How the polyamorou­s live in Asheville

Western North Carolina prides itself on its “live and let live” ethos. From the moonshiners of yore to back-to-the-land homesteaders to the sprawling artistic community, many  people feel they can make their living differently here. That independent streak often runs through people’s personal lives, too. For that reason, some consider Asheville to be an accepting […]

Sex, Lies and Bloomer Dust: Local resident recounts Asheville’s past

Bill Hagan has worn many hats: publisher, licensed North Carolina auctioneer, pro-wrestling promoter and former peanut pusher, to name a few of the businesses he’s been involved in over the years. With all these experiences under his belt, the Asheville native – with the help of his daughter Judy Hagan Babbit – has written a […]

Fifty shades of healthy sex

This letter is in response to the “Edgy Mama” piece about the book Fifty Shades of Grey [“Fifty Shades of Abuse,” Sept. 12 Xpress]. I absolutely agree with her assertion that the writing is not great (nor even good), and the premise of a young virgin becoming overwhelmingly sexual during her first sexual rodeo is […]

Big Idea 2012: A more sex-positive Asheville

What I’d like to see in Asheville is people's views open on what sex-positive culture really is. Our town is liberal, but like any well-mannered Southern town, it’s still skeptical in its openness to sexuality — and fairly new to it. With the dawn of places like the Tantra School in West Asheville and the […]