Mountain Xpress 10.12.22

OU R 29TH Y E A R OF W E E K LY I N DE PE N DE N T N E W S, A RTS & E V E N TS FOR W E STE R N NORTH CA ROL I NA VOL . 29 NO. 11 OCT. 12-18, 2022

C O NT E NT S

FEATURES

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OF ANTIQUES, UNIQUES & REPURPOSED RARITIES!

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GREEN GODDESSES 10 HELPING ‘MOMPRENEURS’ Black Wall Street AVL vies for national award to help women-owned businesses

16 GREEN ROUNDUP Wildlands Network flags WNC roads for wildlife crossings

Asheville is home to several plant shops known for their intimate size, attention to quality — and being run by women. Xpress spoke with several shop owners about how the pandemic houseplant boom impacted their businesses.

COVER PHOTO Thomas Calder

~ Nicole & her daughter, Nova

Best of WNC since 2014!

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COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick 20 ‘O CYNTHIA!’ The literal and fictional death of a milliner, 1884

26 PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH Entrepreneurs bring wellness opportunities to Asheville area

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18 BUNCOMBE BEAT

28 THE JUGGLE IS REAL Balancing business and motherhood in WNC

26 WELLNESS 28 ARTS & CULTURE 42 CLUBLAND 46 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY

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22 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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34 PUBLIC ACCESS Art in the Heart imagines the future of Pack Square Plaza

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STAFF PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson OPERATIONS MANAGER: Able Allen MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas Calder NEWS EDITOR: Daniel Walton ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Thomas Calder OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose STAFF REPORTERS: Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Justin McGuire, Sara Murphy, Brooke Randle, Jessica Wakeman, Daniel Walton COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Andy Hall CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Lisa Allen, Peter Gregutt, Mary Jean Ronan Herzog, Rob Mikulak REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Mark Barrett, Blake Becker, Morgan Bost, LA Bourgeois, Carmela Caruso, Nikki Gensert, Bill Kopp, Linda Ray, Kay West STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Cindy Kunst ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Olivia Urban MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, Vicki Catalano, Scott Mermel, Braulio Pescador-Martinez INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES & WEB: Able Allen BOOKKEEPER: Amie Fowler-Tanner ADMINISTRATION, BILLING, HR: Able Allen, Mark Murphy DISTRIBUTION: Susan Hutchinson, Cindy Kunst DISTRIBUTION DRIVERS: Leah Beck, Desiree Davis, Tracy Houston, Marlea Kunst, Amy Loving, Henry Mitchell, Angelo Santa Maria, Carl & Debbie Schweiger

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OPINION

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com. is red for cars headed in their direction? It seems strange that they don’t walk down the line of cars that are waiting for the light to turn.

I thought there might be some rule prohibiting them approaching drivers, but as I read the rules, the prohibitions only seem to be against threatening persons in cars.

— James Greene Asheville

Women’s words of wisdom For our Women in Business issue, we invited women in our local business communities to share insights they’ve gained through their work in Western North Carolina. Look for their stories scattered throughout the issue. X

‘Best Of’ should only be positive

How it sounds behind the drum kit [Regarding “Captive Audience: Buskers, Downtown Businesses Grapple Over Amplification,” Oct. 5, Xpress:] I’ve only busked twice. I play drums. I lug my electric kit to the intersection of Broadway and Patton. The road noise is pretty intense there. Vehicles in three different directions are accelerating hard to climb to the top of the hill. Anyway, I point my speaker toward what used to be the Vance Monument. I find that I have to turn up the volume a bit just so that I can hear the music with which I’m

C A RT O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N playing. I may be violating a noise ordinance, and if anyone asked me to turn it down, I would do so. I may relocate to a different corner next time. It’s just too loud on that street

during the day (except on Sunday morning, it was lovely).

I play along to songs that I’ve learned. My playlist includes a variety, including very quiet pieces like Lauryn Hill’s “Tell Him” to the Queens of the Stone Age’s raucous “No One Knows.” Maybe I’m part of an emerging problem. But, like I said, the ambient volume level from vehicles accelerating up the hill drowns out what I’m doing. I think part of the noise issue has to do with the exceptional amount of wind that blows through that intersection. I still think the best thing to do with the Vance Monument would be to place a wind turbine there.

Other solutions for that intersection would be to build a roundabout or close the intersection to vehicles. During the day, there are large numbers of people crossing the streets near the monument. It would be much more friendly to pedestrians to remove cars from that interchange. Besides, there are multiple parking garages located a block away.

— Don McAdam Asheville

What’s up with panhandlers at intersections?

[Regarding “Street Signs: How Is Asheville Addressing Panhandling?”

Sept. 28, Xpress:] Can anyone explain why panhandlers at street intersections usually remain stationary even when the traffic light 4

OCT. 12-18, 2022

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In regard to the letter from Keynon Lake [“School Staffer Doesn’t Deserve ‘Best Of’ Vilification,” Sept.

28, Xpress] regarding the person “winning” third place in the best “Local Villain” category, I found your editor’s response highly inappropriate and insufficient.

Your “Best Of” contest is a welcome and helpful celebration of some of the good about WNC by acknowledging many people’s accomplishments. To have a negative “Best Local Villain” category is in direct contrast to that greater, positive intention and leaves readers with no meaningful explanation and the “winner” with no means to defend him/herself.

In these days where we are surrounded by the negative and the arguing about most everything, this category doesn’t belong in your survey. Stick to “The Best.”

— Randy Bell Asheville

Vote for bonds to leave legacy of land An important choice is coming in November. From Sandy Mush to Fairview, Black Mountain to Upper Hominy and everywhere in between, we’ve seen tangible, positive results from various Buncombe County-led initiatives intended to maintain and improve life quality essentials for residents and visitors alike.

Clean water, healthy air and unspoiled views should not be taken for granted. Properly managed development can be entirely compatible with population and economic growth, incentivizing progress without despoiling the world around us. While Buncombe County is increasingly viewed as a national leader in land conservation, this is no time to rest on laurels. Tourists will continue to visit, and companies will choose to relocate and expand their business-

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN es here only so long as we are able to maintain the unique attraction of Western North Carolina.

On Nov. 8, Buncombe voters will consider a $30 million bond to support the goal of protecting an additional 6,000 acres by 2030, through various permanent conservation easements, with a target of preserving 20% (including national forests) of land in the county.

Buffering against the congestion of homogenized urban sprawl is essential for our rapidly growing community and an economy reliant upon natural beauty.

Bond approval would create additional areas for public enjoyment, to include expansion of recreational trails and greenways across the county, ensuring healthy outdoor opportunities for both current and future generations. Longer term, such spaces could soften the impact of potential natural disasters — storms, floods, wildfires, mudslides and shrinking reservoirs — which in other places have been accelerated by a lack of foresight in land practices.

For the equivalent expenditure of about $20 per family per year, we can leave a land legacy of which our children and grandchildren will be both thankful and proud. For an annual cost of less than one forgotten trip through a nondescript fast-

food drive-thru and for the sake of a better tomorrow, please seriously consider becoming a stakeholder in where we live and vote “Yes” in favor of this bond referendum.

— D. Everett Big Sandy Mush

Edwards is committed to educators I’m voting to reelect Amanda Edwards for Buncombe County commissioner this November because she is firmly committed to educators.

Having worked as a teacher in North Carolina since 1997, I can state without hesitation that we need county leaders who support us and recognize the challenges that we face. Amanda has been in our corner since she first took office in 2018. She not only advocates for educators but also for causes such as affordable housing, farmland preservation and emergency services. Her warm heart and sharp mind are always with the marginalized and underserved in our region.

Because we need her leadership now more than ever, please join me in voting for Amanda in the general election on Nov. 8!

— Ellen J. Perry Weaverville

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NEWS

Green Goddesses

Women-owned plant shops are a growing industry in Asheville

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com Farmers and homesteaders can get their hands dirty all over Western North Carolina. For those with more modest ambitions, there are houseplants.

Garden stores, chain stores and even pharmacies sell houseplants nowadays, but it’s also an attractive industry for many small-business owners. The Asheville area is home to several plant shops known for their intimate size, attention to quality — and being run by women.

When Melissa Thomas started Flora out of her basement 14 years ago, plant shops weren’t as ubiquitous. She opened a brick-and-mortar 12 years ago in West Asheville and has since watched former employees move on to create their own plant businesses.

“There are so many wonderful plant shops in the area that have come

COVID-19’S BUSINESS BOOM

SEEING GREEN: Erika Mayer, owner of Rosarina Plant Shop, purchased a decommissioned school bus from the YMCA of Asheville and originally sold houseplants out of it. Photo courtesy of Mayer

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Shop. Trained as a landscape architect, she grew disillusioned when her job required more time on the computer than in the dirt. She moved from San Francisco to Asheville in 2018 and began transitioning careers.

Mayer purchased a decommissioned school bus from the YMCA, painted it peach and opened a mobile plant shop in 2019 to bring plant pop-ups around town.

The owners of Palm + Pine in West Asheville worked at a plant shop together but wanted to curate a different “vibe,” explains Meghan McIver. She and Lindsay Riley met as co-workers at Flora, where McIver brewed drinks in the cafe and Riley crafted floral arrangements. Realizing their complementary creative natures, the friends went into business.

“We wanted to fill in a gap [with] very vibrant, lively, queer space for our community and for our peers,” says McIver, adding that she sees the shop as an art installation as much as a business. She calls Palm + Pine a “beginner plant parent shop,” noting that it carries “a lot of approachable, easy care, set-you-up-for-success plants.”

about,” Thomas tells Xpress. “It adds a lot to our community and gives people the opportunity to support small, local businesses over the box stores to fill their homes with green space.”

Xpress spoke with several women who own plant shops around Asheville to learn more about sourcing the best greenery and how the pandemic houseplant boom impacted their businesses.

INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE Many plant shop owners say opening their own green oasis was a second career after another horticulture-adjacent industry. In April 2021, sisters Laura and Sarah Carter took over their Woodfin shop, Thyme in the Garden, from their parents, who had

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opened it in 2006 after running a landscape business.

Rose Love Bartlett and her late husband owned a successful garden design business in Washington, D.C., designing for the likes of Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sargent Shriver. After her husband’s death, Bartlett moved to Asheville in 2009 and purchased a historic home on Charlotte Street three years later. The idea of selling plants and antiques had been “percolating” for a while, Bartlett says, but she’d never found the right space in D.C. In 2013, she opened Rose’s Garden Shop on the ground floor of her home, which had formerly been a hair salon.

“I’m not an office person,” says Erika Mayer, by way of explaining how she came to open Rosarina Plant

Plant shops are one of the few businesses that didn’t wither on the vine during the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps due to the desire that lockdowns and other restrictions created for tactile activities at home.

Operating Rosarina Plant Shop out of a bus and traveling to farmers markets helped Mayer thrive during the pandemic. And during 2020, Max Puterbaugh at the South Slope’s Farewell coffee shop suggested she sell houseplants there. A new seed was planted: Now Rosarina stocks houseplants seasonally at several cafes around Asheville, including Citizen Vinyl and All Day Darling.

More teens, 20- and 30-somethings began buying houseplants throughout COVID-19’s disruptions, says Laura Carter, noting her shop’s previous clientele had primarily been retirees.

She’s found that the younger generation of plant lovers is unusually knowledgeable about the plants, noting that many use apps like Planta. She jokes that some regard caring for houseplants, such as the particularly showy tropical monstera, “like having a pet, and you’ve got to educate yourself.”

Still, some local green thumbs say the pandemic doesn’t deserve all the credit for the plant boom. Emma Luyckx, owner of Wilderness Botanica in Fletcher, says houseplants benefited from “a hype effect, and [COVID] made being an ‘apartment botanist’ accessible to people who otherwise wouldn’t have the time or energy to

• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

Consistency and discipline

TIARRA WILKIE Owner of Groundbreaking Financial

GEN Z: Laura Carter, left, and Sarah Carter from Thyme in the Garden report that more teens, 20- and 30-somethings are buying houseplants. Photo courtesy of the Carters dive into it.” However, she continues, “The houseplant ‘phenomena’ was already on the rise and a very established scene well before COVID-19.”

A couple of local shops temporarily closed during the pandemic. Rose’s Garden Shop shuttered completely for two years; Bartlett felt her safety required it, given the shop is on the ground floor of her home. (She reopened on Earth Day 2022.) Palm + Pine held its opening party on Jan. 31, 2020, and then closed for walk-ins six weeks later.

The shop’s owners quickly pivoted: “We put everything online, got an e-commerce situation set up and then we did free deliveries around town,” says McIver. “We had to learn really quickly how to make it work.”

(Helpfully, their landlord temporarily decreased the rent while the shop was shuttered.) Palm + Pine reopened in July 2020.

which helps them attend to their particular clientele.

Local plant shops mainly source their greenery from growers in Florida. McIver uses a plant broker in South Carolina who works directly with Florida growers. “I would in the future love to have the opportunity to

Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?

Wilkie: As cliché as it sounds, the best advice I’ve ever received is to not give up. I think a lot of business owners can agree with me when I say the first two-three years in business are the hardest and essentially a “make-or-break” period. It’s so easy to give up when you’re not getting the customers or clients that you want, or you’re not seeing a return on your investment. Staying consistent, disciplined and driven will play an integral role in your business’s success.

What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

Know when it’s time to pivot.

Groundbreaking Financial is 2 1/2 years old, and I’ve had to pivot three to four times already. The vision you have for your business in the early stages may not actually make sense months and even years down the road. I think COVID has shown us just how quick the times can shift.

Stay on your toes and be open to implementing new ideas and strategies that will help get your business to the next level.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

I think we’re all aware that women, especially women of color, often get the short end of the stick. Rather than dwelling on the many obstacles placed in front of us due to society, I’d rather continue connecting with other like-minded, women-owned businesses and focus on the many glass ceilings we’ll break one day! X

CONTINUES ON PAGE 8

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N EWS

• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

The importance of reputation

AISHA ADAMS Owner of Aisha Adams Media Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?

Adams: I have amazing mentors who have helped me not only become a better businesswoman but also become a better person. I learned so many things. Here are two: • My mentor Christopher Murray at Mountain BizWorks would say get your numbers in order, meaning give your cash flow, budget, projections, and profit and loss the energy it deserves.

• My mentor Dr. Joseph Fox from Fox Management

taught me the importance of my reputation and unique value proposition by encouraging me to build a solid brand and be picky about who I partner with.

You really can’t be all things to all people.

What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

Figure out what problem you can solve for others. Get passionate about your customers and learn how to serve them uniquely better than anyone else.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

As a Black woman, I continue to brave the same challenges many people of color face. I have been underfunded, underestimated and underutilized. I think good business acumen, mental toughness, a strong brand, collaboration, a reliable product and my methodology have kept me in business. X

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GROWN ENOUGH Their merchandise may keep on growing, but the women who run Asheville’s plant shops are largely content to keep their businesses small.

Instead of economic expansion, they seem to find more value in something different: loving their jobs.

“In this culture, in terms of capitalism, growth always seems like [the goal] — ‘How much bigger can you get?’” says Mayer. “Actually, I don’t feel like I want to do that.” She says her goal for Rosarina is to be intentional about selling plants in a few locations, “cap it there and enjoy it.”

For other business owners, the rewards are more spiritual. “It’s really interesting to watch the plant world’s emergence into the mainstream, and I’m grateful to be a part of it,” says Thomas. “I’m grateful to see so many people embracing botanical living.” X

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direct-source from growers,” she says.

(A garden in Sandy Mush does supply the shop’s cacti.)

Bartlett sources from a traveling plant wholesaler. “I’ve tried a few services, but you usually have to order bigger quantities and then … they’re not up to my standards,” she explains.

“This is a little bit more work, but I get to handpick 90% of the plants that we sell.”

Luyckx has found a niche in exotic plant varieties, like the dark form of Scindapsus terubii, which has almost black leaves. The Carter sisters at Thyme in the Garden, which sits on a large property, say they’re known for their wide array of outdoor pots.

Flora is unlike other area plant shops in that many of its plants are homegrown. “We’re in the process of renovating a 1960s dairy barn on our property, where we also grow flowers, and we have a tropical greenhouse,” says Thomas.

“We’re doing our best to grow as many of our own tropicals as possible,” she adds. “We’re trying to really

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Helping ‘mompreneurs’ Black Wall Street AVL vies for national award to help women-owned businesses

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BY JUSTIN McGUIRE jmcguire@mountainx.com When Nicole Lee moved to Asheville from Cincinnati two years ago with the idea of starting a consulting business for aspiring entrepreneurs, she reached out to Black Wall Street AVL for assistance.

“They helped guide me to get my name on the map here in North Carolina,” says Lee, who runs the for-profit Counsel to the Entrepreneur as well as the nonprofit Warrior Moms. “They’ve been an amazing resource for establishing fruitful connections.”

For instance, she explains, when she wanted to do a playwright reading at the Magnetic Theatre last year, Black Wall Street helped connect her with the right people. And the

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MOTHERS OF INVENTION: Nicole Lee, left, and Naomi Waller are Asheville business owners who found success working with Black Wall Street AVL. Photos courtesy of Black Wall Street AVL group’s pop-up shop series gave her a place to promote her 12 self-published books.

“Black Wall Street has been a gem for me,” she says.

Now the organization is hoping to get the financial resources to help even more “mompreneurs” like Lee, who is a single mother, as well as women who are reentering society after incarceration or substance abuse treatment.

Black Wall Street AVL is one of seven national finalists for the Truist Foundation’s first Inspire Award, given to nonprofits that support Black, Indigenous and people of color and women-owned small businesses. The first-place winner will receive $250,000 in grant funding, which BWS would use to aid women of color in starting, growing and scaling businesses in marginalized communities.

“In Asheville, the majority of women who are low income are single moms,” says J Hackett, who founded BWS in 2020. “And so how does this single mom take care of her family and still create a business when everything is already working against her? We believe that we have a solution, one that we’ve tested out for the last two years. And it’s proven to be successful.”

LET’S GET STARTED The BWS solution includes paying the fees needed to set up limited liability companies and establish websites. The organization picks up the costs of accounting software, vendor fees and classes on business and finance and helps with social media and other marketing efforts.

Black Wall Street also helps women work with nonprofits like Mountain BizWorks and Eagle Market Streets Development Corp., which have grant programs available for people of color to get small businesses off the ground.

The organization aids business owners in connecting with the area’s tourists and people who live outside the Black community, something Hackett says is vital in keeping such companies financially viable.

“For me, being a mom who doesn’t fully understand how to run a business, Black Wall Street has offered a structural support system,” says Naomi Waller, owner of Ayoki Styles Curl Academy and Ayoki Styles Beauty Collection. “So it’s a place where I’m safe to make the mistakes that I need to. It’s a safe place to gain an understanding of how I can take my business to the next level.”

If Black Wall Street wins the $250,000 first-place prize from the

Truist Foundation, it would be able to help about 50 women in the region get businesses started, Hackett says.

