Thursday, May 17
• Local actress and playwright RoseLynn Katz presents The Devil Touched My Tongue, her original one-woman play about the famed poet, critic and humorist Dorothy Parker, at Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Road. The show will be preceded by a potluck lunch. $3. Info: 776-9390.
• For months, local songwriters have gathered at One Stop Deli on Wednesday evenings to share their best tunes in the Brown Bag Songwriting Competition, a weekly open mic hosted by Alex Krug. Sample the best of the best as winners from each week gather to compete for a cash prize (and bragging rights) in the Brown Bag finals at Asheville Music Hall. 7 p.m. $10.
Friday, May 18
• Blue Ridge Bookfest kicks off with a variety of free workshops, lectures and readings by more than 40 well-known authors at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock. This year’s honoree is Elizabeth Kostova, author of The Historian and The Swan Thieves, who will open the festival with a public address at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The festival continues through Sat., May 19. Info and complete schedule available here.
• “This is the story of Mary Lennox, orphaned in India, who returns to Yorkshire to live with a reclusive uncle and his invalid son,” begins a synopsis of The Secret Garden on Asheville Community Theatre‘s website. “On the estate, she discovers a locked garden filled with magic, a boy who talks to birds and a cousin she brings back to health by putting him to work in the garden. Lucy Simon’s music, some of the most beautiful ever written for Broadway, has made this tale of regeneration a favorite for almost 20 years. This new ‘Spring Version’ promises to be a treasure for children and adults. ACT provides the full Mainstage experience of preparing, developing and rehearsing a musical production.” Performed by the theater’s Youth Production Class on ACT’s Mainstage, 35 E. Walnut St. Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 2:30 p.m. $5.
• Get a taste of traditional Cherokee culture as “Cherokee storytellers relate tales of Indian lore around the bonfire” during the town of Cherokee‘s weekly bonfire celebration. Held at the community’s Island Park area. From the town’s website, “Kids roast marshmallows and you might be invited to join a Cherokee Friendship Dance.” 7 p.m. Free.
• From the band’s website, “Dark Dark Dark revel in the world around us. On their sophomore album Wild Go, the chamber-folk sextet creates a stirring reminder to seek out the wonder and magic to be found in the everyday. Their sound sets Nona Marie Invie’s soaring, haunting voice against an array of acoustic instruments, all the while leaving room for the listener to nestle themselves inside and take part. … The 10-song collection is a marked evolution for the group, which began in 2006 as a collaboration between Minneapolis based musicians Nona Marie Invie and Marshall LaCount. These two songwriters bring together disparate influences including minimalism, New Orleans jazz, Americana, Eastern European folk and pop. With stark contrast in texture, tone and imagery, the band has expanded and redefined their sound.” Catch Dark Dark Dark at Emerald Lounge, 112 N. Lexington Ave., with Sugarfoot Serenaders. 9 p.m. $8/$10.
Saturday, May 19
• Planting season is in full swing, and this weekend, the Black Mountain Garden Show and Sale will offer vegetable starts, native trees, shrubs, garden accessories and more at the Monte Vista Hotel, 308 W. State St. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Children’s activities begin at 1 p.m. Free to attend.
• Join RiverLink for an afternoon at the Wilma Dykeman Riverway and learn about the trees that cover WNC as the organization hosts a leaf identification workshop and nature walk. Trip begins with a presentation at the RiverLink offices, 170 Lyman St., at 10 a.m. Info and RSVP: 252-8474.
• Browse enormous, decades-old equipment and beautiful, handcrafted letters, posters and more as 7 Ton Letterpress, a collective of four local designers and artists, hosts a grand opening celebration featuring Ultimate Ice Cream, punch, live printing demonstrations and a raffle. 178A Westwood Place. 4-8 p.m. Free.
Sunday, May 20
• Get your stretch on as the Asheville Yoga Center‘s Donation Studio, 239 S. Liberty St., hosts Free Yoga Week, featuring flow, beginner, restorative, tween and yoga for survivors classes. Info: 254-0380.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.