“I think with my heart,” says Cherokee poet, journalist and publisher MariJo Moore. But she’s not churning out romance novels; she’s conjuring medicine from the tribal voices howling in the bones of her ancestral soul. “American Indian teenagers have the highest suicide rate of all,” she says, “because of what they must endure because of […]
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Gearle power
It’s more than appropriate that Stacey Earle’s first commercial singing venture was on a record called The Hard Way. Sure, big brother Steve — who enlisted Stacey to sing harmony on the cut “Promise You Anything” — wields his fair share of power in the Nashville music world (albeit of the renegade type). But Stacey […]
Pass the gas
Few things in life are as satisfying as cooking outdoors over a live fire. And though many people view the “cookout” as some arcane, strictly middle-class American tradition, grilling is really a centuries-old cooking technique that can be traced to cultures all over the world. The appeal of cooking over an open fire is primordial: […]
Take a hike from the Parkway
Here are just a few of the numerous hiking trails found right off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina (all trail-mileage listings are one-way): • Milepost 351.9: Deep Gap Trail, 0.6 miles (easy) • Milepost 355.0: Bald Knob Ridge Trail, 0.1 miles (easy) • Milepost 359.8: Big Butt Trail, 0.2 miles (strenuous) • […]
I can’t believe this isn’t roasted pig!
Technological advances in the production of fake meat have made it possible for vegetarians to relive precious moments from their carnivorous past with something approaching the realism and intensity of the original experience. Summer’s here, and if you spinach-eating, asparagus-legged vegetarians don’t want to feel left out, you’re going to have to come up with […]
Dining out(side)
Why spend gorgeous summer days and nights taking your meals within the stuffy confines of the indoors, when our area enjoys such a vast array of glorious outdoor-dining venues? Here’s just a sampling of the patios, terraces and sidewalk spots that await you: • Bistro 1896, 7 Pack Square, Asheville; 251-1300 (seafood, steaks, pasta, sandwiches, […]
An embarrassment of riches
Every winter, I hatch ambitious plans for all the home-improvement projects I’ll do, come summer. But those balmy days bring with them an explosion of creative and cultural activities, here in these mountains. The following sampler of summer arts happenings is by no means a complete list — but it’s enough to get you started […]
Notepad
Clean and simple Every once in awhile, an idea comes along that redefines the way we think about problem-solving … reminding us that surprisingly elementary answers to life’s quandaries lie all around, if only we could rethink our approach. Case in point: The city of Carrboro’s use of near-boiling water to kill weeds. A special […]
Letters to the editor
Counsel for gay teens Gay teens are at two-to-three times the risk for attempting suicide than other teens. The reasons for this are varied, but [two] overwhelming causes are the pressure they feel for having to hide their identity in an anti-gay environment, and a sense of isolation. The Trevor Helpline, at (800) 850-8078, is […]
Notepad
Young, beautiful and gifted Talent is a precious commodity, and it can use all the acknowledgment, attention and nurturing it can get. To that end, the Arts Alliance — a local nonprofit that knows a thing or two about recognizing talent — recently awarded fine-arts scholarships to three Asheville-area graduating seniors. Ben Betsalel and Michelle […]
Letters to the editor
Help for RAD Thank you for giving voice to a brave parent willing to share about her, her son’s and her family’s experience with Reactive Attachment Disorder [Commentary, “Without conscience,” June 2]. I honor her story, and appreciate Mountain Xpress‘ interest in educating parents and the public about the issue. However, it would provide help […]
Adrian’s Belew period
Since he isn’t nearly as well-known as he should be, let’s make one thing clear: Adrian Belew is one of the finest guitar players alive. With his cubist’s sense of abstraction and his zookeeper’s arsenal of wild, experimental guitar noise, Belew has enjoyed a two-decade stint as one of rock’s premier musicians. But typecasting him […]
Jazzing up the harp
Jazz harpist Deborah Henson-Conant is not your typical angel-with-harp. Before this musical dynamo even plucks the first string, it’s her physical appearance that gets you — dressed, as she usually is, like a showgirl in tight leather and sequins, her head crowned with voluminous dreadlocks. And — as if foreshadowed by her image — when […]
The ties that bind
The word “cleave,” as defined in Webster’s Dictionary, holds two wildly divergent meanings: (1) to adhere closely, stick, cling, remain faithful (the italics here will make sense in a few seconds); and (2) to split or divide. Cleaving, then, is a stunningly apt title for a book documenting the tempestuous, 22-year marriage of writers Dennis […]
Fair play
Just when you thought you could write off North Carolina’s Center for Public Television as completely unconcerned about the gay-and-lesbian community, UNC-TV up and offers an unprecedented display of fair programming judgment. During the month of June, four award-winning documentary films about the development of gay liberation and activism in this country are being shown: […]
Caring through movement
The doctor’s out. So are the nurse, chiropractor, psychotherapist, orderly, massage therapist and hospice worker. They’re out doing something many of them almost never do: caring for themselves. Specifically, they’re at Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater “Caring for the Caregiver” workshops at the New Studio of Dance in downtown Asheville. “The workshops provide a creative […]
Genius at play
“Draw!” the 20-something Picasso challenges the 20-something Einstein, and the two men back away from each other in OK Corral-style slow motion, until both reach for their …. pencils. They immediately start scribbling away on tablecloths at the Lapin Agile. Eventually, Picasso and Einstein hold up the results of their scribbling: a Cubist drawing and […]
Too much money—too few formalities
A hefty fund balance sits idle in the accounts of the Western North Carolina Regional Air Pollution Control Agency. The accumulated budget surpluses, totaling $760,186, are drawing “somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 percent interest,” according to Buncombe County Budget Director Nancy Brooks — bringing in more than $60,000 this fiscal year. “If revenue exceeds […]
Notepad
Is ignorance really bliss? Knowledge, as they say, is power; on occasion, it can also help you breathe a little easier. As a case in point, consider the Environmental Defense Fund’s new Web site (www.scorecard.org), where previously unpublished government information about local levels of toxic air pollution is now available to anyone with a computer […]
Letters to the editor
Pardon this mess? This is a project being built by Neighborhood Housing Services. The construction debris has been piled up, as shown here in [this photo], from October 1998 until today (May 25). This project, on Westover Avenue in the Montford Hills community, is a hazard for young children and an eyesore to the people […]
Buncombe County Commission
The former Carolina Power & Light headquarters at 202 Haywood St. will soon light up the lives of some Sheriff’s Department workers. At a public hearing on May 25, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners agreed to buy the property to provide additional office space for that department. Finance Director Nancy Brooks read the terms […]