A particular emphasis will be put on aiding women who have been incarcerated or in treatment for substance abuse, he says.

“We know that entrepreneurship is the quickest way for a marginalized group to establish financial independence,” Hackett says. “And for a lot of people, a past crime is a barrier to employment. So instead of them trying to be hired for a job, they can create their own job and then create jobs for other people.”

Lee says running a business allows “mompreneurs” to control their own schedule and spend more time with their children.

“It was entrepreneurship that allowed me to be able to maneuver throughout my children’s school activities,” says Lee, who ran a hair and beauty salon for many years. “It was very valuable as a single mom to

be able to be home when they got off the bus.”

Waller, who is mother to a 2-yearold, says it is sometimes a challenge to be able to tend to her clientele full time. “I need to be behind the chair in order to really serve them, but that challenge actually produced a solution for me to where I can do things digitally and still serve my clientele.

Black Wall Street actually helped me see that because of their hybrid way of doing business.”

PICKING A WINNER On Thursday, Oct. 20, Black Wall Street and the other six finalists will participate in a livestream event hosted by journalist and TV personality Lisa Ling from 7-8:30 p.m. Each organization will present its ideas to a panel of judges, and audience members will choose their favorite finalist, which will be awarded $75,000 in grant funding. Hackett

• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

Prepare for growth

MELISSA BLAHA Owner of The Tax Raven Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?

Blaha: In 2021, I established The Tax Raven, a home-based bookkeeping, tax preparation and small-business consulting firm. The process was one filled with uncertainty, constant worry and lack of sleep. It felt very much like giving birth. The best advice I received at the start was to thoroughly vet each merchant processor, software company and vendor as if they are applying to be a nanny to your newborn.

What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

You have to prepare for growth before it happens. My business grew quicker than I thought because I underestimated my value. That is why it is important to know

encourages locals to participate in the livestream and support Black Wall Street.

“We really, really, really want Asheville to be represented,” he says.

You can register to participate at avl.mx/c1r.

But even if Black Wall Street does not win any grant money through the Image Award, it will still go forward with plans to help women of color in starting and growing businesses, Hackett says. The group has received $15,000 this year through its banking partner First Horizon Bank and is seeking grants and partnerships through the Coca-Cola Co., the Truist Foundation and others.

Lee and Waller are confident the group’s efforts will continue to be a boon to women looking to start their own small businesses. Lee says she always encourages her clients to join the 117 Black-owned businesses who are members of Black Wall Street AVL. Adds Waller: “I’m always so surprised when people have not heard about Black Wall Street. They are really for everybody, and I love the community’s efforts to support one another in this movement.” X

your worth and plan staffing for when your business grows beyond your workload capabilities. It is hard to recruit, hire and train once you are buried under a mound of work.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

Women should consider how self-employment income affects the whole family’s finances from student loans to health insurance. Women starting out as sole proprietors can find themselves owing money or getting a smaller tax refund than expected, which can jeopardize their business cash flow. It is important to get tax and accounting support as soon as you begin to plan your business to minimize tax liability and increase revenue. Don’t be afraid to reach out to utilize all available resources within our community, including small-business consulting. As a new business owner myself, it has been a pleasure working with many entrepreneurs who face these planning decisions as their businesses grow. The support I offer to my clients is so necessary that I hope to establish a “tax school” to educate our community and support the development of small businesses in the years to come. X

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NEWS

Banking on success Female financial advisers make their mark

BY LISA ALLEN lisa.a75@gmail.com Faith Doyle has seen the good, bad and ugly as a female in the financial industry.

Although she came armed with a biochemistry bachelor’s degree (having been the only woman in her program), an MBA, financial planning certification and years of sales experience, her former Asheville employer insisted she begin her financial advising career in the mid-2010s by answering the phones.

“A year and a half later, they hired a man for the same position, but he was treated as a financial adviser right from the start. He didn’t have to answer the phones,” Doyle says.

Doyle also noticed that her boss would ask her male colleagues to join him for lunch, but not her. She recalls, “I asked him about that, and he says, ‘What would my wife think?’”

GENDER GAPS

MONEY TALKS: Laura Webb, left, and Faith Doyle founded the “Her Two Cents” podcast to help women get familiar with their finances. Photo courtesy of Doyle Today, she works at the all-female Webb Investment Services in Asheville.

(Like most small financial firms, it’s affiliated with a larger entity — in its case, Florida-based Raymond James — for better access to financial research and markets.) “I think women are perfectly suited as financial advisers,” Doyle says.

“We have the emotional intelligence to help people think through problems and come up with solutions that work for their specific circumstances.”

The conviction that women make great financial advisors prompted Laura Webb to start her firm 27 years ago. Ever since, she primarily has sought out female advisers and has only hired one male adviser over the company’s history.

“It’s my preference,” Webb says. “I am interested in getting more women in this industry. The needle hasn’t moved much yet, but you have to see it to be it.”

MAKING SENSE OF DOLLARS Webb wants women to become more comfortable talking about money. “In our society, money is a taboo topic, especially for women,” she explains.

And as she says often, taking control of one’s money means gaining control over one’s future.

But she’s beginning to see a shift.

“Women my age — I’m in my 60s

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— and younger are more comfortable working with women.”

Two years ago, Webb and Doyle launched “Her Two Cents,” a biweekly podcast to help women get familiar with their finances. In all, the segments have been downloaded 9,000 times, Doyle says. Topics range from savings and investing to navigating all of life’s transitions. (Spoiler alert: Every life transition, such as having children, moving, retiring or even getting a dog, involves money.)

“The podcast is multigenerational,” Webb says. “I’m over 60, and Faith is 40. We can’t be everyone’s financial adviser, but we want to help all women take control of their financial futures.”

“Collectively, we’re trying to normalize the conversation among women about money. We want to help women take control of their wealth,” Doyle adds, noting that more than half of her clients are women. “Women either handle their families’ finances or their husbands encourage them to learn about money because wives often outlive their husbands.”

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Raising awareness about money matters also may help attract women to the financial sector. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 31% of financial advisers in the U.S. are women, but those in the industry think the number is even lower. Financial magazine Barron’s estimates that no more than 20% of financial advisers are women, and only 12% of the publication’s top 100 advisers are women. The numbers thin out even more at the top spots: Only 3% of financial firms’ CEOs are women, Barron’s reports.

Some come to the industry by indirect paths. Leslie Apple had been a counselor with Outward Bound in Asheville before starting her own career counseling business. It was then that a representative from the St. Louis-based financial firm Edward Jones asked if she had considered a career in financial advising.

“I told him, no, I hadn’t thought of being a rodeo clown either. I didn’t see the connection,” Apple says. “But then he explained that, as a career counselor, I help people articulate their goals and create a long-term plan.

Financial advising is pretty much the same thing.”

Apple’s success at the Asheville branch of Edward Jones after just five years has been swift, despite having a child and enduring the pandemic.

She says she’s been able to build a strong client base more quickly than many advisers.

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• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

Never give up

SAFI MARTIN Chief operations officer for Hood Huggers International, which she runs with her husband and founder, DeWayne Barton, left.

Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?

Martin: Believe in the impossible and never give up. No matter what anyone says, stay true to your vision and dream.

What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

Get a mentor to walk you through the initial startup, then again when you hire your first employees. Get

a great accountant that wants to help you grow as a business owner. Surround yourself with other business owners and startup types. Being an entrepreneur means looking at the world through a different lens — you need other people who see through that same lens cheering you on. Finally, don’t let “failures” or “nos” deter you — keep going. In fact, use these experiences as fuel to feed your own motivation.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

The two biggest things that have come up for me as a woman are: • Being underestimated — some folks assume that I’m less capable, intelligent, resourceful, creative, etc.

• Underestimating myself (imposter syndrome) — buying into No. 1 and letting other folks’ limited imaginations start to define me. X

DOLLARS AND CENTS: Brittany Marshall rose from being a teller at a small bank in Hendersonville to working as the Asheville-area retail manager for First Bank. Photo courtesy of Marshall “I went from teaching, which is mostly women, to the financial industry, which is mostly male. I’ve never felt more supported and encouraged here,” Apple says. “If they treated teachers like this, they would never leave.”

But the fact that most advisers are men and most support staff are women still trips up financial firms. “Once or twice, when I called home office with a question, they told me that was a topic the adviser should handle,” Apple says.

“I said, ‘I am the advisor!” She says that things have gotten better since a woman landed the top spot at Edward Jones in 2019.

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In other areas of finance, women still bump against a glass ceiling, even though their talents in customer service are recognized.

While women make up 53% of the entry-level banking workforce, they make up less than one-third at the senior vice president and C-suite levels, according to consulting firm McKinsey.

And across the financial industry overall, including asset management, banking, insurance and payments, 87 women are promoted for every 100 men. The McKinsey study also found that Black women are the least likely to be promoted to a manager position, with just 37 for every 100 men promoted. (Asian women are more likely than men to be promoted.)

Despite these odds, some local women are finding success. Lisa Krampf is a loan originator at the Asheville office of Radius Financial Group, a Massachusetts-based company founded by a woman. She says she chose Radius because so many of its employees are women.

“I know every name in the company,” Krampf says. “I interviewed

with three companies, but I like how team-oriented it is. I like the fact we are customer obsessed.”

She had previously worked in the energy sector and says finance is a welcome change. “Energy is male dominated, too, but I didn’t get the sense that women were respected,” she explains. “It seems in banking, our clients appreciate that women are so service oriented.”

Brittany Marshall, the Asheville area retail manager for First Bank, says she hasn’t been treated differently as a woman in banking.

“I am sure there are stories of women who have not been treated fairly in the banking industry, but I have not personally encountered any experiences that likely wouldn’t have happened if I were a man,” Marshall says. “I have focused my career in the community bank sector. I have never felt disrespected or belittled for being a woman.

I can honestly say that I’ve always felt rewarded for my contributions with upward movement opportunities.”

Having started as a teller at a small bank in Hendersonville, Marshall quickly realized banking provided a long-term career path. She points out that several members of the WNC leadership team at First Bank are women, including both area retail managers overseeing 16 branches, the treasury services bank officer and the regional private banking executive. And the CFO of the entire company, with 94 branches across the Carolinas, is female as well.

“What I thought was going to be a temporary job has turned into an extremely rewarding 17-year career,” Marshall says. “I looked around and saw women in leadership roles and the various jobs you could have at a bank and knew there were career growth opportunities for me.” X

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GREEN ROUNDUP

Wildlands Network flags WNC roads for wildlife crossings The Wildlands Network, a Utahbased conservation nonprofit with staff in Asheville, has released a new report (avl.mx/c2n) identifying North Carolina’s most important road crossings for wildlife. Of the 20 sites in the report, six are in Western North Carolina — including the nonprofit’s No. 1 site, Interstate 40’s path through the Pigeon River Gorge.

“The highway cuts right through what would otherwise be a massive core forest habitat block featuring some of the highest biodiversity in North America, hindering wildlife movement and blocking a crucial northern migration route,” says the report about the 28-mile Pigeon River Gorge section. Black bears, deer, elk and other species are regularly killed by vehicle collisions on the road.

Other WNC roads mentioned in the report include U.S. 19 at the Blue Ridge Parkway near Maggie Valley, I-40 east of Canton and I-26 at the North Carolina/Tennessee border.

At each site, the Wildlands Network recommends building new infrastructure, such as bridges and culverts, that would allow wildlife to cross more safely.

As previously reported by Xpress [see “Somewhere safe: New Children’s Book Highlights Wildlife Crossing Project,” March 24, 2021, avl.mx/c2m], dangerous wildlife crossings take a human toll as well. N.C. Department of Transportation data indicates that, from 2017-19, animal-vehicle collisions in the state’s 18 westernmost counties caused over $10.5 million in property damage and at least 189 human injuries.

TAKING PAWS: A black bear prepares to enter a culvert underneath Interstate 26 at the North Carolina/Tennessee border, one of the wildlife crossings flagged as a priority by The Wildlands Network. Photo courtesy of The Wildlands Network “North Carolina needs to be strategic about investing in crossing projects that will have the greatest impact on wildlife and travelers’ safety,” said Ron Sutherland, Wildlands Network’s chief scientist, in a press release announcing the report. “The question of the moment is: Where do we need wildlife road crossings in North Carolina? This report is our answer to that question.”

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for people encountering mysterious, fishy-smelling objects in the WNC woods: Leave them alone.

While that’s probably good advice any time of year, it’s particularly applicable now. NCDHHS is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute oral rabies vaccines across the region. Packets containing the vaccine are coated in fishmeal or encased in matchbox-sized fishmeal blocks and dropped by plane or helicopter.

That fishmeal coating entices raccoons and other animals to bite down and swallow the medication. By vaccinating wildlife across WNC, officials hope to prevent raccoon rabies from spreading west of the Appalachians and reduce the local risk of infection.

An NCDHHS press release notes that anyone who comes into contact with the vaccine should wash the affected area with soap and water and call 866-487-3297. More information is available at avl.mx/c2k.

Opportunity knocks • The Nantahala Outdoor Center has established a new scholarship program for those with limited means to pursue careers in the whitewater rafting industry. The Founders Scholarship, established in partnership with the Wesser Foundation, will cover guide school tuition, room and board, essential river gear and first-aid training for qual-

ified applicants. More information and application details are available at avl.mx/c2e.

• Farmers seeking to diversify or expand their businesses are encouraged to apply to WNC Agricultural Options. The program, managed

by Asheville-based nonprofit WNC Communities, provides grants of up to $8,000 for new agricultural initiatives. Those interested in applying must contact their local cooperative extension agent by Friday, Oct. 14; completed applications are due Friday, Nov. 18. More information is available at WNCAgOptions.org.

• Asheville-based nonprofit EcoForesters hosts a free workshop at the A-B Tech Madison County campus 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, for landowners to learn about opportunities for forest stewardship. Tax incentives for forest management and the financial opportunities of carbon markets will be among the topics covered.

More information and registration are available at avl.mx/c2f.

• Local adventurers can win a free canvas tote bag — as well as social media cred — through Asheville Parks & Recreation’s “Fall for APR” selfie challenge, which runs through the end of November.

Participants who take photos at eight Asheville city parks or community centers and tag them with #Fall4APR will be eligible for the prize. More information and registration is available at avl.mx/c2h.

Community kudos • Asheville’s Southside Community Farm was selected as one of 100 projects for Lowe’s Hometowns, the home improvement store’s nationwide philanthropy effort. On Sept.

14, local Lowe’s employees helped farm manager Chloe Moore install a food forest with seating to provide a community gathering space.

• Asheville nonprofit MountainTrue announced its annual volunteer awards, to be presented at a 40th anniversary celebration Wednesday, Oct. 12. Board member Grady Nance received the Esther Cunningham Award, which recognizes “outstanding community service in conserving our natural resources.” Hayden Cheek, Jim Clark, Stacey Cassedy and Don Cooper were named volunteers of the year for the High Country, central, western and southern regions, respectively.

• Several WNC drinking water treatment plants received Gold Star kudos from the N.C. Division of

MULCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING: Lowe’s employees helped install a food forest and community recreation area at Asheville’s Southside Community Farm on Sept. 14. Photo courtesy of Lowe’s Water Resources. The municipalities of Burnsville, Waynesville and Weaverville, as well as the Maggie Valley Sanitary District, were all recognized for 10 consecutive years of meeting turbidity reduction goals “that are significantly more stringent than state and federal standards.”

• UNC Asheville’s Owen Hall, which houses the school’s arts and media programs, received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The building recently underwent substantial renovation to use water more efficiently, reduce energy use and enhance indoor air quality.

• Oak and Grist Dilling Co. in Black Mountain was certified as a carbon-neutral beverage producer by industry analyst ClimateHound.

The company has committed to offset 172 megatons of carbon dioxide each year, accounting for not only its direct production emissions but also the emissions of its supply chain.

Save the date • Hendersonville’s Historic Johnson Farm holds a Farm Fun Day from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. The event features children’s games and crafts, a farm animal petting zoo, wagon rides and self-guided tours of the historic farmhouse. Tickets are $20 per family and can be purchased at the door; more information is available at avl.mx/bi9.

• Sugar Hollow Solar celebrates the launch of its commercial solar busi-

ness with a ribbon-cutting from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Dynamite Roasting Co. in Black Mountain.

The event will feature food, giveaways and The Blood Connection’s mobile donation unit, as well as information on solar power for both individuals and businesses.

• The U.S. Forest Service holds a virtual information session on future plans for Max Patch from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18. The popular mountain bald in the Pisgah National Forest has been closed

to camping and fires since July 2021 due to what federal officials called unsustainable levels of use.

More information is available at avl.mx/c2j.

• Representatives from Lights Out! Asheville, a community effort to protect birds by reducing light pollution, will share an update as part of The Collider’s free weekly coffee talk series, Thursday, Oct. 20, at 10 a.m. Topics will include the effects of nighttime lighting on migratory songbirds and the energy savings realized by Asheville city government after it adopted a “Lights Out” program in February.

• The WNC Sierra Club hosts Rachel Muir, emeritus scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, for a free Zoom presentation on biodiversity at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3.

“All Things Great and Small” will focus on the variety of Southern Appalachian wildlife and its importance to the world. Registration is available at avl.mx/prx3.

• Asheville-based earth skills education nonprofit The Firefly Gathering holds its Frost Moon Gala fundraiser at the Asheville Masonic Temple 5-10:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7. The event features music by Leah Song of Rising Appalachia and other artists, as well as food from Cherokee chef Tyson Sampson. Tickets start at $50 and are available at avl.mx/c2g.

— Daniel Walton X

• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

Build a support system

MARJORY ROCKWELL Owner of Conjure Craft Chocolate Xpress: What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

Rockwell: Build a support system.

Starting a business is both mentally and physically draining. You’ll need a solid group of people who will be there for you when obstacles come your way, when everything seems impossible and you want to quit. I moved to Asheville because I have family here, and along with my boyfriend, they have been my

biggest cheerleaders in this whole endeavor. I’ve also met an amazing group of people through the local farmers markets who have shared the same struggles as I have. We’ve been able to bounce business and strategy ideas off one another and grow because of it.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

I’m 5 feet, 2 inches, 100 pounds and look younger than I am. I’m not always taken seriously, which was something I experienced when going through the buildout process of my kitchen/storefront. I usually try to be pleasantly persistent and am naturally very bubbly. If persistence and my good nature don’t work, then whomever I’m trying to work with doesn’t deserve my business, and I’ll find someone else who does. X

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OCT. 12-18, 2022

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BUNCOMBE BEAT

Local organizations update Buncombe on opioid response The opioid crisis is bad everywhere in North Carolina. It’s worse in Buncombe County.

According to figures shared with the county Board of Commissioners

by Dr. Shuchin Shukla, a physician and opioid crisis educator with the Mountain Area Health Education Center, Buncombe’s rate of overdose deaths has exceeded the statewide average since at least 2016. In 2021, the county suffered 45.2 deaths per 100,000 residents, compared with 35.8 deaths per 100,000 for North Carolina as a whole.

