUB
Alma Russ (Appalachian, country), 8:30pm
LOBSTER TRAP
Dinah's Daydream (Gypsy, jazz), 6:30pm
MAD CO. BREW
HOUSE
Chris Long (Americana, rock), 6pm
ONE WORLD
BREWING WEST
Brushfire Stankgrass (bluegrass), 9pm
ONE WORLD
BREWING
Singer Song Writer Night w/Laura Blackley & Dave Desmelik (multigenre), 7pm
PRITCHARD PARK
DOWNTOWN
The Friday Drum Circle, 6pm
SHAKEY'S 2000s Karaoke w/DJ Franco Nino, 10pm TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING
CO. Cloud Circuit (funk, indie-rock), 6pm
THE GREY EAGLE
Empire Strikes Brass: 12th Annual Mardi Gras Party (funk, rock), 8pm
THIRD ROOM
Grimmjoi & Friends w/ DJ Audio, Herodose, Dudley & Dvngeon Mvster (dubstep, riddim, trap), 9pm
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7
185 KING STREET
McIntosh & the LionHearts (country, soul), 8pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Barstool Rodeo (Widespread Panic tribute), 9pm
BURGER BAR
The Best Worst
Karaoke, 8pm
EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY
Mardis Gras Pre Party W/Jackomo, 8pm
EULOGY
Early Ones Only: Dance Party (multi-genre), 5pm FITZ AND THE WOLFE
Adrian Bundy & his Honky Tonk Hearts (country), 8pm
FLEETWOOD’S Madder Max, Chunx, Squadron & Blistering Dissonance (punk), 9pm
FRENCH BROAD
RIVER BREWERY
Aaron Austin Trio (funk, jazz, R&B), 6pm
GINGER'S REVENGE
Eyes Up Here Comedy: Galantines Edition, 7pm
GREEN MAN BREWING
The Z-Man Experience (rock, Ska), 3pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB
Nobody’s Darling String Band (bluegrass, blues, swing), 4pm
MILLS RIVER
BREWING CO.
Hope Griffin Duo (Americana), 2pm
ONE WORLD BREWING WEST
• Rhythm & Blues
Dance Party w/Peggy Ratusz & Daddy
LongLegs Dance Band, 4pm
• Art of House: Saturday Sessions (edm), 8pm
ONE WORLD BREWING Conner Koz (Americana), 7pm
TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.
81 Drifters (countryfolk, ragtime), 5pm
THE GREY EAGLE Langhorne Slim (Americana), 8pm
THE LOW DOWN DJ Soul Motion (R&B, rock, soul), 9pm
THE ODD Party Foul Drag, 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL
Sold Out: Pete Yorn (alt-indie, rock), 8pm
THE PALM ROOM AT FITZ AND THE WOLFE
Adrianne Blanks & the Oracles (surf-jazz), 9pm
URBAN ORCHARD
CIDER CO.
70's, 80's and 90's DJ Dance Night, 7pm
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8
185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam w/ The King Street House Band, 5pm
ARCHETYPE
BREWING The Highlands (jazz), 3:30pm
BURIAL SOUTH SLOPE Mourning Mass, 2pm
EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY
Open Mic Night, 6pm
FLEETWOOD’S Blank State, Socialist Anxiety & Porcelain Parrot (indie), 9pm
FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa (reggae), 3pm
GINGER'S REVENGE Jazz Jam Sundays, 2:30pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB
• Bluegrass Brunch w/ The Bluegrass Brunch Boys, 12pm
• Traditional Irish Music Session, 3:30pm
ONE WORLD BREWING WEST
• Suns of Stars Sunday Residency (bluegrass), 2pm
• The West End Theory (funk, hip-hop, House), 7pm
PISGAH BREWING CO.
