Big Tobacco smokes Warren Wilson College

When I was in college back in 1969, we could smoke in class, and when I later started working in a medical research lab, we could smoke there too, even while handling blood and urine samples. We smoked on airplanes and in hospital rooms, at the bank and in movie theaters and courtrooms. Today, that dumb, tobacco-friendly world is (mostly) long gone … except, that is, when I visit Warren Wilson College’s gorgeous campus.

Word problems: Peter Turchi’s book A Muse & a Maze explores the puzzles of writing

It’s been a number of years since Peter Turchi lived in Asheville — he’s now based in Houston — but Western North Carolina still finds its way into his writing. “I tend to write more about places that I’ve left,” says the former director of Warren Wilson College’s MFA program. “The stories that I’m writing […]

Frost and Merrill debate voting rights at Warren Wilson College

Students at Warren Wilson College delivered a contentious 18 vote win to Ellen Frost in 2012, giving Democrats a one seat majority on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. She faces a rematch with Republican opponent Christina Merrill this year for control of District 2, and the two candidates returned to the decisive campus in Swannanoa for an Oct. 29 forum. (Photo by Petras Barcas)

Buncombe commission­er candidates fight for control

Four candidates are battling for two seats on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. In each case, these contenders hold vastly different views on a range of issues, from taxes and spending to growing the economy and protecting the environment. Also at stake is which party holds a voting majority on the board. Here’s a closer look at those races.

Dual local exhibits examine the Gee’s Bend quilts through prints

It’s been 12 years since the art world first heard about Boykin, Ala. — better known as Gee’s Bend. This small, unincorporated community tucked deep within a river bend is home to the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective, a multigenerational group of African-American women made famous by the Houston Museum of Fine Arts’ 2002 show The […]

Climate change, agricultur­e & Warren Wilson College scientist Laura Lengnick

Just 1 percent of headlines these days cover environmental news, despite findings that 80 percent of readers, listeners and viewers want to hear more, according to the nonprofit initiative, Project for Improved Environmental Coverage. Asheville’s fortunate to be near the center of environmental studies, activism and interest — in part due to the work of such experts as Warren Wilson College professor/scientist Laura Lengnick.