Shukla was among several stakeholders who briefed the board about opioid issues Oct. 4. Representatives from local reentry program Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, the county’s Post Overdose Response Team and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office all shared updates on their work and discussed specific efforts they’d like to see supported.

UNWELCOME OUTLIER: Buncombe County’s rate of opioid overdose deaths has exceeded the North Carolina average every year since 2016. Graphic courtesy of Buncombe County The briefing came as Buncombe continues to plan its spending of over $16 million toward fighting the opioid epidemic. That money, which comes from a historic settlement in litigation involving opioid distributors and manufacturers, will be paid to the county in increments over 18 years.

Buncombe has received $621,438 so far and is slated to receive another payment of nearly $1.4 million soon.

Current Sunrise employees Kat Sullivan and Tyler Grooms spoke candidly of their histories with addiction and the necessity of reentry programs. Grooms, who said he had been 18 months sober as of Oct. 4, said that he had previously “overdosed over 100 times — as far as I know, more than anyone else in Western North Carolina.”

Speaking from experience, Grooms emphasized the importance of reentry programs after incarceration, positing that “when people get locked up, coincidentally, they get sober.” To prevent and treat relapses post-lockup, Grooms argued, the county must continue to fund programs like Sunrise’s Linkage2Care Re-entry Program.

Meanwhile, Shukla listed medication-assisted treatment as among the most effective responses to the crisis.

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The Buncombe County Detention Center has been employing the practice among the general jail population since 2020, and Sheriff’s Office officials said overdose deaths among people passing through the jail had subsequently decreased by 22%.

Shulka also pointed to the importance of naloxone, a drug that counters the effects of an opioid overdose in real time. The medication, commonly known by its brand name Narcan, is regularly used by local efforts like PORT to prevent overdose deaths.

Echoing Grooms’ testimony, Shukla said that targeted naloxone distribution has been particularly effective among the formerly incarcerated.

The demand for these lifesaving drugs is soaring, noted Shukla, but funding for supply can be an issue.

“These are the things that if I was a taxpayer — and I am a taxpayer — I’d want my elected officials to invest in,” he said.

While the board made no motions during the informational briefing, members appeared engaged and highly supportive of the information provided. Commissioner Amanda Edwards said the presentations “couldn’t have come at a better time for us.”

Conservation easements approved In keeping with the county’s goal of preserving 20% of Buncombe land by 2030, the board unanimously approved a $384,000 budget amendment to fund a package of six conservation easements during its regular meeting Oct. 4. Together, those projects will protect approximately 590 acres from future development, roughly a tenth of the additional 6,000 acres the county needs to meet its 20% target. The money came from $750,000 in funds that had previously been allocated for conservation easements this fiscal year.

The biggest item among those projects was $135,000 toward a 234acre easement at Camp Woodson in Black Mountain. Buncombe had previously allocated $120,000 toward that easement purchase last fiscal year; the property will now be stewarded by Hendersonville-based nonprofit Conserving Carolina.

— Will Bahr X

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FEA T U RE S

Q&A: Robin Lake on her quest to uncover her late father’s military service records In February 2021, when local resident Robin Lake decided to look into her late father James A. Edwards’ military service records, she had no way of knowing the length of time it would take to receive the information. Nor did she have any inclination that the journey would result in her accepting a Congressional Gold Medal in his name.

The story began amid the COVID19 pandemic, as Lake and her sister, Wendy White, discussed their father’s military experience. “He told us stories all the time about what he did and where he went, but he never told us that he was a Monford Point Marine,” Lake says.

The Montford Point Marines were the first African Americans to enlist in the Marine Corps. They served in a segregated military force during World War II and trained at Camp Montford Point, a section of Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C. Most of these soldiers

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fought in the Pacific theater, with their largest involvement in combat recorded at Okinawa.

Days, weeks and months passed between requests for official information and answers, Lake remembers. “We weren’t getting anywhere for so long,” she says. “But I told my sister, ‘Daddy’s not going be forgotten. We’re just going to have to dig deeper and harder and find something to show that he served this country.’”

After almost 18 months, Lake and her sister received word from Johnny Young, Jr., the president of the Camp Lejeune chapter of the Montford Point Marine Association, confirming her father’s involvement with the MPM. An invitation to accept a Congressional Gold Medal in her father’s name soon followed. When Carlos Del Toro, the secretary of the Navy, handed her the medal on Aug. 25 tears streamed down her smiling face.

Xpress sat down with Lake to discuss her and her sister’s journey to uncover their father’s military records and the subsequent honor their late father received.

This interview has been condensed and lightly edited.

Would you mind sharing with us some of the stories your father told you about his service during World War II? He told us stories all the time about what he did when he was a Marine. He told us how when he joined it was really basic. He and fellow Montford Point Marines even had to make a couple of bunkers and help build Camp Lejeune.

It wasn’t all prepared when they got there. He had a scrapbook he made himself. It was 3 or 4 inches thick. He

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had all these pictures of his buddies and mementos of places he traveled.

He fought in Saipan, Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

One of the things I remember was this big picture. You could see it was almost a mile long with hills rolling up and down. The hills were lined with these little white crosses everywhere. It was a pretty picture because everything was all in a row — hill after hill after hill like that.

I asked him, “What was this about?”

And he told me, “These are all the men who died that fought for this country.”

I said, “That’s a lot.” He said, “There’s more. That hill went on. This was just only one place they had a cemetery.

There were many more.”

I cried. I was so thankful that he wasn’t under one of those crosses.

Can you speak more about your journey to uncover your father’s military records?

My sister said, “It’d be nice to find out where Daddy went and what he did.

I’ve been reading about these Montford Point Marines. You think he was a part of that?”

So, I said I’d call to see if they’d send the official records to me. The first time I called Camp Lejeune, I left a message and waited a week or two. I never got a call back. I called again. The same thing happened. I was talking with a church member who used to work for the Pentagon. He said I probably needed some type of introduction. He had some Marine friends and offered to call one of them on my behalf.

About four or five days later, I got a phone call from a Marine. I don’t know where he was from, but he was very old. At this point, living members of the

A DAUGHTER’S QUEST: Robin Lake poses with her late father James A. Edwards’ Congressional Gold Medal, which the former Montford Point Marine was awarded posthumously Aug. 25 for his service during World War II. Photo

by LA Bourgeois Montford Point Marines are in their 90s, and some even trying to hit 100.

Through three of these Marine contacts, I finally got in touch with Johnny B. Young, [Jr.] at Camp Lejeune. He asked for information, told me he’d contact me in a couple of weeks. Three weeks later, he called me back and said, “We can’t find anything about your father.” A fire had previously destroyed his files.

Well, my Daddy was not going to be forgotten. I was going to find those records. I called my sister, and we were both crying on the phone. He was a Marine. He fought in Saipan, Okinawa, Iwo Jima. Somebody has to have something!

It took us eight months looking for records, and we were about to give up.

There had to be an easier way to do

ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES this. Eventually, I came in touch with someone unassociated with the military who had information, but they said they could get in a lot of trouble for sharing the documents.

“Listen,” I said, “We’ve been searching for eight months trying to find my father’s military records. Send me anything, please. Even just one paper. I don’t want him to be a forgotten soldier.

No one has any records on him. He fought for you, for me — for everybody.

He just can’t go down like this and not be honored.”

I guess I touched a nerve. First thing I got was his honorable discharge and then a paper that confirmed he was in the military, stated how long he was there, where he fought, what his job was in the military and all of that. Then I received this picture of him in his uniform. Oh, I was bawling!

I sent those papers down to Johnny Young, [Jr.] at Camp Lejeune, along with his birth certificate. In about a month, he called me back to tell me my dad was a Montford Point Marine.

What does his Congressional Gold Medal mean to you?

This is a story my father told me when we got older. He was in the field in Saipan. His friend was next to him. They had been friends for maybe a couple of months. They were hiding in these hills, and a bomb went off. It hit his friend.

All he could remember was wiping his face. And when he got his eyes cleared there was the blood and guts from his friend. My father fought for the United States. He kept this country safe and kept the war from coming over here. I’m proud of him. He sacrificed a lot. He’s deserving of this medal.

More broadly, what has the award meant to the community, in particular the Black community?

The Black military experience was hard for all Black people. They had to fight for equal rights before they were in the U.S. armed forces, while they were in it and afterward.

For the Black community, it showed that these men considered themselves just as good or better in some circumstances because they were called upon to get the other Marines out of trouble.

They were that good. The Montford Point Marines made a breakthrough for Blacks to fight just like the Red Tails, the Tuskegee Airmen [both African American fighter pilot squadrons during World War II], and the Buffalo Soldiers [African American cavalry soldiers serving after the Civil War].

In the end, they made a way for others to come in behind them and do good things. It’s a history that shouldn’t be forgotten. All these men took that step. And it’s not just Black history, it’s everybody’s history.

— LA Bourgeois X

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

‘O Cynthia!’

The literal and fictional death of a milliner, 1884

Fans and scholars of Thomas Wolfe’s writing are familiar with his mother, Julia Elizabeth Wolfe.

In his 1929 novel, Look Homeward, Angel, the author fictionalized his life growing up in her Asheville boarding home, pulling from her personality and image as inspiration for the character of Eliza Gant.

Within the book, there are dozens of other characters similarly inspired by real life people from the author’s youth, as well as his family’s past.

Among them is the character Cynthia Gant, based on Cynthia Hill Wolfe.

Both in life and in fiction, Cynthia is a tragic figure — dying prematurely after a bout with tuberculosis. In the novel, she is briefly noted as the first wife of William Oliver “W.O” Gant — the fictionalized version of Thomas Wolfe’s real father, William Oliver “W.O.” Wolfe.

One of the few scenes that mention Cynthia by name takes place amid the birth of Eugene Gant — the book’s main character and Thomas Wolfe’s fictional stand-in. Drunk and enraged, W.O. pounds on the bedroom door where Eliza is giving birth. Forbidden entry, the story continues: “‘Cynthia! Cynthia!’ he howled suddenly, invoking the memory of his first wife, the gaunt tubercular spinstress whose life, it was said, his conduct had done nothing to prolong, but whom he was fond of supplicating now, realizing the hurt, the anger he caused to Eliza by doing so. ‘Cynthia! O Cynthia!

Look down upon me in my hour of need! Give me succour! Give me aid! Protect me against this fiend out of Hell!’”

Regardless of Cynthia Gant’s minor role within the book, Cynthia Wolfe’s significance to 20th-century American literature should not be overlooked.

Had she and W.O. not met and married in Raleigh on March 25, 1879, and had her illness not spurred them to relocate to Asheville — known at the time for its favorable climate, which many believed was beneficial to those with upper respiratory conditions — there’s a good chance Thomas Wolfe would have never been born.

And of course, without Thomas, there’s no Look Homeward, Angel published in 1929, which means there’s no subsequent article published in Xpress’ 2022 Women in Business issue about Cynthia’s contribution to American literature! (I don’t know about you all, but I’m suddenly in the mood to watch Back to the Future.)

LATEST FASHION: Though her time in Asheville was brief, Cynthia Hill Wolfe helped bring in the latest fashion to city residents from 1880-84. Tragically, she died Feb. 21, 1884, from tuberculosis. She would have been about 41 years old. Photo courtesy of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Speaking of Women in Business!

Despite her failing health, Cynthia owned and operated the Millinery and Notion Store during the final years of her life in Asheville. Similar to her references in Look Homeward, Angel, her business’s mention in the local paper was scarce. But what did run in print offers glimpses into her life and how she seemed to keep the business going even as her health continued to decline.

The first known notification about the shop ran on March 4, 1880, in the town’s then-local paper, North Carolina Citizen. The brief entry informed readers that “Mrs. W.O. Wolfe starts North next week to obtain a new stock of millinery, fancy goods, dress trimmings and notions.”

By summer, the shop’s inventory appeared to have expanded, based on a notification published in the paper’s June 23 edition. In it, Cynthia describes her latest stock, which included “Shade Hats, most

novel styles; also a full line of Dress Buttons and Trimming Silks, and a full line of Notions, Handkerchiefs, collars and cuff, Ties, Roushings, Hair Ornaments, Zephrys, Velvets, Embroidery, Silk, Hamburg Edings, and many other goods too numerous to mention.”

Over the next three years, the entrepreneur relocated her business at least two times, ultimately concluding operations inside her and W.O.’s home.

Sadly, there is no known obituary for Cynthia Wolfe. The only notification appears to have run in the March 12, 1884, edition of the Raleigh Register. Under the headline “Died” and accompanied by 20-plus other names, the single line reads, “In Asheville, on the night of the 21st inst., after a long and painful illness of consumption, Mrs. W.O. Wolfe.”

Editor’s note: Peculiarities of spelling and punctuation are preserved from the original documents. X

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OCT. 12-18, 2022

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR OCTOBER 12 - 20, 2022

and inspired visual culture in the past 100 years. Through Jan. 16, 2023. Open 11am, closed Tuesdays.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.

  

ᏔᎷᏣ The Basket A collaborative public art installation and parklet that centers indigenous voices in the midst of downtown. The day will include interactive family-friendly activities inside and outside of the Center for Craft, live craft demonstrations by cultural specialists from the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, live music, a Cherokee fry bread pop up and more. See p40 SA (10/15), 1pm, Center for Craft, 67 Broadway

Online-only events Feature, pages 34-35 More info, pages 38&40

WELLNESS Therapeutic Recreation: Wednesday Morning Movement A variety of physical activities such as active games, aerobics and dancing. Open to individuals ages 17+ with disabilities. Contact the Therapeutic Recreation Program at (828)232-4529 for additional information.

WE (10/12, 19), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave Front Range Five+ Miler A 5.75 mile race for beginners or seasoned runners, this course hits classic Pisgah classic such as Black Mountain and Sycamore Cove, winding through rhododendron thickets, over bridges, and alongside rushing creeks.

SU (10/16), 10am, $35, Pisgah Ranger District Office, 1600 Pisgah Hwy, Brevard Zumba Gold for Adults 50+ This free class helps work on mobility while moving to the beat to burn off calories.

Every Wednesday and Friday.

WE (10/12, 19), FR (10/14), 11am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd

Men's Cancer Support Group Safely meet in a large conference room and stay socially distant while wearing masks. RSVP to Will at (412)913-0272 or acwein123@gmail.com.

WE (10/19), 6pm, Woodfin YMCA, 40 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 101 Dementia Partners Support Group AVL Providing a social setting for individuals to meet and discuss coping techniques, share experiences, and present resource speakers from a variety of agencies.

TH (10/20), 6pm, Scenic View Terrace Clubhouse, 60 Fallen Spruce Dr

ART We Will Not be Silenced: Standing for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women A series of photographs and sculptures that bring voice to the international Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement through the lens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Com anche Nation, Lumbee, and other Native American artists. Open Tuesday through Friday, 10am.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee

ORAL HISTORY: The Native American Storytelling Festival will be held at Jubilee! on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 1:30 p.m. The event will feature nomadic storyteller PapaJoe, pictured, as well as Cherokee wisdom keeper and ceremonialist Yona FrenchHawk and local tale teller David Sharpe, who studied for years with Anishinaabe elders. Photo courtesy of Jubilee!

Cultivating Collections: Glass In this year’s exhibition, student researchers tell the stories of the Museum’s glass collection, which includes a range of artists who have made significant contributions to the Studio Glass Movement in Western North Carolina. Open Tuesday through Friday, 10am. Reception Oct. 13, 5pm.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee

The Way I'm Wired: Artist Reflections on Neurodiversity This exhibition invites artists to share their lived experiences with neurodiversity and how these experiences have impacted their work as an artist.

Open Tuesday through Friday, 10am.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee When Was the Last Time You Saw a Miracle? Prints by Corita Kent Shaped by her experiences as an artist, teacher, and Catholic nun, Corita Kent

used her art to bring people together and ignite social change.

Open Tuesday through Friday, 10am.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee Inspiration Features jewelry, fiber, clay and wood from six Southern Highland Craft Guild members.

Open daily 10am.

Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway Mountain Legacies: Exploring Appalachian Culture This exhibit shows how early settlers made their way into the Appalachian Mountains and made them their home, dispelling the myth of an uncultured people and reveal lives rich with customs and traditions, including herbal medicines, handicrafts, and bluegrass music. Open Thursday through Saturday, 12pm.

Transylvania Heritage Museum, 189 W Main St, Brevard A Walk in the Woods Five guest artists approach the Carolina woodlands through their personal perspectives, revealing Appalachia through a fresh lens, inspired by fall. Open daily 10am, through Oct. 30.

Marquee Asheville, 36 Foundy St

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OCT. 12-18, 2022

MOUNTAINX.COM

Augmented Reality and Oil Painting Exhibition: Big, Bold, and Colorful Contemporary artist Jaime Byrd will be featured for the months of October and November, exhibiting her larger scale works.

Open daily 10am.

Through Nov. 30.

Trackside Studios, 375 Depot St Our Ecology, Shifting Our Gaze Inward Atlanta born and raised artist Bevelyn Afor Ukah’s art reflects a collaboration of perspectives on race, sexuality and body image. Through Oct. 30, with a reception and artist's talk on Oct. 22 from 7–9pm.

Open daily 10am, 12pm on Sunday.

Pink Dog Creative Gallery, 348 Depot St Nature’s Gems featuring artist Judy Rentner The oil painter's colorful works will be on display through Oct. 31. Gallery open daily 11am.

Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave Rebel/Re-Belle: Exploring Gender, Agency, and Identity Combines works, primarily created by women, from two significant collections of contemporary art to explore how artists have innovated, influenced, interrogated,

Here and Now Opening Reception A group exhibition featuring new works by a diverse range of national and international artists, with styles raning from representational to abstract; they draw inspirations from various areas such as history, memories, urban life, and nature.

SA (10/15), 5pm, Citron Gallery, 60 Biltmore Ave

Wolfe and the Renegades. With a cake walk and 50/50 raffle.

Hot dogs and other snacks and beverages available for purchase.

SA (10/15), 6pm, Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Rd, Clyde Of Mist and Stone: A Concert with John Two-Hawks Mystical flute music connecting the ancient cultures of the Celts and indigenous people of Turtle Island.

SA (10/15), 7pm, $25, UR Light Center, 2196 NC-9, Black Mountain Sufi Dances of Universal Peace An evening of simple melody and movement. No experience needed.

SA (10/15), 7:30pm, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd Family Folk Dance A leader will teach each dance such as contra, squares, circles, play-party games, and other formations, with a live band. All ages are welcome, no experience necessary.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

SU (10/16), 3pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd

NCGC Pumpkin Patch Glassblowers will be filling D Space gallery with glass pumpkins in an array of colors, styles and sizes.

Purchases support the nonprofit glass center.

Open 10am, closed Tuesday. Through Oct. 31.