Sunday Jam: Spiro & Friend, 6:30pm
RIVER ARTS DISTRICT BREWING CO. RAD Cellar Comedy, 7pm
THE GREY EAGLE Country Brunch w/ Momma Molasses, 11am
THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Shakedown Sunday's, 8pm
VOWL BAR AT DSSOLVR Freshen Up Open Mic Comedy, 7pm
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9
DIATRIBE BREWING Big Brain Trivia, 7pm DIRTY JACK'S Traditional Old Time Jam, 5:30pm
HI-WIRE RAD BEER GARDEN
RAD Music Bingo, 7pm
ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Mashup Mondays w/ JLloyd (funk, jazz, soul), 8pm
ONE WORLD BREWING Open Mic Downtown, 7:30pm
RIVER ARTS DISTRICT BREWING CO. Trivia w/Billy, 7pm
STATIC AGE LOFT
The Hot Seat w/C.J. Green & Cam (Comedy), 7pm
TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.
Trivia Night W/Two Bald Guys & A Mic, 6pm
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10
ARCHETYPE
BREWING Trivia Tuesdays, 6:30pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL
Larry Keel w/Jon Stickley (bluegrass), 11pm
BURGER BAR
C U Next Tuesday Trivia, 9pm
DIATRIBE BREWING
Irish Session, 4pm
ELUVIUM BREWING
Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm
FITZ AND THE WOLFE Pickety Split (jam-grass), 6pm
FRENCH BROAD
RIVER BREWERY
Robert’s Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm
HARRAH'S CHEROKEE
CENTER ASHEVILLE
Billy Strings (bluegrass, psych), 7:30pm
HI-WIRE RAD BEER GARDEN
RAD Weekly Trivia, 7pm
HI-WIRE SOUTH SLOPE
Trivia Tuesdays w/ Not Rocket Science, 7pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB
• Upstream Rebellion:
Billy Strings Kick-Off (bluegrass), 4pm
• Andrew Wakefield & Friends: Billy Strings After-Party (bluegrass), 10pm
MILLS RIVER
BREWING CO.
Tuesday Night Trivia, 6pm
OKLAWAHA
BREWING CO.
Team Trivia, 7pm
ONE WORLD
BREWING WEST
Tuesday Residency w/ Songs From The Road Band (Americana, bluegrass, folk), 7pm
ONE WORLD BREWING
• The Mendenhall Sisters (bluegrass), 5pm
• Clouds of Delusion: Billy Strings After-Party (Grateful dead Tribute), 11pm
SHAKEY'S
Booty Tuesday in The Office, 10pm
SHILOH & GAINES
Music Bingo, 7pm
SOVEREIGN KAVA
Open Jam, 8pm
SWEETEN CREEK
BREWING
All Arts Open Mic, 6pm
THE ONE STOP AT
ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
• Sunnyside Strings & Things (bluegrass, country, rock), 5pm
• Early Tuesday Jam, 7pm
• Uncle Lenny's Krazy Karaoke, 10pm
THE PALM ROOM AT FITZ AND THE WOLFE
The Well Drinkers (bluegrass), 10pm
THIRD ROOM
Open Decks, 8pm
TURGUA BREWING CO.
• Irish Jam, 5:30pm
• Americana Jam, 5:30pm
WAGBAR
Trivia Tuesdays, 6pm
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11
12 BONES BREWING SMOKEHOUSE & BREWING
Trivia Night w/King Trivia, 7pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Larry Keel Experience (multi-genre), 7pm
FITZ AND THE WOLFE Redbud Bluegrass (bluegrass), 6pm
FRENCH BROAD
RIVER BREWERY
Saylor Brothers Jamgrass Wednesdays, 6:30pm
GALACTIC PIZZA
Trivia Night, 6:30pm
HARRAH'S CHEROKEE CENTER ASHEVILLE
Billy Strings (bluegrass, psych), 7:30pm
HI-WIRE BREWINGBILTMORE VILLAGE Weekly Trivia, 7pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB
• Old-time Jam, 5pm
• Cast Iron Bluegrass: Billy Strings After-party (bluegrass), 10pm
ONE WORLD BREWING
• Eternally Grateful: Billy Strings Pre-Party (Americana), 4pm
• North State Grass: Billy Strings After-Party (bluegrass), 11pm
PULP
Standup Comedy Picture Show: Valentine’s Edition, 7:30pm
SHAKEY'S SSIN w/DJ Ragga Massive, 10pm
SLY GROG LOUNGE
Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 8pm
TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING
CO.
