WORD features three spoken word artists and takes place at Trad & Lore Coffee on Friday, Sept. 16.
Locally published book analyzes Donald Trump in a context of societal narcissism
As November quickly approaches, discussion surrounding one of the most polarizing presidential elections in decades has intensified, from fervent whispers to a cacophonous roar of partisan rhetoric and armchair philosophizing. While voters differ passionately on the candidates’ respective platforms and personalities, there is one topic on which they all seem to agree: Donald Trump is […]
Carolina Mountains Literary Festival takes over Burnsville
There’s more than one way to put on a literary festival. Held around the world, they range in size and focus, some bringing in big-name authors while others draw regional writers. Some incorporate conferences or workshops, others offers booths where authors and publishers can sell their wares. The important thing is to a find a […]
Author Ronni Lundy launches new Appalachian cookbook at Early Girl Eatery
Food writer Ronni Lundy will celebrate the release of her new book, Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes, with a Lunch Launch book-signing event Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Early Girl Eatery. Featuring 80 recipes and anecdotes, Victuals — pronounced “viddles” — spotlights staples of Appalachian cuisine such as apples, corn, sorghum and beans along with the people and […]
Stories by our flash fiction contest runners up
The second in a two-part installment, Xpress continues to publish the winning entries from our Indie 500 Flash Fiction Contest. This week brings stories by runners up Mare Carmody Borgelt and Dan Damerville.
Jaye Robin Brown launches an LGBTQ novel for young adults on Aug. 30
The result was a fish-out-of-water story in which Joanne Gordon, the daughter of a successful radio minister, moves from gay-friendly Atlanta to a small-town Rome, Ga., with her father and new stepmother.
Read the winning Indie 500 flash fiction contest entry
Felice Bell was named the winner of the Xpress 2016 Indie 500 Flash Fiction Contest for her story, “Finding Astrid.” The story appears here in full.
Smart bets: Poetry Cabaret IV
Poetry-themed drinks and live music continue after the untamed variety show, which runs Sunday-Monday, Aug. 28-29.
Faces in the crowd: WNC crowdfunding initiatives
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features two book projects: a heavy-hitting war novel and a lighthearted series called Funterventions.
Tuesday History: Fitzgerald in despair at the Grove Park Inn
Apparently, he lived on gin and beer – that is what he drank all the time I was there. I have no idea how much gin he averaged a day, but it was plenty.
Smart bets: Adam O’Fallon Price
Price’s free reading takes place at Malaprop’s Bookstore and Café on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
Robert Morgan’s latest novel takes readers across the Appalachians
Robert Morgan’s latest novel, Chasing the North Star, is set against the backdrop of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Ac. The story chronicles the escape of 18 year-old Jonah Williams, who flees from his life as a slave on a South Carolina plantation.
Author Barbara J. Taylor presents “All Waiting Is Long” at Malaprop’s
“I never write historical fiction with an agenda in mind, modern or otherwise. I simply sit down to write what I hope will be a good story. That said, given the current political climate and the seeming need of politicians to legislate women’s bodies, it wasn’t a far stretch for me to write about a society that restricted women.”
Tuesday History: Thomas Wolfe and his “queer talk,” 1938
We were never taught, for example, to question the life around us, which was the little world of Asheville, which in its turn is the whole world of America.
Robert Beatty launches the second Serafina novel
According to Cindy Norris, the event coordinator at Malaprop’s, anyone interested in the author appearance should buy their tickets ahead of time, because it’s likely to sell out — a mark of the best-seller status of Serafina and the Black Cloak, the first book in the series.
Smart bets: Bob Mustin
Upcoming readings by the author are at Sylva’s City Lights Cafe on Saturday, July 30, and Battery Park Book Exchange on Saturday, Aug., 13.
Indie 500 Flash Fiction Contest winners announced
The winning stories will be published in the August 24 and 31 issues of Xpress.
Tuesday History: Thomas Wolfe v. the state of North Carolina, 1924
N.C. needs honest criticism—rather than the false, shallow “we-are-the-finest-state-and-greatest-people-in-the-country”—kind of thing.
Love and murder: Barbara Bates Smith brings Ron Rash stories to the stage
“It’s [Rash’s] material,” Smith says. “What I take the most credit for is knowing good material when I find it.”
In her first contemporary YA novel, Beth Revis reaches into her own past
Beth Revis will launch A World Without You at Malaprop’s on Tuesday, July 19. The event includes a Q&A with local writer Alexa Duncan.
A conversation with Clare Hanrahan
If you’ve ever driven past the Vance Monument during one of the many protests held there over the last 20 years, there’s a fair chance that Clare Hanrahan numbered among the folks making their voices heard. For the Asheville resident, writer and activist, visibility is a key tool in the fight against injustice. Hanrahan has […]