North Carolina Glass Center, 140 Roberts St, Ste B

Julie Fowlis Best recognized as the singer behind the soundtrack of Disney Pixar’s Brave, the singer is a standard-bearer for Gaelic music and culture.

WE (10/19), 7pm, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave

Natural Collector | Gifts of Fleur S. Bresler Features around 15 artworks from the collection, which include important examples of modern and contemporary American craft including wood and fiber art, as well as glass and ceramics.

Open 11am, closed Tuesday.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Wisdom Keeper: My Extraordinary Journey to Unlock the Sacred Within A book reading and discussion with the author, Asheville resident Chloe Kemp. Followed by a questions and answer session.

WE (10/12), 8:30pm, Sovereign Kava, 268 Biltmore Ave

COMMUNITY MUSIC Latin Cello, Part 2 Cellist Diego Carneiro from Ecuador returns for another program of works for cello and piano by some lesser known Latin-American composers.

SA (10/15), 2pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Dance Night in Fines Creek Clog, line dance, two-step, swing and mountain dance to traditional country and rock group Running

LITERARY

Marijo Moore: 11 Conjured Stories The author will read from her new book.

See p38 SA (10/15), 6:30pm, Asheville Raven & Crone, 555 Merrimon Ave, Ste 100 Dark City Poets Society: Poetry Night Monthly event. Cold weather/rain location is BAD Craft, 128 Cherry St, Black Mountain.

TU (10/18), 6pm, The Low Down, 204 Black Mountain Ave, Black Mountain Poetry Reading: Jeffery Beam Reminiscent of Eastern Bhakti love poetry, and Western Troubadour and

Green Man traditions, Verdant recounts a mid-life passage within a shadowed natural landscape of intense physical and spiritual longing.

TH (10/20), 7pm, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St UNCA Visiting Writers Series: An Evening with Poet torrin a. greathouse Featuring transgender punk poet and essayist torrin a. greathouse for an evening of poetry.

TH (10/20), 7pm, UNC Asheville, 1 University Heights

THEATER & FILM The Frankenstein Rubrics Asheville playwright David Hopes puts a unique spin on Shelley’s iconic monster.

Performances through Oct. 22, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 4:00pm. $25, The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St The Haunting of Hill House Based on the Shirley Jackson novel, a chilling and mystifying study in mounting terror in desolate and deserted Hill House.

Fridays and Saturdays 7:30pm and Sundays 3pm. See p40 $18-25, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 S Washington St, Hendersonville The Roommate A comedy from Jen Silverman, about what it takes to re-route your life – and what happens when the wheels come off. Various dates and times through Oct. 30.

NC Stage Co., 15 Stage Ln A Wrinkle in Time Based on the Newbery Medal-winning novel of the same name, this performance is a fantasy drama about

the bonds of family and the power of love through time and space. This Tanglewood Youth Production Class culminating performance features a youth cast of ages 11-13 years.

SA (10/15), 2:30pm, SU (10/16), 6:30pm, Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E Walnut S Robert Dubac’s The Book of Moron Having been brainwashed by a culture that worships the Kardashians over character, delusion over truth and selfies over self-effacement, Robert Dubac finds himself stuck in a coma of stupidity. Contains adult content.

SA (10/15), 3pm & 8pm, $38, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave Assassins This multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical production explores the lives of nine men and women who either killed (or tried to kill) one of the presidents of the United States. Also Sunday at 2pm.

FR (10/14), SA (10/15), 7:30pm, SU (10/16), 2pm, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville Hamlet Montford Park Players presents Shakespeare's classic revenge tale.

FR (10/14), SA (10/15), SU (10/16), 7:30pm, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St Playing the Skyline and Spell Songs (Student Series) Join Julie Fowlis, best known as the vocalist behind the theme song “Touch the Sky” in Disney Pixar’s Brave, for a lecture, musical demonstration, and Q&A, celebrating the rich cultural traditions of Gaelic Scotland.

Recommended for Grades 6-12.

WE (10/19), 10am, $12, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave Foundy Street Flashback Film Series: Little Shop of Horrors Join Foundy Street, Wedge Brewing, and Grail Moviehouse for an outdoor screening of Little Shop of Horrors, with costume contests, performances by Drag Queen Ganymede, tunes by DJ Lil Meow Meow, and exclusive limited seating from Sunnyside Trading Company - benefitting Cat Fly Film Festival.

TH (10/20), 6pm, The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS October Star Gaze With a weather backup of Oct. 15. This event is free and open to everyone - registration is not necessary to attend. Visit avl.mx/6ly FR (10/14), 5pm, Grassland Mountain Observatory, 2890 Grassland Parkway, Marshall Turning MMIW Awareness into Action Join Maggie Jackson, Sheyahshe Littledave, and Ahli-sha “Osh” Stephens, enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and hosts of We Are Resilient: A MMIW True Crime Podcast, for a discussion on how to transform awareness of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement into action.

FR (10/14), 5pm, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee Henderson County School Employees Self Defense Workshops Learn how to defend yourself if confronted at this coed training workshop. Wear workout clothing, bring a water bottle, school ID

and a notepad.

FR (10/14), 5:30pm, free, Hendokickboxing & Krav Maga, 245 N King St, Hendersonville Wolf Howl for Kids Spend your evening learning about the red and gray wolves of North America at this new program that includes educational crafts, games, and an opportunity to meet a live animal, followed by a trek to the onsite wolf habitats to experience a howling session. Recommended for ages 12 and under. Registration required.

FR (10/14), 6pm, WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Rd Family Discovery Day Explore the 25-acre forest, ninja course, pine play, chicken field, and more.

SA (10/15), 10am, Asheville Farmstead School, 218 Morgan Cove Rd, Candler Forest Landowner Workshop Hear from EcoForesters, Madison County Extension, North Carolina Forest Service, Mountain Valleys RC&D, and NRCS about opportunities to steward your forest.

Lunch provided, registration required.

SA (10/15), 10am, free, A-B Tech Madison Auditorium, Marshall

for humans, no dog necessary.

SU (10/16), 11am, Wagbar, 320 Merrimon Ave, Weaverville The Bloody Summer of Independence: The Cherokee War of 1776 In this seminar, participants will hear about the conflict that broke out between the Cherokee peoples being forced off their ancestral lands and white settlers after the American Revolution.

MO (10/17), 6pm, Free-$5, Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N Dougherty St, Black Mountain WNCHA History Hour: The Lost North Fork Community This program focuses on the history of cultural impacts of submerged towns, using the North Fork community as a case study.

MO (10/17), 6pm, avl.mx/prww Bingo Night Doors open 4:30pm.

Up to $2500 in prizes, weekly.

TU (10/18), 7pm, $25, American Legion Post 70, 103 Reddick Rd

Boy Scout Troop 91 Fall Kick Off For boys ages 11-18, free to attend first two meetings. Visit: avl.mx/bxq TU (10/18), 7pm, St. Pauls United Methodist Church, 223 Hillside St Cozy Up for Fall Retreat Two hours of relaxation time to slow down and reset, as well as experience personal breakthroughs.

WE (10/19), 7pm, $20, avl.mx/c2o Third Thirsty Thursday: WCC Social Monthly meeting for the subchapter of the International Coaching Federation, Charlotte.

TH (10/20), 4:30pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy

LOCAL MARKETS Leicester Farmers Market Leicester's only community-led farmers market with local produce, cheese, meats and crafts.

WE (10/12, 19), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester

River Arts District (RAD) Farmers Market Located on the river with live music and over 30 local vendors.

Safely accessible via the greenway, plus ample parking.

WE (10/12, 19), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr Weaverville Tailgate Market Local foodstuffs, alongside a small lineup of craft and artisan vendors.

WE (10/12, 19), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville Staples Artisan Market Small and homegrown market.

WE (10/12, 19), 11am, Staples Artisan Market, 65 Merrimon Ave

TH (10/13, 20), 3pm, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler Flat Rock Tailgate Market A diverse group of local produce farmers, jam and jelly makers, bread bakers, wild crafters, and merrymakers.

TH (10/13, 20), 3pm, Pinecrest ARP Church, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock East Asheville Tailgate Market Local goods, every Friday.

FR (10/14), 3pm, 954 Tunnel Rd

Etowah Lions Club Farmers Market Fresh produce, meat, sweets, breads, arts, and more, through October 26.

WE (10/12, 19), 3pm, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville

Craft Bazaar & Rummage Sale Featuring knitted and crocheted items; holiday items for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas; books, and bake sale. Café will be available from 8am to 11am, serving homemade cinnamon buns, and from 11:30am to 1:30pm serving sloppy joes.

SA (10/15), 8am, St Barnabas Church, 109 Crescent Hill Rd, Arden

Enka-Candler Tailgate Market Fresh local produce and heritage crafts.

Weekly.

Hendersonville Farmers Market Produce, meat, eggs, baked goods, coffee, crafts and more from

Wolf Howl Spend your evening learning about the red and gray wolves of North America. This adult focused program starts with an indoor presentation, followed by a trek outdoors to the wolf habitats. 14+ SA (10/15), 6pm, WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Rd Breed Meetup: Huskies & Northern Breeds All dogs welcome, dogs six months or older must show poof of vaccinations and be spayed/neutered. 21+

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C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR 30+ local vendors.

With live music, kids' activities and cooking demos weekly.

SA (10/15), 8am, 650 Maple St, Hendersonville Mills River Farmers Market A producer-only market, selling products raised or produced within 50 miles of the market. With local musicians, a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, and high-quality crafts.

SA (10/15), 8am, Mills River Elementary School, 94 Schoolhouse Rd, Mills River North Asheville Tailgate Market The oldest Saturday morning market in WNC. Over 60 rotating vendors.

SA (10/15), 8am, 3300 University Heights

produce, plants, cut flowers, herbs, locally raised meats, seafood, breads, pastries, cheeses, eggs and local arts and handcrafted items.

SA (10/15), 9am, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

made leather goods, jewelry, blown glass, vintage treasures and candles. Half of the vendor fees go directly to Helpmate. Rain or shine, dog friendly.

SA (10/15), 1pm, plēb urban winery, 289 Lyman St

Junk-O-Rama Saturday Vintage antiques market, every Saturday through Oct. SA (10/15), 11am, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd

West Asheville Tailgate Market Over 40 local vendors, every Tuesday.

TU (10/18), 3:30pm, 718 Haywood Rd

Jackson Arts Market Makers & Music Festival With live, local music on Saturdays and an open mic on Sundays.

SA & SU (10/15 & 16), 12pm, Downtown Sylva

Asheville City Market Over 50 vendors and local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and more.

SA (10/15), 9am, 52 N Market St

Makers Market Each month will feature vendors and artisans selling housewares, vintage clothing, original art, handmade crafts, fair trade imports and more.

SA (10/15), 12pm, Atelier Maison & Co., 121 Sweeten Creek Rd

Black Mountain Tailgate Market Seasonal community market event featuring organic and sustainably grown

Sun & Moon Makers Market A monthly indoor/outdoor market featuring a rotating lineup of local makers of hand-

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS MountainTrue's 40th Anniversary Celebration The 1982 throwback-themed gathering will include heavy hors d'oeuvres provided

by Chef Steven Moore of The Broke Stove catering, as well as an online auction to raise funds for MountainTrue’s work.

Registration required.

WE (10/12), 5:30pm, Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr Blueprint Breakfast for Dinner Join Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and some of Asheville’s culinary best for an evening of

creative cuisine and craft beverages in support of one of our region’s most pressing issues– housing.

TH (10/13), 5:30pm, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave 75th Annual Fall Edition Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands Filling both the concourse and arena levels of the venue, makers exhibit a variety of craft ranging from contemporary to traditional in works of clay, wood, metal, glass, fiber, natural materials, paper, leather, mixed media, and jewelry. See p40 SA & SU (10/15 & 16), 10am, Free-$12, Harrah's Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St Apple Harvest Festival Over 100 craft vendors and 15 food trucks on site.

SA (10/15), 10am, Downtown Waynesville Fall Festivities Donation-based pony rides, hay rides, local apples, fresh pressed cider, sould silo and a pig viewing area.

All donations go toward Project HNG nonprofit.

Asheville

Raven & Crone

As soon as you enter Asheville Raven & Crone, you encounter a feast for the senses! Candles, teas, books and art are available throughout this cozy haven in North Asheville. This woman-owned, pagan-run store offers “Old Age,” metaphysical and magical supplies.

Owner Lisa Anderson and her staff will offer suggestions and guidance for all your magical and non-magical needs.

SA (10/15), 10am, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Rd, Fairview Kid Hop Hooray! & Appalachian Wild "Meet the Animals" Music, break dancing to family-friendly tunes from DJ Oso Rey, a local face painter, educational ambassador animals you can meet, a raffle, and educational activities.

SA (10/15), 10:30am, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave A21 Walk For Freedom Asheville A day of global awareness and local action in the fight against human trafficking, join thousands of abolitionists who will hit the streets in hundreds of cities across the globe to walk in a single file line.

SA (10/15), 11am, Pack Square Park Best Little Beer Town Oktoberfest Featuring 12-ounce pours of seven styles of German beer, pop up tents with local vendors, hammerschlagen, stein hoisting, axe throwing, costume contest, with prizes provided by Sarah’s Sunshine Pottery.

Oompah Band at Black Mountain Kitchen + Ale House, 3-5:30pm.

SA (10/15), 12pm, Downtown Black Mountain Farm Fun Day Games and crafts for children, farm animals available for petting, and wagon rides for guests of all ages. The historic farmhouse will be open for self-guided tours, and the Heritage Weavers and Fiber Artists as well as Caregivers of Mother Earth will be on site to lead activities and talk about their organizations. Popcorn and drinks available for purchase.

SA (10/15), 1pm, $20, Historic Johnson Farm, 3346 Haywood Rd, Hendersonville

Our Careful Tending A roaming performance where three persons in black robes will hold large paper masks with ancient peaceful faces and read poetic words of healing. As part of the city's Art in the Heart, Pack Square Plaza Visioning Project. See p34-35 SA (10/15), 5pm, Pack Square Park Annual Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to benefit the children, youth and families served at Eliada.

SU (10/16), 10am, Eliada, 2 Compton Dr Native Amerian Storytelling Festival Yona FrenchHawk, PapaJoe, David Sharpe and friends will be sharing stories at this family friendly event with ticket sales to benefit Jubilee! and Cherokee elders.

SU (10/16), 1:30pm, $10-15, Jubilee!, 46 Wall St LEAF: Solid Gold 50th Fall Festival Celebrating 27 years of connecting cultures and creating community through world music and arts. See p38 TH (10/20) - SU (10/23), Lake Eden, Black Mountain

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS Arts AVL Town Hall: City Candidates Socialize with other arts advocates and find out where Asheville Mayor and City Council candidates stand on local arts issues. Moderated by Arts Coalition chairs Jessica Tomasin and Reggie Tidwell.

WE (10/12), 5pm, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

Get-Out-The-Vote Concert Learn about the candidates and issues, featuring two bands: The Mountain Mountain Mountain Boys and Pierce Edens.

TH (10/13), 5:30pm, Main Street Cafe Courtyard, 18 N Main St, Marshall

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING Fairview Road Resilience Garden Work Day Volunteers are needed at the garden every Wednesday. All ages and skill levels are welcome to harvest, weed, plant, and build community.

WE (10/12), 5:30pm, Fairview Resilience Garden, 461 Fairview Rd "Your Dog Here" Fundraiser For a donation of $30 to Asheville Humane Society, you can guarantee your pup’s spot on a DSSOLVR beer label and support your local animals.

FR (10/14), 5pm, Down Dog, 51 Sweeten Creek Rd Annual Fall Celebration Event Vegan food plus beverages including beer and wine, as well as over 80 animals to meet. With live music and a silent auction.

SU (10/16), 1pm, $25, Animal Haven of Asheville, 65 Lower Grassy Branch Rd Stop the Pain Concert: Raising Awareness of Suicide & Bullying With four bands, including country band Lonestar's former lead singer Richie McDonald, who will headline. One hundred percent of the money raised goes to help families who have lost loved ones to suicide.

See p38&40 SU (10/16), 2pm, Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd

HALLOWEEN EVENTS Beetlejuice: Spooky Movie Night Outdoors. Chairs welcome. Food truck onsite.

FR (10/14), 6pm, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave The 10th Annual Haunted Trail at The Adventure Center of Asheville This event is ideal for Halloween lovers of all ages, with 3-12 being the suggested age range. An outdoor theatrical and immersive experience. Ticket sales to benefit MANNA Food Bank. Various dates and times through Oct. $18, Adventure Center of Asheville, 85 Expo Dr Scary Stories for Halloween Presented by local storytellers Jill Tottman, Debbie Gurriere, Lulu Edmonds, and Sherry Lovett. Stories will be suitable for children 10 and over. Presented by the Weaverville Center for Creative and Healthy Living at the Weaverville Community Center.

FR (10/14), 7pm, Lake Louise Community Center, Weaverville Kid's Karaoke & Costume Party With prizes and treats - "fur babies" included.

SA (10/15), 3pm, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd Hocus Pocus: Spooky Movie Night Outdoors. Chairs welcome. Food truck onsite.

TH (10/20), 6pm, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave

Have friends who describe themselves as witches, heathens or pagans? This is the place to shop. A solitary practitioner who is not sure of the next step in your journey?

You will be welcomed and guided.

In addition, the store offers daily readers.

A wide variety of herbs, incense, jewelry and journals will also entice you.

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WELLNESS

Practice what you preach Entrepreneurs bring wellness opportunities to Asheville area

BY LINDA RAY lindarayaccess@gmail.com Asheville may never have won an official designation as “city where you’re most likely to encounter someone wearing hiking boots in a bar.” Residents and tourists alike, however, know that this is a place where yoga pants, muddy Tevas and a reusable water bottle are practically the local uniform.

One demographic that’s embracing this health- and wellness-conscious scene are local businesswomen. They are joining and growing the area’s wellness industry in all its many facets: hiking, strength training, yoga, forest bathing and even reading tarot. “Right now is such a rich time — a new, wonderful time — to own a wellness company,” says Nicole Will, owner of Asheville Wellness Retreats & Tour. “After all the upheaval from the past couple years, people are looking for meaning and connection and healthy living options.” Through her business, Will loves to provide visitors who don’t want to “only do the normal touristy things” with plenty of cool options.

Xpress spoke with several women who have started wellness business-

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STRONG IS BEAUTIFUL: Nadja Simon used to make her living as a glass blower in Asheville. After going back to school, she is now a personal trainer based out of a fitness studio in Woodfin. Photo by Linda Ray es in recent years about finding their way to these careers and riding out the bumps during COVID-19.

MEANT TO BE Asheville’s wellness entrepreneurs hail from many different back-

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grounds and previous careers. Nadja Simon got the encouragement she needed to change careers while working out at the YMCA of Western North Carolina. “I was making a meager living as a glass blower in Asheville,” recalls Simon, who has a master’s degree in fine arts. “The dean of arts and sciences at A-B Tech was working out beside me and told me, ‘You’re a beast.’ I took it as a compliment and a sign.”

