Thursday, Feb. 23
• “Through elegiac verse that honors her mother and tells of her own fraught childhood, Natasha Trethewey confronts the racial legacy of her native Deep South — where one of the first black regiments, the Louisiana Native Guards, was called into service during the Civil War,” begins an Amazon synopsis of Native Guard. “Trethewey’s resonant and beguiling collection is a haunting conversation between personal experience and national history.” The Pulitzer Prize winner reads from the collection at UNCA’s Humanities Lecture Hall on Thursday. 7 p.m. Free. Info: 251-6808.
• ”Sara Benincasa is an award-winning comedian, writer and host of the popular podcast, Sex and Other Human Activities, available on iTunes,” begins the former Warren Wilson student’s bio. “Her outspoken, sexually-charged comedy has won praise from the Chicago Tribune, CNN, The Guardian, and The New York Times, and has earned her an ECNY (Emerging Comedian of New York) Award and a Webby nomination.” Benincasa returns to Asheville for a reading from her debut novel, Agorafabulous, a “funny, raw and poignant account of her battle with agorophobia — how a terrified young woman literally trapped by her own imagination evolved into a (relatively) high-functioning professional smartass.” Held at Malaprop’s, 55 Haywood St. 7 p.m. Free.
Friday, Feb. 24
• Join Bluewood Photography, 36 W. Jordan St., Brevard, as the gallery celebrates its seventh anniversary with a galla reception and open house. More about Bluewood from its website, “The gallery is one of the very few in the Southeast devoted exclusively to photography and has assembled a group of nationally and regionally acclaimed photographers and teachers. In addition to the collection of photographic images for purchase, the gallery is also a center for workshops, seminars and inspirational photography programs.” 5-7 p.m. Free.
• According to The Atlanta Guitar Trio‘s website, “Bill Hearn, Scott Plato and Adam Craighead have many decades of experience in guitar performance and as educators of guitar. … The group performs music from many different historical time periods. Bill, Scott and Adam incorporate not only guitar in the trio ensemble, but they also perform arrangements of music for guitar and mandolin, as well as guitar and theorbo. During concerts, the trio entertains audience members with historical information on the musical instruments they use. They also provide historical insight into the composers and compositions performed.” Catch the trio at Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Road. 7 p.m. Donations appreciated.
• Local one-man psych-rocker Edward Madill, aka Wyla, creates dreamy, sweeping musical landscapes in his home studio. This weekend, the 20-year-old UNCA student enlists the help of friends and fellow musicians to take his droney masterpieces out of the bedroom and into the club for an opening slot at The LAB, 39 N. Lexington Ave. The Anatomy of Frank, Polar Eye and Wilhelm McKay also perform. 10 p.m. $5.
Edward Madill is Wyla from Joseph Chapman on Vimeo.
Saturday, Feb. 25
• Patton Avenue Pet Company, 1388 Patton Ave., continues its ongoing series of free classes with “Housetraining 101” and “WOOF: I Can’t Stop Barking.” Each presentation provides owners with insight into animal behaviors and suggested training techniques. Humans only. Courses begin at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. respectively.
• Spring is still weeks away, but it’s never too early to get tips for the planting season. Learn more about managing garden pests at a free lecture hosted by the Leicester Garden Club. Held at the Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road. Info: LGCmember@yahoo.com or 683-7159.
• Celebrate Black History Month with an afternoon of dance, poetry and historical presentations as the Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department hosts an expo at the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Caver Ave. 2-4 p.m. Free. Info: 350-2058 or lmcdowell@ashevillenc.gov.
• Singer-songwriter Sarah Tucker is barely old enough to drive, but the sixteen-year-old Marshall native writes songs with depth and insight that elude many writers three times her age. In December, Tucker’s delicate voice and poetic storytelling beat out nearly twenty finalists to earn first place in Asheville Music Hall‘s Brown Bag Songwriting Competition, and a full-legnth album is currently is the works. Catch Tucker this weekend when she performs at Good Stuff Grocery, 68 N. Main St., Marshall. 8 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 26
• “This concert honoring Black History Month features works by African American composers,” begins a listing on St. Matthias Episcopal Church‘s website. “The Reuter Center Singers, a 60-voice community chorus, accompanied by 21 instrumentalists, will be conducted by Chuck Taft and will feature baritone Roberto Flores. The program will include works by Ellington, Ray, Dett, and extensive excerpts from Scott Joplin’s opera, Treemonisha.” 3 p.m. Love offering.
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