Anyone who’s survived adolescence knows how rough it can be. The hormones, the willfulness, the rebellion, the confusion, the acne—and that’s under the best of circumstances. Imagine facing the tumult of that age in poverty, with one overworked, underpaid parent, and maybe with a family or community history of abuse or the scourge of drugs. […]
Tag: Askville
Showing 22-40 of 40 results
Askville: Madam president
While Hillary Clinton campaigns to become America’s first female president, Suzanne DeFerie has already made history—becoming the first woman president and CEO of an Asheville-based bank. Suzanne Deferie. Photo by Jonathan Welch Before assuming her new responsibilities at Asheville Savings Bank on Jan. 1, DeFerie, 51, had paid her dues, serving 16 years as executive […]
Askville: Sexology 101
“Let’s talk about sex” should be Asheville native Kelley Wolfe‘s motto. As far back as high school, Wolfe was the girl all her friends used to come to with sex questions, and in her all-girl freshman dorm in college, it was more of the same. Kelley Wolfe. photo by Jason Sandford Wolfe went on to […]
Askville: The cutting edge
People often pay a pretty penny to get their hair cut at Guadalupe Chavarria‘s salons. For example, prices at Studio Chavarria, his downtown-Asheville location, run from $30 for a men’s haircut to $600 for a Japanese-style “thermal straightening,” which is mostly for women clients. Guadalupe Chavarria photo by Jonathan Welch Now, however, Chavarria is marking […]
Askville: On guard
Last December, the city of Asheville announced that it had hired a ranger for Pritchard Park. The strategically sited downtown park has been the focus of disputes concerning everything from homelessness and free breakfasts to drum circles (not to mention the occasional protest-sign-wielding polar bear), and the news traveled fast. Some in the community saw […]
Askville: Now you see it …
Vise 1 has clearly done a lot of graffiti in his day, and his name is emblazoned on various surfaces in major cities across the country. Exactly where he won’t say, but since he especially likes to write on trains, he’ll tell you that his art can be seen “everywhere” as it travels the rails. […]
Askville: Green acres
Warren Wilson College graduate Chase Hubbard has spent his entire professional life in agriculture. After serving as the school’s assistant farm manager for seven years, he’s now taken charge of running the 275-acre commercial operation in the fields surrounding the campus. Chase Hubbard In the middle of a working day, Hubbard took some time to […]
Askville: Picking up what they’re laying down
No one knows who the unlucky person was that first stepped on a dog turd. After all, it probably happened 10,000 years or more ago, when wolves first began to appear at the margins of human settlement. But it’s not hard to imagine the expression on that person’s face. Even today, very few regularly encountered […]
Askville: Burned by fire
Aaron Barlow and his sister moved to Asheville on a coin toss (Charleston, S.C., was the other option). Beginning in the middle of the Bele Chere rush in 2002, Barlow, a longtime waiter at the Flying Frog’s street-level bar and café, has seen his share of wild times while working at the downtown hot spot. […]
Askville: On the air
As host of local talk shows Conversations, Evening Rounds and Byline, David Hurand is perhaps the most recognizable voice of public-radio station WCQS-FM. Every week, the station’s news director takes on phone calls and in-studio guests (including Xpress reporters). David Hurand After hanging around public-radio stations in San Francisco, Hurand got his first job at […]
Askville: The good mother
Mother Goose has nothing on Martha K. Gardenhight. As a foster parent who’s worked with many local agencies, including Eliada Homes, Gardenhight and her second husband, Billy, have taken in more than 60 youngsters (almost all boys) over the past 22 years. Though both are now retired from their jobs, the couple has not retired […]
Askville: Hoop, there he is
On April 22, 1989, a hush—or something like it—fell over a crowd of nearly 20,000 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. It was halftime during a Knicks game, and on the Garden’s polished floor, a unique drama was unfolding. Fred Feder From the sidelines, Patrick Ewing—all 6 feet 9 inches of him—rose and strode […]
Askville: Maestro on a mission
Daniel Meyer became music director of the Asheville Symphony two years ago at age 33, a time of life when many young men are still living with their parents and playing too much Guitar Hero. Daniel Meyer But then Meyer has always been precocious. He grew up near Cleveland, learning to play the piano at […]
Askville: Queen bee
Did you hear the buzz? Rachel Reeser Photo By Allie Goolrick Shortly after the Asheville Holiday Parade pranced through downtown on Nov. 17, the judges named “Beelieve in Community”—a combined effort by Asheville on Bikes and the Buncombe County chapter of the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association—the best in show. Winning for both “best spirit […]
Askville: Air waves
At the intersection of Coxe and Patton avenues in downtown Asheville, a set of speakers broadcasts a healthy menu of music—from Motown to jazz to blues and gospel—while a DJ waves at passers-by from behind the glass. John Hayes. Photo By Jonathan Welch The man behind the window is John Hayes, the head of WRES-FM, […]
Askville: Activist rising
At 18, Jennifer Thornburg is already getting yelled at outside chicken restaurants, swaying school policy and making a name for herself in the activist community. A few months back, peta2, the youth arm of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, bestowed an Outstanding Activist Award on Thornburg after she interned for the group last […]
Askville: Cartoon life
If there’s one day you can be anyone you want to be, it’s Halloween. And perhaps its no surprise that the holiday comes easy in a place like Asheville. Perseus (left) and Mr. Hero Boy Photo By Jon Elliston From time to time, the city seems to serve as a kind of simulacrum, in the […]
Askville: Little boy blues
“You’ve got to live the blues to play the blues,” the adage goes. In other words, experience matters—especially when it involves low-down feelings, physical infirmity, hard times, brushes with no-good men or women, and sometimes even drinking Sterno. Zeppelin Murray Photo By Jonathan Welch Zeppelin Murray would seem to defy this principle. First of all, […]
Askville: Prophet with a puppet
Maybe you’ve seen him: the guy calling down fire and brimstone on the Asheville City Council and whipping out a rainbow sock puppet named Charlie to drive the point home. Chris Chiaromonte (with CHARLIE) Photo By Jonathan Welch Or maybe you’ve encountered the red-robed, staff-bearing preacher on the street. Or seen his program, False Profit, […]