Smart Bets: Rob Morrill Photograph­y

Leicester-based photographer Rob Morrill was a veterinarian for his first career. Following his retirement in ’99, he turned his attention to his camera. According to his bio, Morrill is “primarily devoted to dynamic floral images that were manipulated digitally, to varying degrees, in an attempt to blur the line between real and imaginary.” He has […]

Props for spirituali­ty and social justice article

I would like to extend a heartfelt fist-bump to Jordan Foltz and the Mountain Xpress for last week’s spirituality issue and cover story [“Sacred Activism,” Dec. 25 Xpress]. This topic could have easily been rendered a fluff piece; instead, it offered meaningful perspectives with salient implications for how to achieve self-fulfillment through compassionate activism. The […]

Smart Bets: The Rag-Pickers Guide to Poetry

As faculty members of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, Eleanor Wilner and Maurice Manning have, between them, decades of teaching experience, many published collections of poems and (in Manning’s case) Pulitzer Prize finalist status. All of which made them the perfect team to edit The Rag-Picker's Guide to Poetry: Poems, Poets, […]

Tricks of the trade

A skull wearing sunglasses cackles to announce the arrival of visitors to Magic Central, a retail shop on Weaverville Highway in North Asheville. The shop appears empty except for the autographed posters of celebrities that grace the walls and glass cabinets displaying magician’s wares. Finally, shop owner Ricky D. Boone appears from behind the back […]

The actual data on climate change

This note is in reference to Michael Ivey’s letter “Carbon Dioxide Does Not Cause Global Warming” [Dec. 25 Xpress]. Mr. Ivey states, “Even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change admits that there has been no warming over the last 16 years.” Please see the excerpt below, from the report “Climate Change 2013: The physical science […]

Smart Bets: Wine and Ink

The new year is the time for, if not resolutions, then making plans and setting goals. Here’s a fun way to get going with creative projects: Wine and Ink, hosted by Ten Cent Poetry (aka singer-songwriter Chelsea Lynn La Bate). “Songwriters! Poets! Story makers! Drawers! Bring your ink and paper to Ten Cent Poetry’s Wine […]

State of the Arts

Chances are you’ve been invited to one of Asheville’s cafes, salons, bookstores or breweries not for a book, beer or haircut, but for an art opening. Whatever their main purpose, these businesses-turned-galleries are some of the city’s premier spaces for art. They’re accessible to new artists wanting to show their work, and approachable for those […]

Finding their hive

A new business dedicated to all things honeybee is coming to Haywood Road this winter. Jillian Kelly and Kim Allen, two former commodities traders from Chicago, are in the midst of renovating one half of the historic building at 707 Haywood Road that previously housed Mr. Fred's Beds, with the goal of opening what they […]

Late-night bites: Ben’s Tune Up

In a restaurant-rich city like Asheville, there’s one thing you can pretty much count on late at night: lots of hungry restaurant workers. According to Amelia Lindsey, the general manager at Ben’s Tune Up, the decision to do late-night dining was sparked specifically by this often-overlooked segment of Asheville’s population. “It’s an industry city,” she […]

Global warming is real and must be addressed

In response to the letter, “Carbon Dioxide Does Not Cause Global Warming,” [Dec. 25 Xpress] written by Michael Ivey: It was amusing to read that Mr. Ivey, speaking of the “Big Lie,” is himself parroting the lies promoted by the fuel industry. Ever since the 1990s, energy companies have been funding “studies” trying to cast […]

Beer Scout: The year in beer

Common New Year’s resolutions aren’t something to look forward to. Who gets excited about eating less or exercising more? But it doesn’t have to be that way. This is Asheville — let’s make our resolutions with a beer in hand. Learn more about beer A-B Tech’s new degree in Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation is great […]

Invitation to readers: Soup’s on!

With winter now in full swing, many locals are cutting the chill by turning on their slow cookers or looking for the daily soup specials at their favorite local eateries. From borscht to beef-and-barley, area residents and restaurants are cooking up spoon-friendly nourishment in myriad forms. Xpress is celebrating Asheville’s take on soup and stew […]

A balanced viewpoint

Amid daily concerns about overpopulation, species extinction and global warming, it may seem soothing to be once again reassured by Michael Ivey that CO2 pollution is no big deal [“Carbon Dioxide Does Not Cause Global Warming,” Dec. 25 Xpress]. Not that he supports his position with any shred of evidence, but that he so firmly […]

Five can-do wellness tips for 2014

It’s that time of year again — time for self-reflection and fresh starts. This year, let’s all make some resolutions we can keep! Lucky for us, Asheville is the perfect place to get our wellness on. Local writer, Reiki healer and wellness enthusiast, Haley Steinhardt, shares some great ways you can support yourself in having a happy and healthy 2014 — Asheville style.

Cranky Hanke’s Weekly Reeler January 1-7: Post Christmas Deflation

OK, so only one of the Christmas Day openings was worth seeing. That’s still one more than this week promises. There are two bright sides to this. First of all, you can catch up with all the good movies you still haven’t seen. Second, next week, a pretty strong blast of movies you’ve been waiting to see finally make it to the provinces — including one terrific movie you don’t even know you’re waiting on.