Matt Smith’s WellCrafted Music Series w/ Ed Jurdi & Zach Smith (multi-genre), 6pm
THE GREY EAGLE
Amelia Day (folk, pop, rock), 8pm
THE ODD
Terraoke Karaoke Takeover, 9pm
THE PALM ROOM AT FITZ AND THE WOLFE Chisholm String Unit (bluegrass), 10pm
TURGUA BREWING
CO.
Lightning Round Trivia w/Marty, 6pm
TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night, 6:30pm
VOWL BAR AT DSSOLVR Group Therapy w/ Neptune Spins, 9pm
WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Session, 5pm
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12
185 KING STREET
Hearts Gone South (country), 6pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL
Red Clay Revival & Tanasi w/Isaac Hadden (roots, folk-rock), 8pm
EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY
Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm
EULOGY
Nathanael Jordan w/ Tombstone Poetry & Truth Club (indie-rock), 8pm
FITZ AND THE WOLFE
• McFalls & Free (bluegrass), 6pm
• Rudy’s Bluegrass Revue (bluegrass), 8:30pm
FLEETWOOD’S Dueling Duets, Claire Whall (country, blues), 8pm
FLOOD GALLERY
True Home Open Mic, 6pm
FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY
Jerry's Dead Thursdays, 6pm
GINGER'S REVENGE
Books & Brews Trivia, 6pm
GREEN MAN BREWING
Thursday Night Trivia, 7pm
HI-WIRE BREWING -
BILTMORE VILLAGE
Family Feud Style Trivia, 7pm
HI-WIRE SOUTH
SLOPE
South Slope’s Open Mic Night, 6pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam, 7pm
OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.
Thursday Karaoke, 9:30pm
ONE WORLD
BREWING WEST
Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm
SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/DJ Franco Nino, 9pm
SOVEREIGN KAVA
Django Jazz Jam, 7pm
STATIC AGE LOFT
Auto-tune Karaoke w/ Who Gave This B*tch a Mic, 10pm
THE CROW & QUILL Otis Trick & the Books (rock'n'roll), 8pm
THE GREY EAGLE Train Songz w/Asheville Mountain Boys (bluegrass), 8pm
THE ORANGE PEEL Rory Scovel (comedy), 7pm
TWIN LEAF BREWERY Trivia Night, 6:30pm
URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. Wayward Trivia, 6:30pm
VOWL BAR AT DSSOLVR
Hot Couch Karaoke w/ DJ BridalPartiBucardi, 8pm
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I'm thrilled by your genius for initiating what others only dream about. I celebrate your holy impatience with fakery and your refusal to waste precious life-force on enterprises that have gone stale. I'm in awe of how you make fire your ally rather than your enemy, wielding it not to destroy but to forge new realities from the raw materials of possibility. Everything I just described will be in your wheelhouse during the coming weeks.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): How do I love you? Let me count some of the ways. 1. Your patience is masterful. You understand that some treasures can't be rushed and that many beautiful things require slow nurturing through your devoted attention. 2. You have a knack for inducing the mundane world to reveal its small miracles and spiritual secrets. 3. You practice lucid loyalty without being in bondage to the past. You honor your history even as you make room for the future. 4. You know when to cling tightly to what needs to be protected and preserved, and you know when to gracefully loosen your grip to let everything breathe. In the coming weeks, all these superpowers of yours will be especially available to you and the people you care for.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In carpentry, there's a technique called "kerf bending.” It involves making a series of small cuts in wood so it can curve without breaking. The cuts weaken the material in one sense, but they make it flexible enough to create shapes that would otherwise be impossible. I suspect you're being kerf-bent right now, Gemini. Life is making small nicks in your certainties, your plans, and your self-image. It might feel like you're being diminished, but you're actually being made flexible enough to bend into a new form. Don't interpret the nicks as damage. They're preparation for adjustments you can't see yet. Let yourself be shaped.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In Irish folklore, "thin places” are situations or areas where the material and spiritual worlds overlap. They aren't always geographical. A thin place may be a moment: like the pre-dawn hour between sleeping and waking, or the silence after someone says "I love you" for the first time. I believe you're living in a thin place right now, Cancer. The boundary between your inner world and outer circumstances is more porous than usual. This means your emotions may affect your environment more directly. Your intuitions will be even more accurate than usual, and your nightly dreams will provide you with practical clues. Be alert. Magic will be available if you notice it.