Simon enrolled at A-B Tech, earning an associate degree in health and fitness science in 2017 and certification as a personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise.

The YMCA then hired her to teach TRX (suspension weight training) and Pilates. “I know now that this is the swimming pool I was meant to be swimming in,” says Simon.

She now owns the personal training studio Allon Health and Wellness in Woodfin.

Kim Drye took a roundabout path to ownership of West Asheville Yoga. In 2007, she literally fell off a horse and began to explore the mind/body connection while healing. Drye experimented with psychedelics in 2008 while a student at UNC Asheville but “then I wanted to explore different states of consciousness without drugs and fell in love with yoga and meditation,” she explains. After working at West

Asheville Yoga for years and temporarily leaving to start a family, she returned and took over the business in May. After working as a senior vice president for behavioral health companies, Sue Crowell started feeling job-related stress take a toll on her health. She talked to her sister Teresa Olster, a registered nurse with her own set of nonstop stressors, about finding a retreat. Their vision was to relax and rediscover healthy practices.

“After always being on the road helping other people start businesses, I thought it was my time,” Crowell says. “I told my sister that I just needed her retirement money, and we could then open our own retreat.” From that conversation, the sisters founded Skyterra Wellness in 2016 in Pisgah Forest. A one-week retreat provides participants with opportunities for joyful movement, massage and spa services, calming breathing techniques, mindful eating and meditation. Guests can unplug while relaxing in a stressfree environment.

Will from Asheville Wellness Retreats & Tours was more purposeful in her journey toward self-employment. After graduation in 2003, she worked on a fly-fishing ranch in Colorado “just to get the restlessness out of my system,” she says. She then came to Asheville to work for a wilderness therapy program. Working with at-risk adolescents brought her to some realizations about her own trauma and how the outdoors and a wellness focus made her feel freer and more open.

With still too much restlessness inside, Will moved to Ecuador where she organized custom itineraries for travelers. In 2016, she organized a trip in the Galapagos for a yoga instructor from Asheville. “I realized after meeting her that I was looking outside of myself for meaning,” Will says. “I knew in my bones that my restless period was over. So, I bought a house in Asheville and started ‘adulting.’”

After organizing walking tours around town and yoga hikes, Will opened Asheville Wellness Retreats & Tours with a friend. She now owns the company as a ‘solopreneur.’

PIVOTING AND REGROUPING The COVID-19 pandemic brought some difficulties to the wellness industry given that so many activities take place around other people. But with these difficulties came ingenuity.

The beginning of the pandemic led Will to panic after spending days processing refunds for goat yoga and forest bathing. During this period, she met a tarot card reader and hired that person to offer virtual tarot card readings. Her creative pivot “saved the company,” Will says.

Simon worked at the YMCA when COVID-19 caused the facility to send their instructors home without pay.

She found that she missed her clients almost as much as she missed the steady income, explaining, “I did some Zoom [personal] training, but it’s so much more effective when I can see people in person to pick up body signals of what they need.”

But she found an opportunity there. “This was my time to pivot,” Simon says. She visited clients in their driveways and in parks during summer 2020. When restrictions began to loosen up, she rented space from Phil Roth, a physical therapist at Bodylogic Integrative Physical Therapy in Woodfin to do her personal strength training., She used savings and stimulus money to buy

and “regrouped,” Crowell says. “We remodeled and built an indoor swimming pool, which just opened in September 2022.”

KEEPING ON, GOING STRONG

I FEEL GOOD: Nicole Will, owner of Asheville Wellness Retreats & Tours, has a knack for planning fun excursions like forest bathing or goat yoga classes. Photo by Linda Ray equipment and open the studio she now rents in Woodfin.

In addition to her own personal training with clients, Simon rents space to two other personal trainers, a massage therapist and a yoga instructor.

Drye had a baby during the COVID-19 pandemic and got a remote job until she could return to teaching yoga in the studio. She added goat yoga classes and guided yoga hikes to provide more outdoor services.

Meanwhile, at Skyterra, Crowell and Olster temporarily shut down

After a bumpy few years during the pandemic, Crowell says she and Olster, who serves as Skyterra’s general manager, are hitting their stride.

“The world is in need of wellness,” Crowell says. She welcomes 30 new guests every week at their retreat center. Nearly half their business comes from visitors who want to lose weight in the Lose Smart program offered at Skyterra — a four-week program consisting of education, counseling and a plan to follow at home to keep excess weight off.

Will recently hired two full-time employees to handle bookings for her wellness tour company. She maintained her bookings numbers in 2020, but grew 355% in 2021 and has seen a 40% increase to date in 2022.

In Woodfin, Simon says she’s searching for a bigger place as her business grows. “I want to have more open space to offer classes,” she says. And in West Asheville, Drye says she’d like to wait to move

until she’s “busting at the seams.

But I’m afraid we may be ready for that now.”

TRENDS ARE TRACKING Often in the forefront of wellness trends, Asheville is a great place to carry out her vision to embrace community, says Drye. She recently started a class called Flow of Life for pre- and postnatal women. And at West Asheville Yoga, she is grateful to thrive while maintaining her commitment to community.

Simon sees an increased interest in strength training as older adults receive revealing results from bone density tests. In addition to wordof-mouth, she gets a lot of her referrals from physical therapists who encourage patients to do regular strength training so they can continue hiking and enjoying popular physical activities like pickleball.

At Skyterra, Crowell believes that the most important trend in wellness today is the understanding that with proper nutrition and consistent exercise, a person can be healthy at any size or shape. She says, “Having healthy lifestyle options is a trend that will last.” X

• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

Know your values

ERIN MCGRADY Co-founder of Authentic Asheville, a camper van blog that focuses on travel in Western North Carolina, which she runs with her wife, Caroline Whatley, left.

Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?

McGrady: Know your values and do your best to carry them out in the ways that you interact with your customers, your community and within your own team.

What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

Learn as much as you possibly can about your craft, and when you learn something new that’s in conflict with an old practice, be willing to change. It’s these ongoing adaptations that will keep you nimble and ready when the next opportunity shows up.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

There aren’t a ton of women who offer both photo and video services, but we refuse to let that lack of representation hold us back. We help businesses with their branded storytelling in the outdoor gear space as well as the food and beverage space. While we don’t see a whole lot of other people like us — we’re a queer, interracial woman-owned business — we have the mindset that together we can do just about anything. Creativity, integrity, hard work and grit know no gender. X

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OCT. 12-18, 2022

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ARTS & CULTURE

The juggle is real Balancing business and motherhood in WNC

BY KAY WEST kwest@mountainx.com Buchi founders Jeannine Buscher and Sarah Schomber met in 2008. At the time, both women had their children enrolled in the same home school cooperative.

One day, Buscher explains, “The teacher came to my house before school was starting, and I offered her a glass of kombucha I had been brewing. Later, when she went to Sarah’s house for a visit, Sarah also offered her a glass of kombucha she was brewing. The beverage was so unusual at the time that the teacher told Sarah, ‘You have to meet this other mom.’”

A year later, Buchi was born.

While the company’s origin story is unique, its elements of motherhood and happenstance played key factors in the establishment of two other locally owned, female-led

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WOMEN AT WORK: Buchi founders Jeannine Buscher and Sarah Schomber believe teamwork is dream work when it comes to building a business. Photo courtesy of Buchi nonalcoholic beverage companies as well — Shanti Elixirs and Sarilla.

And those elements, particularly motherhood, continue to influence and inform how these three businesses operate. Because when it comes to balancing work and family, women entrepreneurs are clear: The juggle is real.

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Rather than a serial entrepreneur, Sara Stender Delaney describes herself as a social entrepreneur. “I have never been driven by financials,” she says. “I always saw my businesses as mission driven and impactful and my products as purpose first.”

Though established in 2017, Sarilla’s origin dates to 2007, when Delaney lived in Rwanda, where she worked with genocide survivors. During that period, she also met and began helping Rwandan tea farmers connect with U.S. businesses. By 2016, Delaney herself

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became a buyer and distributor of packaged loose-leaf tea.

“I came up with the recipe for cold brew tea in my kitchen,” she says. “The demand for ready-todrink beverages had more opportunity than loose-leaf tea, so I reached out to the Craft Beverage Institute at A-B Tech to help me develop the idea for a carbonated tea.”

Originally called Silverback, all of Delaney’s products are now consolidated under the name Sarilla.

Like Delaney, Shanti Volpe’s mission for her company, Shanti Elixirs, is fueled by more than mere profit. Volpe — whose parents met at a yoga retreat and whose family vacations included philanthropical trips to India and the Dominican Republic — was imbued since birth with the belief that food is medicine.

“We did yoga and meditation daily, we were raised vegetarian, cooked from the garden, and my parents didn’t drink alcohol,” she says. “I chose to continue that path myself.”

But finding healthy and delicious nonalcoholic beverages to drink

was often a challenge — until Volpe attended a sacred beekeeping workshop in 2016 and had her first taste of jun. “I felt an immediate effect on my body and was so intrigued I knew I had to learn how to make it,” she says. “I brought home a SCOBY [symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast used as the ‘mother’ for fermented beverages] and started brewing the very next day.”

A quest for healthier options is also what inspired Buscher’s and Schomber’s interest in kombucha.

By the time the pair met in 2008, Buscher was already in the process of getting her kitchen certified to produce kombucha to sell at local tailgate markets. Meanwhile, “Sarah’s husband had been encouraging her to start a business with another mother, so when I told her I was getting certified, she asked if I wanted to do it together,” Buscher explains.

The pair fine-tuned the product in Buscher’s kitchen that fall, then moved to the Blue Ridge Food Ventures commercial kitchen to build inventory before debuting their Buchi kombucha — under the limited liability corporation Asheville Kombucha Mamas — at the North Asheville Tailgate Market in spring 2009.

Asheville’s interest in healthy alternative beverages was immediate and tremendous, Buscher recalls. “When I first started brewing kombucha, we were living in Dallas,” she notes. “My friends were like, ‘What do you mean it’s alive? That’s weird, you’re weird!’

Asheville embraced the weird and the health-based mission.”

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE JUN: Shanti Volpe, founder and owner of Shanti Elixirs, displays a jar of SCOBY, the magic mother culture from which her beverages are born. Photo by Camilla Calnan

GROWTH SPURTS Running and growing a business while parenting is challenging, to say the least, but all four women say the two have much in common, and that business can benefit from their skills as mothers.

When Buchi outgrew Blue Ridge Food Ventures, Buscher and Schomber moved operations and their residences to a 120-acre property in Weaverville that included an on-site 7,000-square-foot building originally constructed as a warehouse for beer and wine distribution. “We stayed there for six years, and that was pivotal to our growth of the business, but also to raising our families while growing a business,” Buscher says. “Our children played together and ran around the property together. Even though we worked all the time, we were always around our families.”

They note that before starting the business, they had both been stay-at-home moms and had admittedly unrealistic expectations of maintaining that lifestyle while also starting and growing a business.

But it worked out.

Adds Schomber, “Work and life were a blend that went together, and I truly think if we didn’t have that time where we got to know each other on such a deep level and navigate some really tough times we might not have made it.”

Delaney, on the other hand, initially flew solo, while also being a single mom from the get-go. She says the experience has been both difficult and helpful. “From the time my son was born, I had to learn how to become efficient and prioritize,” she says. “It helped me learn time management. I work more than I would if I were working for someone else in a job, but having my own business also gives me flexibility to be at his baseball games and here when he gets home from school.”

As her business has grown, Delaney continues to add staff.

Volpe points to other traits she brings to the table as a woman and mother. “Women do things differently. I have very high expectations coupled with a generous amount of flexibility and compassion,” she explains. “I think parenting set me up for great success in figuring out how to be a business owner.

I often look at Shanti as my baby and I treat Shanti Elixirs and my employees as my family. That’s how I nurture them.”

Buchi’s co-mother Schomber agrees. “We have 115 employees now, and it’s like having 115 children! The goal is to keep them all

POP A TOP: Sara Stender Delaney, who is 16 years sober, created her nonalcoholic canned sparkling tea because “I want Sarilla to be an alternative for people who don’t want to drink but want to be social, particularly young people on college campuses.” Photo by Aris Wells motivated, focused and moving in the same direction while feeling valued and cared for.”

INTO THE FUTURE In January 2017, Buchi moved to a 30,000-square-foot building in Marshall. In addition to increasing employment, the company continues to increase distribution, vol-

ume and product line. It has just introduced Living Energy in two flavors — raspberry lime and lemon mint. The drink adds a boost of 100 milligrams of clean caffeine to kombucha, along with L-theanine and lion’s mane mushrooms.

“Kombucha was our jumping-off point,” says Buscher. “We see ourselves continuing to experiment and come out with new products and being part of the functional beverage trend. Never stop innovating or you’ll go backward.”

Adding to her own mix, Delaney recently introduced two new Sarilla products as well — caffeine- and sugar-free botanical infusions in two flavors, vanilla rooibos and Tulsi lime. She intends to expand Sarilla’s distribution reach. “My goal is to become a nationally known brand.”

For Volpe, who now has 14 employees, her immediate goal is to get Shanti Elixirs as a craft nonalcoholic option in as many bars, breweries and restaurants in Asheville as possible. But she’s also thinking bigger.

“We want to continue to grow our collaborations with other Asheville makers like French Broad Chocolate, Asheville Tea and Wedge Brewing Co. for new flavors,” she says. “My long-term goal is to create a destination location/retreat center/nonprofit honeybee apiary and junery taproom, with a bar that features all the great nonalcoholic beverages made in our region that everyone can enjoy.” X

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• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

It takes time

KAYE BENTLEY Owner of Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?

Bentley: Once you launch your business, even with great marketing, it will still take a bit of time to get the word out and start generating revenue.

What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

Look to your local community and online to see what business resources are already available — some are often free resources. Take the time to learn as much as you can through these resources and absolutely ask all of the questions. The connections you make through these resources are invaluable, even after your initial startup period.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

Starting a tourism-based business — and my business also being the very first of its kind — it took time to gain a foothold in the existing local tour market. X

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

LITERATURE

Plot twist

Local authors discuss life on and off the page

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com In Asheville’s gig economy, even some of its most successful writers wear multiple hats.

Along with publishing celebrated works, Tessa Fontaine, Jessica Jacobs and Heather Newton have established themselves as freelance editors and instructors. But while the extra jobs may seem as if they could inhibit these creative women from crafting new works at a steady pace, the multiple roles have proved nicely complementary — albeit with plentiful planning and self-care along the way.

FORWARD PROGRESS All three women have wanted to write professionally since they were

young, but their journeys toward achieving that goal have taken distinct paths.

In her junior and senior years of high school, Newton placed in the Raleigh Fine Arts Society short story contest, judged by regional writers Doris Betts and Guy Owen.

Encouraging words from both writers led Newton to imagine herself one day joining the pair in their professional ranks. Upon entering college, she planned to become a writer but took what she calls “a long detour for law school and a legal career.”

After several years of practicing law in Boston, Newton moved to Asheville in 1992. Like many aspiring writers, she experienced numerous rejections from agents and pub-

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THE POWER OF THREE: From left, Asheville-based authors Heather Newton, Tessa Fontaine and Jessica Jacobs have further established themselves as educators and editors. Photo by Edwin Arnaudin lishers while still maintaining her law practice.

But in 2009, things began to change. She landed an agent for her manuscript Under the Mercy Trees, which Harper Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollins Publisher, subsequently published. That same year, Newton also signed up for a Great Smokies Writing Program workshop led by local author Tommy Hays.

During the workshop, she met and befriended fellow classmate Maggie Marshall. The pair established a writing group “and a few years later, Maggie and I hatched the Flatiron Writers Room, a project I would never have undertaken without her,” Newton says.

Among the numerous writers who’ve led classes at FWR is Fontaine. The Bay Area native studied theater and global studies as an undergraduate, thinking she’d be either an actor or work for the United Nations. The interests led her to purchase a one-way ticket to New York City to pursue both careers.

Neither panned out, but she’d long loved writing and knew that it would be part of whatever she did.

“I never dreamed that I would be able to do it for a living because it’s so hard to make that work,” she says. “But I also didn’t really know all of the ways in which you can be creative in to support yourself as a writer.”

Getting there, however, took years.

But with her 2018 book, The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts, Fontaine experienced greater opportunities for teaching creative writing, and in 2019, she was offered

a faculty position at Warren Wilson College as its nonfiction professor.

“Suddenly, lots of people were interested in having me teach workshops or be a guest writer at a university,” she says. “And I love doing it, but it’s a really bizarre moment because for me as a writer, nothing was different the day before my book came out as opposed to the day after.

But it really becomes this kind of turning point after which people are like, ‘OK, you’re legit. We accept you.

Come do this thing.’”

THE NEW CLASSROOM Fontaine left Warren Wilson in 2021 and now works with writers from a range of ages via freelance editing, accountability workshops and coaching.

Jacobs has had a comparably enriching experience since departing from the traditional classroom setting as well. The author of multiple volumes of poetry, including Take Me with You, Wherever You’re Going, the poet’s major turning point came in 2010, when she met her now wife, fellow local poet Nickole Brown.

At the time, Jacobs was living in Manhattan and working for a large textbook publisher as an acquisitions editor. But she decided the corporate life wasn’t for her and quit what she describes as “probably the highest-paid job I’ll ever have” to get her Master of Fine Arts degree and become a writer and a teacher.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 32

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A R TS & CU LTU R E “Deciding that I wanted to do something with my life that felt deeply meaningful as opposed to something that sounded good, paid me a lot and left me feeling very empty — that was a huge thing,” Jacobs says.

Upon earning her degree from Purdue University, she moved to Arkansas. There, she taught at Hendrix College, while Brown held a tenure-track position at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Three years into her position and with tenure in sight, Jacobs nevertheless found herself at another professional crossroads. “[Tenure is] kind of the brass ring that we’re all told we want as writers, and instead I said, ‘OK, but is there a better way to live?’” she says. In response, she and Brown moved to Asheville and began traveling the country, giving readings and teaching workshops together.

“It’s definitely a lot more hustle, doing more of a freelance thing, but it’s much more rewarding.”

On Sept. 1, Jacobs launched the nonprofit Yetzirah, the first literary organization in the U.S. for Jewish poets. And she and Brown also run SunJune Literary Collaborative,

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which offers workshops and free online generative writing sessions.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, these programs were held in person, but in recent times they’ve shifted their offerings to virtual settings.

Through Zoom, over 100 people from around the world regularly participate in the monthly generative sessions, creating a sense of community that Jacobs thinks wouldn’t have arisen otherwise.

But as COVID-19 cases continue to drop, SunJune — which officially formed during the pandemic — will host its first in-person weekend retreat, Nov. 4-6 at the N.C. Arboretum. And while its co-founders plan to continue offering hybrid workshops, Jacobs feels the online platforms have room to grow.

