As fall approaches, the Virgin’s bower or Clematis virginiana, is becoming visible in our fields and gardens. It has a number of popular names including woodbine, leather flower (although this usually refers to Clematis viorna), devil’s darning needle, traveler’s joy, and old-man’s beard (this last referring to the plumed seedpods). The most popular common name […]
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Old songs, new life
Pre-1993, Victoria Williams was perhaps better known to fellow musicians than the listening public. A songwriter’s songwriter, she didn’t become a significant recording artist till after the release of Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams. The album — recorded to help offset her high medical expenses from Multiple Sclerosis — featured covers of Williams’ […]
Garaj band
Almost by definition, jazz resists structural boundaries and traditional limitations. This allows a constant opening toward innumerable influences from other global genres, endless musical opportunities, constant discoveries — and a profound connection to the human creative spirit. Improvisation has always been a fundamental tenet of jazz and other jam-based music. The ability to exist solely […]
Going out with a bang
This year’s edition of the popular free concert series Downtown After Five concludes this week with a performance by bluesman-and-more Corey Harris and his band The 5×5. Although grounded in the blues tradition, Harris’s most recent recording, Downhome Sophisticate (Rounder Records, 2002) journeys across the many voices of the African diaspora, from Chicago, the Mississippi […]
The Practical Gardener
Ever since I came to WNC, I’ve gone out of my way to seek out old-timers who were part of the frenzied, 18-month rush to harvest the greatest nut, timber and shade tree that ever dominated our mountain forests before all the American chestnuts became useless. It had taken several decades for the accidentally introduced […]
Asheville City Council
“With good intentions … we’re giving a lot of attention to dog poop.” So noted Asheville City Council member Carl Mumpower during Council’s Sept. 10 formal meeting. Although his comment was delivered somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Mumpower’s observation (made during a public hearing on revamping the city’s animal-control ordinance) nonetheless underscored the prosaic nature of municipal governance: […]
Ambassador from Earth
“Whereas we cannot make a blade of grass, there is liable not to be a blade of grass unless it is accepted, fostered and protected by humans. Protected mainly from ourselves so that the Earth can function.” — Thomas Berry,The Great Work Cultural historian/eco-philosopher Thomas Berry speaks in a low and sometimes tremulous voice. But […]
EarthSpirit Rising
Conference brings spiritual vision to environmental work “EarthSpirit Rising: Earth Wisdom, Elder Wisdom” comes to the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly Conference Center in Black Mountain Sunday, Sept. 22 through Wednesday, Sept. 25. This participatory gathering will explore such themes as: “How do we restore harmony between our human communities and the bioregions in which we […]
Sacred Journeys
[Editor’s note: In the coming months, Sacred Journeys will explore the meaning of the sacred and the spiritual as they relate to the local, national and international issues that affect our daily lives. By talking with area residents across a broad spectrum, Mickey Mahaffey will try to elucidate the common ground we all share, however […]
Who are the terrorists?
On Aug. 6, more than 50 of us gathered at Vance Monument to remember those killed by U.S. weapons of mass destruction at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We needed no reminder that ours is the only nation ever to have used such weapons militarily. We are keenly aware that our leadership has identified several potential “rogue […]
Rock me on the water
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. — Loren EiseleyThe Immense Journey For some people, a kind of magic begins as soon as a paddle breaks the surface of a stream. Whether it’s the rushing white waters flowing down Nantahala Gorge or a pastoral setting along the New River, for […]
On the homefront
Based on the initial surge of patriotism and flag-waving post-Sept. 11, it would be easy to assume, that Western North Carolina residents wholeheartedly support the President. As time passed, however, the flags have faded — literally and figuratively. Peace activists, too, were quick to respond: Vigils were held, marches organized and voices lifted. But the […]
Starting right now
It’s been a long year in New York since Sept. 11, 2001. As a former Ashevillean and Mountain Xpress staffer who’s lived in New York since September 1999, I was asked a day or two after 9/11 to pen a commentary on that day’s events and fallout for the paper’s next issue (Sept.19, 2001 Xpress). […]
Supporting the cause
In the wake of Sept. 11, violence has followed violence. For many, the U.S. military response to the terrorist attacks is wholly justified. For others, the murder of thousands in response to the murder of thousands merely perpetuates the endless cycle of revenge. Whatever your perspective, the events of the past year are unquestionably helping […]
Too close for comfort
Reviewing an early-summer production of This is Our Youth at Washington Studio Theatre in D.C., Web critic Rich See found the show so intimate it “[felt] more like … listening in on a neighbor’s conversation” than viewing a play. See went on to lament, “It’s a shame Youth wasn’t [staged] in one of Studio’s larger […]
A matter of degree
“It’s [not] right for everyone … it’s right for us.” — home-schooling parent Sue Mickey I met the neatest kid at my friends’ wedding a few weeks ago. I needed a swing partner and he looked up to the task, so I asked him. The tall teenager met my eye, smiled and said, “Sure.” As […]
Made to last
Maria Runyon may have spent most of her 87 years in Manhattan (“New York is the only place to live,” she pronounces with elegant, imperious diction), but her childhood was pure Western North Carolina. “Aunt Lucy used to take me with her back into all those old hollers,” Runyon recalls, the word “holler” sounding foreign […]
The write stuff
“You can’t teach people how to be brilliant and creative, but classes can nurture what’s already there.” — Lori Horvitz, UNCA/Great Smokies Writing Program instructor When it comes to creative writing classes, Western North Carolina has an embarrassment of riches. From obvious treasure troves such as UNCA, Warren Wilson College and The Writers’ Workshop to […]
The digital age
If you’ve ever watched kids play video games, you’ve probably been amazed — and maybe horrified — by the ease with which they manipulate the controls. The flying fingers. The intent “death stare” as they zero in on the target. It’s enough to terrify a slow-moving, book-loving grown-up. Despite the vague sense of alarm some […]
The Practical Gardener
Jasmine and I were home alone this weekend; Eleanor and Laurel were attending an out-of-town soccer tournament. On Saturday afternoon, the red-headed daughter and I had our backpacking excursion rained out. As we made our way home, smelling of wet socks and soggy packs, we stopped off to pick up a video. Periodically, I choose […]
The Wild Gardener
On April 18, 1810, Thomas Jefferson planted larkspurs, poppies, and balsam apples in the great Monticello flower borders because they are, for many reasons, fine additions to the garden. Sir Peyton Skipwith of Prestwould, in Mecklenburg County,Va., had a wife who recorded all the flower information that passed his way while Sir Peyton took care […]