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In traditional Korean *jogakbo*, scraps of fabric too small to be useful alone are stitched together into a piece that’s both functional and beautiful. Every fragment contributes to the whole. I encourage you to treat your current life this way, Leo. Don’t dismiss iffy or unfinished experiences as "wasted time.” Instead, see if you can weave all the bits and scraps together into a valuable lesson or asset. Prediction: I foresee a lovely jogakbo in your future.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Maori people of New Zealand practice *mirimiri*, a form of healing that works not by fighting disease but by restoring flow. The technique involves removing blockages so life force can move freely again. I think you need the equivalent of mirimiri, Virgo. There’s a small but non-trivial obstruction in your life. The good news is that you now have the power to figure out where the flow got stuck and then gently coax it back into motion. Let the healing begin! Here’s a good way to begin: Vow that you won’t hold yourself back from enjoying your life to the max.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the coming weeks, I encourage you to prioritize mirth, revelry, and gratification. For starters, you could invite kindred spirits to join you in pursuing
experimental forms of pleasure. Have fun riffing and brainstorming about feeling good in ways you’ve never tried or even imagined before. Seek out stories from other explorers of bliss and delight who can inspire you to expand your sense of wonder. Then, with your mind as open as your heart, give yourself the freedom to enjoy as many playful adventures and evocative amusements as you dare.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the Inuktitut language of the Intuit people, the word *ajurnarmat* is translated as “it can’t be helped.” It acknowledges forces at work beyond human control. Rather than pure resignation, it reflects an attitude of accepting what can’t be changed, which helps people conserve energy and adapt creatively to challenging circumstances. So for example, when hunters encounter impossible ice conditions, ajurnamat allows them to refrain from forcing the situation and notice what may actually be possible. I suspect you're facing your own ajurnarmat, Scorpio. Your breakthrough will emerge as soon as you admit the truth of what’s happening and allow your perception to shift. What looks unnavigable from one angle may reveal a solution if you approach it from another direction. Practice strategic surrender.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your hunger for meaning is admirable! I love it. I never want you to mute your drive to discover what’s interesting and useful. But now and then, the hot intensity of your quest can make you feel that nothing is ever enough. You get into the habit of always looking past what's actually here and being obsessed with what you imagine should be or could be there. In the coming days, dear Sagittarius, I invite you to avoid that tendency. Rather than compulsively pursuing high adventure and vast vistas, focus on the sweet, intimate details. The wisdom you yearn for might be embedded in ordinariness.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In architecture, a "flying buttress" is an external support system that allows a massive building like a cathedral to reach greater heights without collapsing under its own weight. Because the buttress is partly open to the air rather than solidly built against the wall from top to bottom, it appears to “fly,” which is where the name comes from. In the coming weeks, I encourage you Capricorns to acquire your own equivalent of at least one new flying buttress. Who or what could this be? A collaborator who shares the load? A new form of discipline that provides scaffolding? A truth you finally speak aloud that lets others help you? To get the process started, shed any belief you have that strength means carrying everything all by yourself.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The coming weeks will challenge you to think with tenderness and feel with clarity. You’ll be called on to stay sharply alert even as you remain loose, kind, and at ease. Your good fortune will expand as you open your awareness wider, while also firming up the boundaries that keep mean people from bothering you. The really good news is that cosmic forces are lining up to guide you and coach you in exactly these skills. You are primed to explore intriguing paradoxes and contradictions that have valuable lessons.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In alchemy, *solve et coagula* is a Latin phrase translated as "dissolve and coagulate.” It means that transformation must begin with the process of breaking down before any building begins. You can't skip over the dissolving phase and jump straight into creating the new structure. I mention this, dear Pisces, because I believe you're now in the dissolving phase. It might feel destabilizing, even a bit unnerving, but I urge you to stick with it. When the moment comes to construct the beautiful new forms, you will know. But that time isn't yet. Keep dissolving a while longer.