“The one thing that Zoom has not been able to replicate is how to sit down and talk to people one-on-one within a large group of people,” she says. “And just to have moments with people after a reading. You can’t really do that yet.”

CREATIVE SUSTAINABILITY Despite their many years in the industry, new and recurring chal-

lenges inevitably arise. Newton’s weeks consist of balancing legal work with writing fiction and co-managing the Flatiron Writers Room. Because the FWR just launched its fall season, she’s also kept busy emailing instructors and students, paying faculty, scheduling marketing campaigns for upcoming classes and administering evening workshops.

“The main challenge of trying to practice law and write is that the two things take the same type of mental energy, and often by the time I’ve spent hours doing legal work, I’m too burned out to write fiction,” Newton says. “I cope with that by setting aside days where I do nothing but write.”

She adds that self-care has never been her strong suit but says thanks to “a terrific family, supportive friends, a view of our beautiful mountains from [my] deck, a large jug of lavender bubble bath” and being able to travel again now that pandemic-induced restrictions have lifted, she maintains a fairly rosy outlook on life.

“I love the storytelling aspect of both my legal work and my writing work,” Newton continues. “When I advocate for my clients, I’m telling their stories. When I write or help other writers, it brings new stories into the world that, I hope, can make people think as well as entertain.”

Come 2023, Fontaine will join Newton as a published novelist.

Along with being in the final editing stages of the book, she teaches The Art of Death for on-demand course company Atlas Obscura, which explores death from a philosophical, social, and cultural point of view.

Fontaine also does regular freelance editing and runs the “Here to Save You” podcast with Massachusettsbased writer Annie Hartnett and Santa Barbara, Calif.-based author

Ellen O’Connell Whittet, which looks at writing, parenting and creative accountability.

“I also have a baby, which complicates things,” Fontaine says. “So, there’s lots of shepherding her back and forth to day care and doing baby stuff.”

Though Fontaine makes time to take her child and dog for daily walks, she notes that setting limits to what she says “yes” to as a freelancer plays a major factor in the sustainability of her work. When things get tough, leaning into the relationships that she’s built and formed over time — including with Newton and Marshall at the FWR — has likewise proven beneficial.

“I think that’s been part of it, too — allowing people that I care about and trust and respect and like — letting those relationships form something bigger that can be part of my life in a really positive way, both in terms of how I like to spend my time, but also in terms of how I try to make money or run business day to day,” she says.

Tapping into that community is similarly essential for Jacobs, who also releases tension by running and kayaking. When she feels like she’s reached a wall in her work, she calls a fellow writer and has been amazed by how generous people have been with their time. In turn, she’s been trying to surround herself with what she calls “very wise counsel” and has been happy with the results.

“I think that sometimes, when I feel most stuck, it’s because I feel like I have to do it by myself,” she says. “I’m just trying to remind myself that there are all these amazing people out there and they’re invested in what we’re going to then do together. And it’s just me taking the step to be vulnerable and to call them.” X

• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

You can’t please everyone

ANNELISE KOPP DJ Lil Meow Meow Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?

Kopp: My business “launch” has been more like a many-year process of evolution into different roles as a DJ. I was encouraged to try some low-stake gigs first. I got a chance to get a feel for what was involved — to see if I enjoyed it and what the challenges might be. And it evolved from there.

What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

First, consider and weigh the sacrifice. While DJing might seem like a great social activity, the reality is that you’re likely to find yourself busy on weekends, holidays and special occasions. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve met some of the best people and had some of my favorite experiences in this job, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Think late nights,

heavy equipment, technological challenges, a constant need to expand your musical catalog and (realistically) a lot of expenses. Is it still one of my favorite parts of my life? Absolutely.

Secondly, have fun and trust yourself. If you start worrying about pleasing every single person, you’ll be playing the lowest common denominator of music in no time.

I like to focus on just a few people and move from there. The more you get clear with yourself about your tastes and stylings (provided you can still move a room), the more people will trust it. I’ve gotten plenty of negative feedback, and it’s actually helped me understand that an individual’s personal dislike of my taste doesn’t determine my trajectory as a DJ. If you’re not a DJ, I think this all works as a great metaphor for life.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

DJing is still a field dominated by men, so I’ve had to carve out a space that feels uniquely my own. I’ve been lucky to have the support of some wonderful people, and I think that’s something every women in business should be considering how to pay forward to people who face even greater barriers to entry. X

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AR T S & C UL TU R E

ART

Public access

Art in the Heart imagines the future of Pack Square Plaza

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com With the Vance monument gone, Pack Square Plaza’s future design remains an open question. But some of the first steps in this process are taking form via the city of Asheville’s Art in the Heart program, described on its website as “a way to unite, heal and strengthen the community.” The current series of temporary installations, artwork and performances will run through March with the hope of sparking communitywide conversations about the role of public spaces and what goes in them.

APPLY WITHIN According to Karli Stephenson, urban designer and public art coordinator, 29 Art in the Heart submissions were received between the May 25 call for artists and the Aug. 1 application deadline. The proposed projects then went before an 11-person selection committee, which included members from the Public Art and Cultural Commission, Stephenson and three fellow city staffers, as well as four external stakeholders, including representatives from the Asheville Art Museum, UNC Asheville, the Biltmore Estate and the Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections.

“The selection panel met three times and provided a lot of feedback along the way,” Stephenson says. “The panel was especially interested in projects that were interactive, created in response to this program and that made an effort to address the themes/ questions proposed.”

The committee also looked for applicants with a proven record of developing, sharing and removing public art, as well as projects that emphasized viewer experience and interactivity. But since Stephenson notes that “public spaces and monuments are dynamic and should be a reflection of the people and history they represent,” the panel was especially interested in how artist proposals embraced the theme of social equity and inclusion, and the ways in which they answered two guiding questions: What should Pack Square Plaza look and feel like in the future?

And what stories haven’t been told or represented in downtown Asheville?

“I really loved that we received such a mixture of art types,” Stephenson says. “A lot of times when you say 34

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MOONAGE DAYDREAM: Local poet Tiffany Narron poses with the mask made by her Art in the Heart collaborator, Hot Springs-based artist Lydia Nichole. Photo by Micah Mackenzie ’public art,’ folks think of a sculpture or mural. I think the range of projects submitted says a lot about the potential for Pack Square Plaza’s future.”

The projects range from intimate puppet shows to 15-foot sculptures with projected visuals and audio. Most artists chose the most visible location — the center median — for their project, which Stephenson says makes sense from an accessibility standpoint.

“But it also helps us, as urban designers and planners, think about the plaza differently from that perspective,” she says. “Where can we open up views and better facilitate connections into and from the plaza? Where are there opportunities for gateways? What are those spaces that are hidden now but could be made more visible, accessible and comfortable for art and people?”

Regarding the second guiding question, Stephenson notes that many of the stories and topics chosen by the artists address the challenges and histories within and around the plaza, including housing insecurity, the enslaved people of the Vance family, free speech, climate change and inclusivity.

“Several of the projects are based on amplifying community voices

that aren’t often heard: those experiencing homelessness or searching for an affordable home, [and] Native American and Black communities,” she says. “I think overall, there was a desire for Pack Square Plaza to evolve into a place that supports hard conversations and realities and allows anyone to celebrate their culture and identity.”

SOLID-COLORED FLAGS Among the selected creators and current exhibits is Asheville-based installation artist Jackson Martin, whose “Room in the Sky” — consisting of 12 nylon flags of various colors hanging around a steel structure — debuted Sept. 18 and will be on display through Sunday, Oct. 30. Part of Martin’s art practice is searching for exhibitions and other opportunities to apply to, and he says he’s always excited when he sees calls for site-specific and site-responsive work.

“These types of opportunities allow me to shift outside of my normal way of thinking, encouraging me to imagine something entirely different,” he says.

“The overarching theme of Art in the Heart is about ‘inclusivity and equity’

— ideas that have gained a lot of attention in the last couple years. My prior work has not been directly about those ideas, and I am proud to be part of this important conversation now.”

The premise of “Room in the Sky” began as a reimagining of the Vance Monument. It was originally designed to sit atop the remaining base, though the design intended to represent something starkly different than the former structure. But ongoing litigation concerning the monument’s removal ultimately prevented “Room in the Sky” from being on the base. Instead, Martin’s work stands at eye level and has become more interactive than he planned.

“I chose an overall form that directly relates to the old monument base but

also one that represents both healing and inclusivity — a plus sign or medical cross,” Martin says. “The solid-colored flags that hang from the structure are intended to represent groups that experience discrimination and prejudice in this country, including the LGBTIQA and BIPOC communities. Many of my students, closest friends and family members have been affected by discrimination and prejudice, and I am honored to stand as an ally in the fight for equality.”

GRIEF AND HOPE On Saturday, Oct. 15, the installation’s space will be shared with “Our Careful Tending,” an interactive grief ceremony spearheaded by local writer

• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

Give yourself time and space

AMBER NIVEN Co-author of “Discovering the Appalachian Trail: A Guide to the Trail’s Greatest Hikes” Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?

Niven: “Give yourself enough runway to soar.” This is the advice I think about the most. Soul work is slow work. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it requires steady devotion. For me, writing is like painting a canvas. There are layers involved: research, storyboarding, editing and more editing. Sometimes I feel myself rushing to complete a piece, and like an airplane with an insufficient runway, it just doesn’t get off the ground. Giving myself space and time to focus on my goal of becoming a published author allowed me to focus on my craft, cultivate resilience and ultimately create a book I am incredibly proud of.

What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

If someone were passionate about writing and wanted to complete a manuscript, I would encourage them to fight every day to keep that dream alive. I would

tell them to touch their project daily, even if it meant writing one badly formed sentence. Our modern world is full of distractions and messages saying we should be doing anything and everything we are not. When starting out, we often don’t have the luxury of holing up in an artist cave for an extended amount of time so that we can focus, free from distractions.

The reality for many of us is that we must write in the stolen moments, the early mornings before a job, lunch breaks and nap times. So I say, find a way to keep hope alive, and remember, if you want to soar, give yourself the time and space your art asks of you.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

Being a woman strongly connected to my emotional body and intuition serves me well in my creative endeavors; however, paradoxically, it has also proved to be my greatest challenge. Living a disciplined life with boundaries does not come easy to me. However, in the business of writing, one must be able to sit down and write even when feelings suggest otherwise.

Over time, I’ve learned how to value a disciplined life. On days I feel sluggish, full of self-doubt or mom-guilt has the best of me, those are the days I feel like floating in the sea of emotions, not writing.

But each time I sit in my chair and write anyway, I am saying that my art matters, that I matter. As a woman and mother, this radical act means everything. X

Tiffany Narron. Her titular poem will be read aloud and handed out on small slips of paper as three people in black robes hold large paper masks, while five additional people walk alongside them, carrying lanterns.

Narron feels that the poem “speaks to the intention needed to address harm as well as the shared joy we must cultivate and lean on together at the same time — a difficult dichotomy to hold, especially for a culture that hasn’t been taught well how to hold multiple truths at once.”

The masks, which Narron says “remind us of our ancestors who walk with us on all sides as we go,” were made by Hot Springs-based artist Lydia Nichole and Jennifer Murphy, co-founder of Asheville’s Street Creature Puppet Collective. According to Murphy, Narron shared an image with her by artist Stasys Eidrigevicius and asked for help creating something with a similar vibe.

“She wanted something with a peaceful, wise countenance, that had a moonlike feeling,” Murphy says. “I have made many papier-mache masks over the years, and lately I’ve been making ceramic and concrete ones for the garden, so it’s a subject I enjoy.

This time, I wanted to combine foraged basketry materials with papier-mache.”

Narron notes that Murphy also layered in words from the poem on holding grief into the face alongside a sacred geometry seed of life pattern to imbue the full meaning of the presence the mask will hold. The poet then worked separately with Nichole, listening to a podcast on grief and moon consciousness together while the latter wove in natural layers of beeswax and coffee ink for the mask to hold a natural form.

Together, the artists hope that “Our Careful Tending” encourages attendees to connect into an intentional space where they can hold grief and hope alongside one another. But they see even greater potential for Art in the Heart as a whole.

“This project really seeks to hold a space for our community to both question and show up to how we tend and re-mother the wounds of racism and colonialism in the history, structure and growth of our city, both personally and collectively,” Narron says. “I hope that this helps spark real conversation alongside all of the incredible projects being shared so that we can begin to collectively reenvision Pack Square Park as our full community envisions it.” X

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

FOOD ROUNDUP

What’s new in food

Food Truck Boot Camp rolls into Cherokee Have a brilliant idea for a food truck but no idea how to turn it into reality? The Food Truck Boot Camp, taking place Monday-Thursday, Nov. 7-10, in Cherokee, might be your launch pad.

“The people who will be served by this are the dreamers with an idea who need help in learning how to build a food truck business, as well as established people who want to refine and grow their business,” says Laura Lauffer, project director of EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems. EMFS is a multiyear project focused on expanding opportunities and capacity to food and farm businesses across the southwestern region of the state.

In addition to working with area organizations and institutions, the gathering will feature the Street Food Institute, a New Mexico-based nonprofit that works with culinary

leaders and entrepreneurs to promote business development and growth. Alongside local industry-related members and government officials, the Street Food Institute will share its expertise in multiple sessions and one-on-one coaching.

Food Truck Boot Camp’s first day will cover topics including getting started, writing a business plan, bookkeeping and basic regulations for food trucks. On subsequent days, attendees can learn about financing, operational safety, pricing, efficient truck design, media and marketing, creating a menu and controlling food waste.

“We’re excited to have a TikTok influencer from the [Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians], Taylor Wachacha, who will do some sample TikToks with truck owners and teach them how to make their own,” Lauffer adds.

• WOMEN IN BUSINESS •

Take risks

LAURA WALTON Owner of The Crunchy Baker Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?

Walton: No. 1: View other local businesses as partners rather than rivals. We’re all trying to make money and do awesome things within the same industry; we do best by supporting each other. No. 2: It’s OK to make money and lots of it — you can use that money toward causes you care about, and to strengthen your business to do so. No. 3: Hire an accountant — it’s worth the money.

What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?

Take a business class. You’ll get accounting resources, and it’ll force you to think about and plan the many facets of your business,

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both present and future. It’s also a great way to connect with other people just starting their businesses and form early partnerships. And seriously, hire a good accountant — it’s worth the peace of mind to have your numbers right.

As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?

It can be difficult to take risks and know when the risks are worth it, especially with money. For me in particular, I have a hard time seeing money as something to invest, rather than something to let sit in a savings account “just in case.” However, I’ve learned that it’s worth spending a little more to make things easier, or prettier or tastier — it means more money comes back my way to keep investing in my business! I’m thankful that my industry is dominated by women, especially in the farmers market and festival sectors, so I get to see and discuss other women’s successes through their risk-taking and build my confidence in doing the same.

Editor’s note: Laura Walton is married to Xpress News Editor Daniel Walton. X

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READY TO FRY: Anthony and Nikki Crisp are looking forward to sharing their frybread with other participants of the Food Truck Boot Camp in Cherokee Monday-Thursday, Nov. 7-10. Photo courtesy of Nikki’s Frybread and Grill Attendees will also tour existing food trucks and have access to a large commercial kitchen in the Ginger Lynn Welch building, adjacent to the EBCI Commerce Department building where sessions take place. Meals will be provided by local food trucks and caterers.

Two of the most visible operating trucks in the Cherokee area are Nikki’s Frybread and Grill owned

by Nikki and Anthony Crisp and Sugar’s Place owned by mother-and-daughter team Sugar and Tasha Martinez. Both businesses will be providing food and participating in the conference. The latter was also a recipient of a grant from EMFS; the money helped the food truck purchase a new wrap.

Cindy Mathews, a retired teacher, is among those participating in the boot camp. She is currently in the process of opening a new ice cream truck. Like Sugar’s Place, Mathews is also a recipient of a recent grant from EMFS to help her get her business up and running. “I couldn’t have gotten started without EmPOWER and Laura,” she says. “And I’m really excited about going to the boot camp.

I have a lot to learn, but you’re never too old.”

The event takes place at 876 Acquoni Road, Cherokee. Tickets are $50. For more information, including a complete schedule and tickets, visit avl.mx/c1t.

Come to mama’s When John Atwater’s quest to take over the now-defunct Zia Taqueria building in West Asheville didn’t pan out, the local restaurateur

turned his focus to the Depot Street parking space that Zia Taqueria’s former food truck previously occupied in the River Arts District.

“We had kept in touch with the Zia food truck guys who have a big following of regulars,” says Atwater, who owns Mamacita’s and Taco Temple. “We thought we could team up and do some of their popular items, add some specials we had done at Mamacita’s and some new things.”

Mamacita’s Street Food, now open outside the Old London Road soccer pub, is just that: a mashup of Zia Taqueria and Mamacita menus, along with new dishes.

Highlights include Mexican-style hot dogs, which are near and dear to Atwater, who spends a lot of leisure time fishing in Mexico. “They’re basically built like a taco, with sliced avocado, pico de gallo and maybe some hot sauce, but it’s a Snap-oRazzo all-beef hot dog wrapped in bacon and on a bun, not a tortilla.”

Another fusion is the taco Arabe, a Lebanese interpretation of the Mexican staple; the dish originated in Puebla, which is home to a large Lebanese population. “Our head chef at Mamacita, Francisco Romero, is from Puebla, and he is very familiar with the dish,” Atwater explains.

“It’s thinly sliced pork seasoned with oregano and thyme, grilled and served with caramelized onions and a Coca-Cola chipotle salsa Francisco makes, on a pita.”

Meanwhile, the food truck’s tachos combine nachos and tater tots. And esquites, a popular snack in Mexico, are also available. Atwater describes the latter as “elote street corn in a

cup, so you don’t need to carry dental floss with you.”

Because Old London is a sports bar, Mamacita’s Street Food has kept Zia Taqueria’s wings, which use a dry rub recipe from Sam Nicholson, who is heading the food truck. Breakfast burritos, another neighborhood favorite, remain on the menu as well.

Mamacita’s Street Food operates 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 270 Depot St.

Pop-up culture Diners curious about Oaxacan cuisine — originating in Oaxaca, Mexico — are often stymied by the proper pronunciation. It’s Wa-HA-ca. Native Oaxacan (Wa-ha-can) and Asheville resident and chef Luis Martinez is reprising his popular pop-ups, hosting two this month. On Thursday, Oct. 13, at 6:30 p.m., he will serve a four-course Oaxacarolina dinner at Botanist & Barrel. A standout dish promises to be the pork shank with sweet potato mole, white beans and purslane salad. Tickets for the dinner are $110 per person; optional cider pairings are available for an additional $30.

Botanist & Barrel is at 32 Broadway, Suite 110. For more information, visit avl.mx/c1o .

On Sunday, Oct. 16, at 10:30 a.m.

Martinez partners with Cooperative Coffee Roasters for a four-course Tequio brunch. Trade in those tired waffles and take a walk on the wild side. Highlights include grilled figs with mizuna and mussels escabeche with fermented carrot. Oaxacan coffee will also be included in the mix, with optional alcoholic beverage pairings selected by Eli Masem, owner of Cooperative Coffee Roasters.

