Press release from AVL Lit Tours:
You know the secret behind “Soylent Green,” the famous dystopian movie from the early 1970s. But did you know the film was based on the 1966 sci-fi novel Make Room! Make Room! and it has an Asheville connection?
This and many other bookish facts and insights are revealed through a new literary walking tour of downtown Asheville.
AVL Lit Tours uses the written word as a window into the city’s culture. Asheville has inspired thousands of writers, many who became famous and influential. Others, not so much. Tour guests learn about both categories and everything in between.
“Whenever I travel to another city, I do the usual stuff — visit their restaurants and breweries and museums,” said Jimmy MacKenzie, AVL Lit Tour cofounder. “But I also do my own research and find authors, writers, and books written inside and about that city. I wish these cities offered literature tours. And now, finally, Asheville has its own. I hope there are other travelers out there like me who fully come to understand a place through the written word.”
Each AVL Lit Tour debunks local literary myths and introduces a few new mysteries about area landmarks. Tour guests not only learn about each author through vivid anecdotes, but hear many of their words and texts.
“It was important to us to bring the written word about Asheville to life,” said Sarah Giavedoni, AVL Lit Tour cofounder. “We incorporate images, photographs, quotes, and readings throughout the tour so that even if you’re not familiar with a particular author, every anecdote can still be meaningful for you.”
Tour guests also learn about:
- When one of Asheville’s famous authors played a big role in saving downtown from being demolished.
- The Asheville author who received the biggest first-book advance in the history of book advances.
- The Asheville author who predicted the “green” movement of the 1970s nearly a decade and a half early.
- The Asheville author who loved concocting ironic twists, who ended up in a final ironic twist of his own.
“Putting this tour together took years of research, swimming through stacks of books,” said MacKenzie. “Of course, a walking tour helps increase your Fitbit numbers, but at its conclusion, you will be smarter.”
Public tours begin Saturday, September 15. Tours will run Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the season. For a limited time, Asheville locals can learn about the city’s literary history at a discount. Enter LOCALLOVE when booking a tour for a 20% discount.
A full schedule of tour times, prices, and availability is available at avllitmap.com. For more information, email avllitmap@gmail.com.
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