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FULL TIME NON-EXEMPT YOUTH COORDINATOR DisAbility Partners Youth Coordinator recruits, educates, empowers and serves youth with disabilities regarding disability-related issues, resources, advocacy, peer support and transitioning into adulthood. The Youth Coordinator is responsible for developing and implementing youth programs and services, youth outreach activities and events, delivering independent living services to youth,
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helping youth develop and implement independent living transition plans. Conduct public education regarding disability issues, independent living services and Disability Partners. Email: Eva Reynolds at ereynolds@ disabilitypartners.org for job description and application. No phone calls please.
FULL-TIME NON-EXEMPT INDEPENDENT LIVING
SPECIALIST
DisAbility Partners is dedicated to partnering with individuals and the community to enhance, advocate for and support personal choices, independent living and community inclusion. The Independent Living Specialist is a strong voice for disability rights and independent living, working to assist consumers in maintaining their lives independently in the community. Promotes DisAbility Partners in the seven-county service area and collaborates with community agencies to best assist the consumer to reach goals for independent living. The Independent Living Specialist will provide general information and referral for consumers and the community as requested. Email: Eva Reynolds at ereynolds@ disabilitypartners.org for job description and application. No phone calls please.
SALES ASSOCIATE Work for a local company that has covered the local scene
for 30 years! Mountain Xpress newspaper is a supportive, team-oriented environment serving local readers and businesses. We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic advertising sales representative. Ideal candidates are personable, organized, motivated, and can present our company with confidence. Necessary skills include clear and professional communications (via phone, email, and in-person meetings), detailed record-keeping, and self motivation. Experience dealing with varied and challenging situations is helpful. The position’s responsibilities include account development and lead generation (including cold-calling), account management, assisting clients with marketing and branding strategies. If you are a high energy, positive, cooperative person looking to join an independent media organization, please send a resume and cover letter (no walk-ins, please) explaining why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: xpressjob@ mountainx.com. This is a noncommissioned position. There is potential for a performance-based annual bonus.
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AUCTIONS
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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1 Big name in pickup trucks
4 Criminal suspects, informally
9 Giant container
12 Map out
14 Love of Italy?
15 Performer who’s lost for words?
16 Smaller than small
17 Completely change course, in business jargon
18 Enthusiastic
19 Gathering for this puzzle’s attendees
22 Stipulation for some keto dieters
24 Ninja’s quality
27 Grant the power
28 Paddle people
29 Hint
30 Marketplace of ancient Greece
34 Knights of ___, dark order in the third “Star Wars” trilogy
35 Gathering for this puzzle’s attendees
40 Falco of “The Sopranos” 41 Article in hip-hop titles 42 Make some changes 43 Gathering for this puzzle’s attendees 46 Suffering from memory loss, in a way 49 It’s a big hit 53 Name on luxury fashion apparel 54 Marginalia, e.g. 56 John of wrestling fame
57 Bloom that’s green
59 Mess around a sty
60 Lead, as a meeting
61 With 63-Across, gathering for this puzzle’s attendees
62 Grp. that carries badges
63 See 61-Across 64 “That makes sense now!”
65 Hanker (for)
66 Things people prefer to type on in secrecy, for short
1 Engine stat, in brief
2 Sports star who said “It’s not bragging if you can back it up”
3 Engaged in some grooming 4 Fairy tale character with a hard bed 5 Arab leaders 6 Wander aimlessly
7 Needles, maybe
8 Try to catch someone with guile
9 Cry of loyalty in old France
10 “___ crazy?”
11 Williams in the Baseball Hall of Fame
13 Veil worn by Muslim women
15 Colorful parrot
20 Certain address, for short 21 Lead-in to liberalism
Ending
Channel similar to QVC
Lies down on the couch, say
Nueve menos uno
Began to withdraw mail from a mailbox, say
One-named performer known as “Mr. Showmanship”
Most August babies
Word fittingly evoked by the phrase “Together everyone achieves more”
Mark, as an option on a questionnaire
Apple device letters
Not very much
Prefix meaning “onethousandth”