Cooperative Coffee Roasters is at 210 Haywood Road. Tickets are $75 per person and should be reserved by email to eli@ cooperativecoffeeroasters.com.

Little (more) Chango Since opening last November, diners have worn a path to the doors of Little Chango Hispanic Craft Kitchen in South Slope for its Caribbean-inspired menu of arepas, yuca fries, tostones, ropa vieja and pork shoulder. Like many downtown restaurants dependent on tourist traffic, owners Luis Betances, Iris Rodriguez and Jose Busto switched to shorter winter hours in January, closing at 5 p.m. on weekdays.

By spring, staffing issues forced the eatery to continue with its reduced hours. “We didn’t want to compromise service or food, so we had to keep that schedule,” Betances explains.

But now, thanks to a larger staff, Little Chango will be open Tuesday through Sunday at 11:30 a.m., closing Tuesday through Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.

And the restaurant has added another lure to the bright sunny yellow building — tres leches cake.

“It started as a special and it’s so popular we added it to the daily menu,” Betances says. “It’s made with gluten-free flour and served with rosewater orange whip and pistachio crunch. People love it as much as the flan.”

Little Chango is at 134 Coxe Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/c16.

Erik Fowler, will conduct a showand-tell while participants taste and consider how fermentation adds flavor, complexity and preservation to unique dishes, as well as compare fermented and nonfermented dishes paired with yeast-driven beer styles.

White Labs Brewing Co. is at 172 S. Charlotte. Tickets are $55 per person and include three courses of proteins, vegetables and dessert plus beers. For more information, visit avl.mx/c1p.

Shuck it off “Beer grown here” is Sideways Farm and Brewery’s tagline. On Thursday, Oct.13, it’s teaming up with Feta Flav and adding buckets of oysters, shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes, two fall desserts (by Diggity Doughnuts) and a bottle of beer or jun to the brewery’s bounty. The collaborative oyster roast begins at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $150 for two people to share. Sideways Farm is at 62 Eade Road, Etowah. For more information, visit avl.mx/c1q.

— Kay West X

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Fermentation fever The art and science of fermentation are having their moment, and White Labs Brewing Co. is here for it. On Thursday, Oct. 13, 6-7:30 p.m., the brewery will present White Labs Fermented Pairings + Tasteful Fermentation Class. White Labs Brewing Co.’s research chef, Bert Sheffield, and head of education,

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

ROUNDUP

Around Town

Cherokee author’s new collection explores interconnectedness After several years spent editing and publishing the works of Indigenous writers, artists and activists, MariJo Moore is back with her latest book, 11 Conjured Stories.

“Although I enjoy helping others who have a right to be heard, it feels good to be back in my own writing,” says Moore, a poet, journalist and author who is of Eastern Cherokee, Dutch and Irish ancestry.

Moore will read and sign copies of 11 Conjured Stories at Asheville Raven & Crone on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 6:30 p.m. She describes her latest collection as a mix of fact, fiction and “faction,” offering readers new ways to consider one’s inner self.

“My editor of this collection, Tom Kerr, told me, ‘I think that over the years you’ve discovered a more revealing voice and the courage needed to share it,’” she says. “I totally agree, as I am at the age now where I no longer feel obligated to explain, argue about or apologize for what I am and what I am not.”

Among the collection’s stories, Moore hopes “This Earth Is Tilting — An Enlightened Nana Speaks” will touch the lives of many, especially young women, mothers and grandmothers.

Meanwhile, in “Stories from Spirits,” Moore takes the opportunity to explain her writing process to readers.

“These stories offer an opportunity to journey into a deep reality that sometimes people miss due to structured reasoning, political mindsets, organized religion, culture, lack of knowledge and misunderstanding the importance of all people,” she explains.

“Basically, we are all interconnected through our spirits, and the spirit of everything in this universe.”

Asheville Raven & Crone is at 640 Merrimon Ave., Suite 207. For more information, go to avl.mx/c1v.

Golden celebration LEAF 50th Festival was supposed to take place in May 2020 but was canceled when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The following year, organizers put together an event with about half the usual number of people and dubbed it the 49.5th festival.

“You only get one chance in your life to have a 50th celebration,” says Jennifer Pickering, LEAF founder and executive director. “And so, we wanted to wait until we knew that the time was right and that the world was

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AUTHOR, AUTHOR: The collection 11 Conjured Stories is MariJo Moore’s 27th book. Photo courtesy of Moore right — a place of health and safety and kindness, so that we could all come together in a full celebration.”

LEAF 50th Festival finally will take place at Lake Eden on the grounds of the historic Black Mountain College, Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 20-23. The celebration’s theme is “Legends of Africa.”

The weekend will include performances from world music superstars Angélique Kidjo of Benin, Rocky Dawuni of Ghana, Chinobay of Uganda, the LEAF International Rwanda J. Troupe with Culture Keeper David Kwizera and more. The bill also will include American musical acts such as Chatham County Line, Jordan Scheffer, Funkin’ Around with Garfield, Melissa McKinney and longtime festival favorites Ménage and The Dead Poets, both of whom are reuniting for the celebration.

Also on tap will be an assortment of events including Poetry Slam with James Nave, Unifire Theater, the Street Creature Puppet Collective and Keith Shubert’s Toybox Theater.

Roots rockers Donna the Buffalo, who were at the first leaf festival in 1995, will perform on Sunday as will finale headliners Rising Appalachia, led by Leah Song and Chloe Smith.

The sisters first attended LEAF as children with their parents more than 20 years ago, Pickering says.

“This has been a really tricky time to both stay alive and then to start to rebuild,” Pickering says. “We were in place of almost losing it and of not knowing if we could go forward because of the pandemic. And so, this 50th celebration is really that moment

of us stepping into the future and rebuilding and creating.”

The festival takes place at 377 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain. To see the full lineup or buy tickets, go to avl.mx/c1x.

Stop the Pain When country musician and Enka native Jody Medford lost his mother to suicide several years ago, he knew he wanted to do something to help people in pain.

“On top of it being a huge shock and heartache to the family, you also have to scramble to try to cover funeral costs,” he says. “Not long after my mom passed, I saw on TV where a woman lost her daughter to suicide, and she said her daughter had been bullied and couldn’t take it anymore.”

So, Medford launched Stop the Pain, a free concert to raise awareness of suicide and bullying. The fourth annual concert will take place Sunday, Oct. 16, at 2 p.m., at Asheville Outlets.

The show is free, but organizers will collect donations that go to local families that have lost loved ones to suicide.

Headlining the concert will be Richie McDonald, former lead singer of country band Lonestar. Also on the bill will be Medford’s band, local country artist Kayla McKinney and bluegrass band Sons of Ralph.

Between sets, guest speakers will share stories of losing loved ones.

“The last concert we had, I had three people contact me on Facebook to say they felt like the concert saved their

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

MOVIE REVIEWS Local reviewers’ critiques of new films include: AMSTERDAM: There are nearly enough famous faces (Christian Bale! Margot Robbie!) and moving pieces (fascism! assassins!) in this 1930s comedy/ mystery to distract viewers from by far the worst script in writer/ director David O. Russell’s illustrious career. Grade: C-plus — Edwin Arnaudin HELLRAISER: Director David Bruckner’s bloated reimagining of the Clive Barker classic takes its time delivering scares. But the moments of intense body horror are generally worth the wait.

Grade: B-minus — Edwin Arnaudin

Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com patreon.com/ashevillemovies

life,” Medford says. “They were contemplating suicide, but after hearing the pain it caused families, they said they were going to try to think more positive. I was so happy to hear this news because my goal is if we save one life it’s worth all the effort to do these concerts.”

Asheville Outlets is at 800 Brevard Road. For more information, go to avl.mx/c1w.

75 years and counting The 75th annual fall edition of the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands takes place Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 13-16, at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (with an earlier end time of 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16).

The fair will feature contemporary and traditional artisans working in clay, wood, metal, glass, fiber, natural materials, paper, leather, mixed media and jewelry. Members of the craft guild will fill the arena and concourse level of the downtown Asheville venue.

Participating artists underwent a two-step jury process as a part of the guild’s effort to uphold its estab-

lished standards. The fair will also feature craft demonstrations with interactive activities for visitors and mountain musicians performing live on the arena stage.

Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville is at 87 Haywood St. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit avl.mx/77o.

Ghost of a chance Hendersonville Theater will present The Haunting of Hill House Friday, Oct. 14-Sunday, Oct. 23. The show will run at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays.

Based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel, the play tells the story of a small group of “psychically receptive” people who are brought together in a desolate and deserted mid-Victorian mansion known as a place of evil.

Jonathan Forrester will direct a cast made up of Madison Brightwell, Kai Elijah Hamilton, Joshua Kerber, Allison Starling, Terry Terranova, Sharon Taylor and Blaine Weiss.

For more information or to buy tickets, go to avl.mx/c1z.

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236 Clingman Ave Asheville NC

Made possible in part by the League of Women Voters Education Fund.

Cherokee remembrance The Center for Craft will celebrate the opening WMG The Basket, a collaborative public art installation centering on indigenous voices in downtown Asheville on Saturday, Oct. 15, 1-4 p.m.

The installation, which is on a historic Cherokee trading route, addresses the lack of recognition of Cherokee culture and heritage in downtown Asheville. The artwork will allow visitors to learn about the Cherokee land, language, traditions and culture that are still thriving today.

The day will include interactive family-friendly activities inside and outside the Center for Craft and live craft demonstrations by cultural specialists from the Museum of the Cherokee Indian as well as music, a Cherokee fry bread pop-up and more.

The Center for Craft is at 67 Broadway. For more information, visit avl.mx/c20.

— Justin McGuire X

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CLUBLAND For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Ashevillians: A local comedy showcase, 7pm BOLD ROCK MILLS RIVER Trivia Night, 6pm CAMDEN'S COFFEE HOUSE Open Mic hosted by Kathryn O'Shea, 7pm FINCH GOURMET MARKET Altamont Jazz Project, 5pm FLEETWOOD'S Josh Carpenter, Monsoon, Janet Simpson, Diana Superstar (indie/ experimental), 8pm HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well-Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith, 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Kuntala Ray w/Jay and Aditi (world), 7pm • Sunny Sweeney (American, honky tonk, country folk), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Mountain Music Jam, 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8pm SALVAGE STATION Monophonics w/GA-20 & Kendra Morris (R&B, soul), 9:30pm SILVERADOS Wednesday Night Open Jam hosted by Hamza Vandehey, 6pm

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 6pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Host Caleb Beissert, 8pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL Andrew Finn Magill (acoustic), 7pm THE GREY EAGLE Half Gringa (indie), 5pm THE ODD Nunslaughter, The Black Moriah, Oblivion Throne (death metal), 7pm THE ORANGE PEEL Two Feet (alt/indie), 8pm THE POE HOUSE Team Trivia w/Wes Ganey, 7pm THE SOCIAL Wednesday Night Karaoke w/LYRIC, 9pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Wednesday Open Mic, 5:30pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Traditional Irish Music Session, 7pm

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13 185 KING STREET Larry Stephenson Band w/Gypsy & Me (bluegrass), 7pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR MGB (covers, singer-songwriter), 7:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL The Widdler + Sicaria Sound, & Makak (edm), 9pm ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. Slice of Life Standup & Comedy Open Mic hosted by Hiilliary Begley, 6:30pm

BROTHER ACT: Waynesville-based Americana rock band The Brothers Gillespie will perform outdoors in Highland Brewing Co.’s meadow Friday, Oct. 14, 7-9 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Highland Brewing Co. BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (Gypsy jazz), 5:30pm

FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

CAFE CANNA SpanGLISH Karaoke Patio Party, 9pm

GIGI'S UNDERGROUND Mr Jimmy (blues), 10pm

CASCADE LOUNGE Trivia Night w/Nick, 7pm

GREEN MAN BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

DOUBLE CROWN The Krektones (surf rock, exotica), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Norman Westberg (SWANS), Chandra Shukla (Psychic TV), Watches (industrial), 8pm

HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Chris Jamison Duo (singer-songwriter), 6pm HOMEPLACE BEER CO. Big Dawg Slingshots (Western swing), 6:30pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Courtney Patton (Americana, country folk), 7pm • Italian Night w/Mike Guggino & Barrett Smith (world), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich & Friends, 7pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Jon Cox & Bridgett Gossett (Americana), 6pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Phirsty Phursdays w/ Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Pocket Strange (rock), 7pm PISGAH BREWING CO. David Zoll Quartet (blues, soul, rock), 6:30pm SALVAGE STATION Kitchen Dwellers & Daniel Donato (country), 8pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL The Foundry Collective ft Pimps of Pompe (jazz, acoustic), 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Rum Punchlines Comedy Open Mic, 6pm THE GREY EAGLE The Lil Smokies (modern American roots), 8pm

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THE ODD Desolation w/DJ Exo (industrial, EBM, darkwave), 9pm THE ORANGE PEEL Calexico w/Ada Lea (alt/indie), 8pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Thursday Night Karaoke, 8:30pm

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14 185 KING STREET Supatight (rock, funk), 8pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Mr Jimmy's Big City Chicago Blues, 7:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Evanoff + 5AM, Rohan Solo, & Mycolyco (edm), 9pm BOLD ROCK ASHEVILLE Onyx & Honey (indie, rock, songwriter), 7pm CASCADE LOUNGE Friday Night Bonfire Karaoke, 6:30pm CEDAR MOUNTAIN CANTEEN Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 2pm CORK & KEG The Uptown Hillbillies (honky tonk), 8pm DIRTY JACK'S Jeb Rogers Band (funk, soul, bluegrass), 7:30pm

FLEETWOOD'S Vakili Band, The Deathbots & Call the Next Witness (indie/ punk), 8pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Brothers Gillespie (roots rock), 7pm HOMEPLACE BEER CO. Brother Bluebird (indie folk), 7pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Ashley Heath (country, blues), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB West End String Band, 9pm MEADOWLARK MOTEL Friday Night Karaoke, 7pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Friday w/ Gus & Phriends & Generous Electric Duo (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING 5j Barrow (folk rock), 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Alien Baby (funk), 9pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Ionize (reggae), 6pm ROADMASTER STAGE Songs From The Road Band (bluegrass), 8pm SALVAGE STATION Doom Flamingo w/Josh Phillips (soul, funk), 8pm SILVERADOS Here Come the Mummies w/Saxsquatch (rock), 7pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Sadurn, Sinai Vessel, & Claire Wall (melancholy indie), 8pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Getaway Comedy: Adam Mamawala, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE • Corey Parlamento & Claire Hoke (singer-songwriter), 5pm • Madison Cunningham w/Bendigo Fletcher (folk rock, indie), 8pm THE ODD Cloud City Caskets, CodaPen, Supercollider (alt/indie), 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Chelsea Cutler (pop), 8pm THE OUTPOST 12Eleven (soulful R&B, pop), 6pm WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Hot Brass (Chicago/ Earth Wind & Fire experience), 7pm

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 185 KING STREET Freeway Jubilee (Southern rock, mountain music, funk), 8pm

305 LOUNGE & EATERY Old Men of the Woods (folk, pop), 3pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlor Comedy: Scott Eason, 7pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Mr Jimmy (blues), 8pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Miami Gold (rock), 7:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL GLOW: Halloween Edition (edm), 9pm BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (Gypsy jazz), 5:30pm BENT CREEK BISTRO Old Men of the Woods (folk, pop), 12pm BOLD ROCK ASHEVILLE Iggy Radio (rock, metal, blues), 7pm BOLD ROCK MILLS RIVER Skies of Avalon (progressive rock, classic rock), 6pm BURIAL BEER CO. FORESTRY CAMP TAPROOM Burnpile 2022, 1pm CORK & KEG The Gypsy Swingers (up tempo jazz, Latin, bossa nova), 8pm DIFFERENT WRLD Urban Combat Wrestling: Return of the Smack, 10pm FLEETWOOD'S Rocky MTN Roller, Istari & Radio Ruse (heavy boogie rock, stoner metal), 8pm HARRAH'S CHEROKEE CENTER - ASHEVILLE Ryan Adams (rock, indie), 8pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Chalwa (reggae), 6pm HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN TAPROOM ImiJ of Soul (Jimi Hendrix tribute), 7pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Keturah Allgood with Cody Siniard Duo (Americana, country), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB • Nobody’s Darling String Band, 4pm • West King String Band (newgrass, folk), 9pm MEADOWLARK MOTEL Smoky Blue Rain (folk, blues, jazz, traditional country), 6pm MILLS RIVER BREWING • Gin Mill Pickers (Americana, Piedmont blues, ragtime), 2pm • Pleasantly Wild (indie/ alt, reggae), 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Threesound (rock), 10pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • The Knotty G's Full Band (soulful roots rock), 4pm • The Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 9pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Rudy's Rhythm Review, 6pm SALVAGE STATION Keller Williams ft Dave Watts & Tye North w/ Dogs in a Pile (roots, jazz, rock), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE • Doug Stanhope (comedy), 7pm • Illiterate Light w/ Dogwood Tales (indie rock), 10pm THE HAWK & HAWTHORNE Raury w/Kyle Bent (hip-hop), 3pm THE ORANGE PEEL Stereolab w/Fievel Is Glauque (alt/indie), 9pm UPCOUNTRY BREWING CO. Dirty Dawg (acoustic, Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia), 3pm URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH SLOPE Coustin TL (throwback hip-hop dance party), 7pm WAGBAR Tommy Yon (vintage country, folk, rock), 5pm

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16 185 KING STREET Sunday Open Eelctric Jam ft. the King Street House Band w/John Trufant, 5pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Mark's House Jam and Beggar's Banquet, 3pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Arkansauce (newgrass), 9pm BENT CREEK BISTRO Old Men of the Woods (folk, pop), 12pm BOTANIST & BARREL TASTING BAR + BOTTLE SHOP Fancy Marie (alt country, honky tonk), 2pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Don't Tell Comedy: South Slope, 7pm FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF ASHEVILLE The Larry Stephenson Band (bluegrass), 4pm FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Tré Burt w/Joules Satyr (folk), 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Hope Griffin (acoustic, folk, blues), 2pm HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Mr Jimmy Duo (blues), 1pm HOMEPLACE BEER CO. Buffalo Kings (blues country, soul, rock), 5pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Wes Collins and Andrew Delaney (indie folk), 6pm • Brother and The Hayes with Dawn Landes (Americana), 7:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB • Bluegrass Brunch, 12pm • Traditional Irish Jam, 4pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Knotty G's (soul-soaked Americana), 2pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • Sunday Jazz Jam Brunch, 1pm • Phuncle Sam Libra Party (Grateful Dead, rock, jam), 6pm • Hustle Souls (soul), 9pm PISGAH BREWING CO. Sunday Jam hosted

by Spiro and Friends, 6:30pm SILVERADOS Karaoke Sunday Nights w/Lyric, 9pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Cash Langdon, Walkhome, & Sinai Vessel (folk, alt/indie), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE of Montreal (alt/indie), 8pm THE OUTPOST Alex Krug Combo (folk), 6pm ZILLICOAH BEER CO. Sunday Bluegrass Jam Series, 4:30pm

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Old Men of the Woods (folk, pop), 5pm 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Freshen Up Comedy Open Mic, 7pm CASCADE LOUNGE Industry Night, 6pm DSSOLVR Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm GREEN MAN BREWERY Old Time Jam, 5:30pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Taylor Martin's Open Mic, 6:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo! Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm SILVERADOS Bluegrass Jam Mondays w/Sam Wharton, 7pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Daikaiju & Abacus rock), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE • Sylmar (alt/indie), 5pm • Sudan Archives (R&B, hip-hop, violin), 8pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy at and Friends (blues), 7pm THE ORANGE PEEL Max & Iggor Cavalera (death metal), 8pm

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18

Keeping Asheville Weird Since 2010

WINE DOWN ON MAIN Hawk Mountain (rock to country), 6pm

PLĒB URBAN WINERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 4pm

185 KING STREET The Foreign Landers w/ Anya Hinkle, 6:30pm

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C L UB L AND 5 WALNUT WINE BAR The John Henrys (jazz, swing), 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE W.I.T.C.H. w/Paint (rock), 8pm

HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL • Mapache (West Coast pop, Americana), 6:30pm • Tuesday Night Funk Jam, 10pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Paula Cole (pop), 8pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well-Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith, 6pm

CASCADE LOUNGE Tuesday Bluegrass Jam, 6pm FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm HEMINGWAY'S CUBA Para Gozar (Cuban), 6pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Early Tuesday Jam (funk), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (JGB, Dead tribute, rock, jam), 6pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Open Jam hosted by Chris Cooper & Friends, 7pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Sasha & the Valentines, Gummy, and Day & Dream (dreampop), 8pm

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THE SOCIAL Travers Freeway Open Jam Tuesdays, 7pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Tuesday Night Trivia, 7pm WAGBAR Tuesday Night Trivia With Your Dog, 6pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Open Mic Night, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Queer Comedy Party: Bailey Pope, 7pm BOLD ROCK MILLS RIVER Trivia Night, 6pm

HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Vinyl Night w/DJ Nato, 6:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Mountain Music Jam, 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8pm SALVAGE STATION Matisyahu (alt, indie), 8pm SILVERADOS Wednesday Night Open Jam hosted by Hamza Vandehey, 6pm

CAMDEN'S COFFEE HOUSE Open Mic hosted by Kathryn O'Shea, 7pm

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 6pm

FINCH GOURMET MARKET Altamont Jazz Project, 5pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Host Caleb Beissert, 8pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL Andrew Finn Magill (acoustic), 7pm THE GREY EAGLE Brent Cobb & Hayes Carll (singer-songwriter), 8pm THE ODD Austin Lucas, Laura Blackley, Connie Page Henshaw (indie folk punk, singer songwriter, country), 7am THE ORANGE PEEL Styles P w/Spaceman Jones and The Motherships (rap), 8pm THE POE HOUSE Team Trivia w/Wes Ganey, 7pm THE SOCIAL Wednesday Night Karaoke w/LYRIC, 9pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Wednesday Open Mic, 5:30pm

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Blue Ridge Jazzway, 7:30pm

CAFE CANNA SpanGLISH Karaoke Patio Party, 9pm CASCADE LOUNGE Trivia Night w/Nick, 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Dreamboat, Bad Sleepers, TVOD, Gesserit, Slow Stab (punk), 8pm FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm GIGI'S UNDERGROUND Mr Jimmy "After Hours" (blues), 10pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Phirsty Phursdays w/ Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 9pm PISGAH BREWING CO. Brushfire Stankgrass (modern mountain music), 6:30pm SALVAGE STATION BoomBox w/ Equanimous (dance, electronic), 8pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL The Foundry Collective ft Pimps of Pompe (jazz, acoustic), 7pm

GREEN MAN BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Rum Punchlines Comedy Open Mic, 6pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Grace Pettis (Americana country), 7pm • Paula Hanke & Peggy Ratusz: 70’s Rock, Pop & Disco Queens, 8:30pm

THE ODD All Hell, Lost Hours, Dead Register (funeral doom, doomgaze), 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich & Friends, 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Kevin Morby w/ Cassandra Jenkins (alt/indie), 8pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Thursday Night Karaoke, 8:30pm

MOUNTAINX.COM

OCT. 12-18, 2022

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Magic Realism Bot” is a Twitter account that generates ideas for new fairy tales. Since you will benefit from imagining your life as a fairy tale in the coming weeks, I’ll offer you a few possibilities. 1. You marry a rainbow.

The two of you have children: a daughter who can sing like a river and a son who is as gleeful as the wind. 2. You make friends with a raven that gives you savvy financial advice. 3. You invent a new kind of dancing; it involves crying and laughing while making holy prayer gestures toward your favorite star. 4. An angel and a lake monster join forces to help you dream up fun new adventures. 5. You discover a field of enchanted dandelions. They have the power to generate algorithms that reveal secrets about where to find wonders and marvels.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): On February 1, 1976, singer Elvis Presley was partying with buddies at his home in Memphis, Tennessee. As the revelry grew, he got an impetuous longing for an 8,000-calorie sandwich made with French bread, peanut butter, blueberry preserves, and slabs of bacon. Since this delicacy was only available at a certain restaurant in Denver, Colorado, Elvis and his entourage spontaneously hopped onto his private jet and flew 900 miles to get there. In accordance with astrological omens, Taurus, I encourage you to summon an equally keen determination to obtain pleasurable treasures. Hopefully, though, they will be more important than a sandwich. The odds of you procuring necessary luxuries that heal and inspire are much higher than usual.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini writer Nikki Giovanni reminds us, “It cannot be a mistake to have cared. It cannot be an error to have tried. It cannot be incorrect to have loved.”

In accordance with astrological omens, I ask you to embody Giovanni’s attitude. Shed any worries that your caring and trying and loving have been blunders. Celebrate them, be proud of them, and promise yourself that you will keep caring and trying and loving. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to renew your commitment to your highest goodness.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I was born near Amarillo, Texas, where the U.S. Energy Department stores over 20,000 plutonium cores from old nuclear warheads. Perhaps that explains some of my brain’s mutant qualities. I’m not normal. I’m odd and iconoclastic. On the other hand, I don’t think my peculiarity makes me better than anyone.

It’s just who I am. I love millions of people who aren’t as quirky as me, and I enjoy communicating with unweird people as much as I do with weirdos.

Everything I just said is a preamble for my main message, Cancerian: The coming weeks will be prime time for you to give extra honor and credit to your personal eccentricities, even if they comprise a minor part of your personality.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Author Jennifer Huang testifies, “Poetry is what helps me remember that even in my fragments, I am whole.” What about you, Leo? What reminds you, even in your fragments, that you are whole? Now is an excellent time to identify the people, animals, and influences that help you generate a sense of unity and completeness. Once you’re clear about that, spend quality time doing what you can to nurture those healers. Maybe you can even help them feel more cohesion and harmony in themselves.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo journalist Sydney J. Harris described “the three hardest tasks in the world.” He said they weren’t “physical feats nor intellectual achievements, but moral acts.” Here they are: 1. to return love for hate; 2. to include the excluded; 3. to say “I was wrong.” I believe you will have a special talent for all three of these brave actions in the coming weeks, Virgo. Amazingly, you’re also more likely than usual to be on the receiving end of those brave actions. Congratulations in advance!

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OCT. 12-18, 2022

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When he was young, Libran poet W. S. Merwin had a teacher who advised him, “Don’t lose your arrogance yet. You can do that when you’re older. Lose it too soon, and you may merely replace it with vanity.” I think that counsel is wise for you to meditate on right now. Here’s how I interpret it: Give honor and respect to your fine abilities. Salute and nurture your ripe talents. Talk to yourself realistically about the success you have accomplished. If you build up your appreciation for what is legitimately great about you, you won’t be tempted to resort to false pride or self-absorbed egotism.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In his absurdist play Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett offers us two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who patiently wait for a white-bearded man named Godot. They’re convinced he will provide them with profound help, perhaps even salvation. Alas, although they wait and wait and wait, Godot never arrives. Near the end, when they have abandoned hope, Vladimir says to Estragon, “We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment.” My sense is that you Scorpios, like Vladimir and Estragon, may be close to giving up your own vigils. Please don’t! I believe your personal equivalent to Godot will ultimately appear. Summon more patience.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Poet Charles Wright has testified, “I admire and revere and am awed by a good many writers. But Emily Dickinson is the only writer I’ve ever read who knows my name, whose work has influenced me at my heart’s core, whose music is the music of songs I’ve listened to and remembered in my very body.”

In my astrological reckoning, now is an excellent time for you Sagittarians to identify artists and creators who provide you with similar exaltation.

And if there are no Emily Dickinson-type influences in your life, find at least one! You need to be touched and transformed by sublime inspiration.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’ve read and studied poetry for many years, but only recently discovered Capricorn poet Lizette Woodworth Reese (1856–1935). How is it possible I missed her? Her contemporary, journalist H. L. Mencken, described her work as “one of the imperishable glories of American literature.” She received many other accolades while alive. But today, she is virtually unknown, and many of her books are out of print. In bringing her to your attention, I am announcing my prediction about you: Anything in your life that resembles Reese’s reputation will change in the next 12 months. If you have until now not gotten the recognition or gratitude you deserve, at least some of it will arrive.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Author Sophia Dembling defines a friend as a person who consoles you when you’re feeling desperate and with whom you don’t feel alone. A friend is someone whose life is interesting to you and who is interested in your life. Maybe most importantly, a friend must not be boring. What’s your definition, Aquarius? Now is an excellent time to get clear about the qualities you want in a friend. It’s also a favorable phase to seek out vital new friendships as you de-emphasize mediocre and overly demanding alliances.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Do you or do you not wish to capitalize on the boost that’s available?

Are you or are you not going to claim and use the challenging gift that would complicate your life but also expedite your growth? Act soon, Pisces! If you don’t, the potential dispensation may disappear. This is an excellent chance to prove you’re not afraid of achieving more success and wielding more power. I hope you will summon the extra courage necessary to triumph over shyness and timidity. Please claim your rightful upgrade!

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BY ROB BREZSNY

REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 advertise@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to advertise@mountainx.com RENTALS APARTMENTS FOR RENT 2BD/2BA: VISTA VIEWS! Deluxe chalet, wrap around deck, tastefully furnished private west Burnsville. Easy access to 26; 20 min to Weaverville/45 min to Asheville.

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EMPLOYMENT GENERAL

PROGRAM ASSOCIATE--ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL) Literacy Together is hiring a Program Associate for our ESOL program. The program recruits and trains volunteer tutors to work with immigrants seeking to learn English to improve employment opportunities, navigate the health care system, participate in school conferences with their children and/or prepare for the citizenship exam. The ESOL Associate will work alongside the ESOL Director in all aspects of the program. The ideal candidate will be proficient in Spanish and have experience teaching English as a Second Language. This is a 30 hour/

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ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE ADMISSIONS MANAGER Adventure Treks is seeking an admissions manager to join our team in WNC. The ideal candidate is a self-starter and detail-oriented, and will be responsible for our admissions process. info@adventuretreks.com adventuretreks.com.

JOIN THE BLUE RIDGE PUBLIC RADIO TEAM DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE Blue Ridge Public Radio is hiring a Development Associate! The Development Associate joins a strong team of professionals that applies a balanced approach to annual and philanthropic giving to advance the goals of the organization. This role is recognized as foundational and essential for the team and BPR as a whole. The organization offers competitive salary and benefits. Please visit www. bpr.org/careers for the full description of the position and to submit your application. careers@bpr.org www.bpr. org/careers

RESTAURANT/ FOOD HIRING! HOSTS, SERVERS, BUSSER Hiring full or part time for day shift. Hosts, servers and busser. Weekends a must. Possible hours between 6 am and 3 pm, 6 days/week.

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For information, contact Susan at 828-712-5472 or email TJ at tjstierslcsw@gmail.com.

ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS If you have water damage and need cleanup, call us!

We'll work with your insurance to get your home repaired and your life back to normal ASAP! Call 833-664-1530 (AAN CAN) BATH & SHOWER UPDATES In as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available.

Call: 1-866-370-2939 (AAN CAN) BATHWRAPS IS LOOKING FOR HOMEOWNERS We update bathtubs with new liners for safe bathing and showering. Specialize in grab bars, non-slip surfaces and shower seats. All updates are completed in one day. Call 866-531-2432. (AAN CAN)

THE N EW Y OR K TI M ES C ROSSWORD P UZ Z LE COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM Train online to become a computer & help desk professional. Grants and scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI 888-2811442. Computer with internet is required. (AAN CAN) CREDIT CARD DEBT RELIEF! Reduce payment by up to 50%! Get one LOW affordable payment/month.

Reduce interest. Stop calls. FREE no-obligation consultation Call 1-855-761-1456 (AAN CAN) DIRECTV SATELLITE TV Service Starting at $74.99/ month! Free Installation!

160+ channels available. Call Now to Get the Most Sports & Entertainment on TV! 877310-2472 (AAN CAN) DO YOU OWE OVER $10K TO THE IRS OR STATE IN BACK TAXES? Our firm works to reduce the tax bill or zero it out completely FAST. Let us help! Call 877414-2089. (Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm PST) (AAN CAN) DON'T PAY FOR COVERED HOME REPAIRS AGAIN American Residential Warranty covers all major systems and appliances. 30 day risk free / $100 off popular plans. Call 855-731-4403 (AAN CAN) DONATE YOUR CAR FOR KIDS Fast free pickup. Running or not. 24 hour response.

Maximum tax donation. Help find missing kids. Call 855504-1540. (AAN CAN)

LONG DISTANCE MOVING Call for a free quote from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers. Let us take the stress out of moving!

Call to speak to our Quality Relocation Specialists: Call 855-787-4471. (AAN CAN) NEVER CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS AGAIN! Affordable, professionally installed gutter guards protect your gutters and home from debris and leaves forever! For a FREE Quote call: 844-499-0277 PAYING TOP CA$H FOR MEN'S SPORT WATCHES! Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. Call 888320-1052.

SPECTRUM INTERNET AS LOW AS $29.99! Call to see if you qualify for ACP and free internet. No Credit Check.

Call Now! 833-955-0905 TOP CA$H PAID FOR OLD GUITARS! 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D'Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos.

877-589-0747 (AAN CAN) TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 866-243-5931.

(M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required.

WATER DAMAGE TO YOUR HOME? Call for a quote for professional cleanup & maintain the value of your home! Set an appt. today! Call 833-664-1530 (AAN CAN)

a date night or bring a friend!

Create your own wreath with a local and experienced florist of 30 years! https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/fallworkshop-with-the-ashevilleflorist-tickets-424653930337

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS BAKING CLASSES! Baking classes now available at Dogwood Cottage Baking located in Woodfin, NC. 10 classes to choose from to dive deep into the science of baking. Sign up online today! 828-484-7254 dogwoodcottagebaking. com.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY BEEKEEPERS CLUB BEGINNERS BEEKEEPING SCHOOL Buncombe County Beekeepers Bee School to be held Nov. 1st & 3rd evenings; Saturday Nov. 5th all day.

Find information and sign up at wncbees.org. Get all the information to start your journey.

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT COUNSELING SERVICES ASTRO-COUNSELING Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions.

Stellar Counseling Services.

Christy Gunther, MA, LCMHC. (828) 258-3229.

MEDICAL SUPPORT CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPY John Till CMS-CHt - fears, stress, trauma, stop smoking, behavior modifications, past life regressions, QHHT and more. Free consultations. 760-285-6535 / johntillhypnotherapy.com.

AUTOMOTIVE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES FALL WORKSHOP WITH THE ASHEVILLE FLORIST Come Join The Asheville Florist for a Fall Workshop! Have

CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash!

NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-535-9689. (AAN CAN)

JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF

Unforum

A Nonpartisan Listening Session and Conversation among Buncombe County Board of Education Candidates and Voters

Greg Parks

Sara Disher Ratliff

Kim Plemmons

Rob Elliot

led by Aisha Adams

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14TH | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM 8 RIVER ARTS PLACE, ASHEVILLE

edited by Will Shortz | No. 0907

ACROSS 1 Before, poetically 4 User-edited websites 9 Where many hands may be at work 13 N.Y.C. ave. between Park and Third 14 Cellular blueprint 15 “And Then There Were ___” 16 Newbie crossword solver’s thought on a Monday 18 “Veep” actress Chlumsky 19 Lacking temerity 20 J.F.K. alternative 21 Start of a courtroom oath 22 “30 for 30” airer 23 Newbie crossword solver’s thought on a Tuesday 27 Where the action happens 28 Place people walk into for jokes?

29 Lunar holiday 30 Holder of tent sales 31 Winter sights at New York’s Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park 33 Mantra, often 35 Newbie crossword solver’s thought on a Wednesday 40 “Likewise” 41 Said “hello” from a distance 42 Off-road transport, for short 43 IGN’s #1 Video Game Console of All Time 46 Top of a can 47 June honoree 50 Newbie crossword solver’s thought on a Thursday 53 Scourge 54 Green prefix 55 Na+, for one 56 Potables in kiddush and the Eucharist 57 Mellow cheese

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DOWN 1 Division I players, say 2 Alter 3 Not included 4 Like newly painted canvases 5 Bank statement abbr.

6 Department store chain that began as a corner grocery 7 “Potentially” 8 Kind of oil in cooking 9 “What did the ___ say when it was riding on the back of a turtle?

Wheeeee!”

10 Lempira spender 11 Like a newborn babe 12 Samosa veggie

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58 Newbie crossword solver’s thought on a Friday 61 Actress Palmer of “Nope” 62 Fracases 63 “My dear fellow” 64 Some flock members 65 Actress Amy of “Enchanted” 66 Something you should hold onto, in an expression

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14 “___ knows” 17 Beefeater, for one 23 Diminish 24 Rubs the wrong way 25 Scratched the surface?

26 Baby foxes 28 Item of wear named after an island 31 Grand Canyon viewpoint 32 Scatter, as seed 34 Prepared for a surprise party, in a way 35 Part of Caesar’s boast 36 Longtime soda slogan 37 Chocolate confection that melts before you eat it

38 D.C. tourist spot 39 Like Thanos in the Marvel universe 44 Very secretive sort 45 Sent away, as a pest 47 Like Legos, originally 48 Cause of fatigue 49 Bedouin’s home 51 Encyclopedia volumes, e.g.

52 ___ Holmes, sleuth in youngadult fiction 53 Part of a bridle 56 Director Craven 57 Barely manage, with “out” 59 Real beauty 60 “___ Diaboliques,” 1955 Simone Signoret film

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

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MOUNTAINX.COM

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