New book with WNC connection:

Choose by Casey Long (Tate trade paper, January 2013, 266 pages, $20.99).

Author event: 1 p.m., Sat., Apr. 27 at Sam's Club, 645 Patton Ave., Asheville

Debut Christian thriller novel by a Candler resident:

A young woman, the victim of a brutal assault, searches for a missing child and steps into the realm of the supernatural. Will she be able to escape her captor, or will she die for her beliefs?

Master storyteller Gary Carden of The Liars Bench presents “Madison,” a monologue honoring the life of Western Carolina University founder Dr. Robert Lee Madison, on Fri., April 26 at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Franklin.



Carden, assisted by Pam Meister, curator of the Mountain Heritage Center at WCU, tells the life story of Dr. Madison, a man who promoted the idea of a school that would…

Members from NC’s Government & Heritage Library and the State Archives of North Carolina will discuss the top 10 questions regarding Civil War ancestors asked by researchers, including information on Confederate and Union records and U.S Colored Troops, on April 13 at 10 a.m. in the auditorium at the State Archives Building, 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh.

The Genealogy Research Room will be open from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. that day for any…

Asheville BookWorks, a community resource for print and book arts, presents their listing of May-July workshops:

Bookbinding Basics with Bridget Elmer

Sat.-Sun., May 4-5, 10-5 p.m.; $217 + material fee

This two-day weekend class covers the basics of bookbinding, providing students with a strong foundation from which to depart. We will explore the essentials of paper grain, successful paper prep, folding…

UNC: Asheville’s Creative Writing Program and Literary Club present “An Evening with N.C. Poet Laureate Joseph Bathanti” on Mon., March 25, 7 p.m. in Karpen Hall’s Laurel Forum.

Joseph Bathanti will read from his collection of award-winning poetry, including his recent book, “This Metal,” which was nominated for the National Book Award. This event is free to the public. See the press release for…

Asheville group The Writers’ Workshop is holding its Annual Writers’ Retreat in Folly Beach, SC (near Charleston) May 16-19. Beginning and experienced writers of fiction, plays, non-fiction, or memoirs are welcome to relax, write, and review each other’s work.

The all-inclusive rate, except for meals, is $495 for a private room or $450 for a shared room for non-Writers’ Workshop members, or $395/$345 for members. The commuter rate is $55 per…

Throughout March, UNC:A’s Center of Diversity Education will present “Parallel Journeys: WWII and the Holocaust,” an exhibit highlighting many teens and young adults who were involved with the Holocaust.

Some of the well-known teens and young adults featured in the exhibit include Nobel Peace Prize-winning author Elie Wiesel, members of the White Rose resistance group, and Hitler’s secretary, Traudl Junge. However, the exhibit also includes the stories of other teens and young adults,…

New book with WNC connection:

Colony Collapse Disorder by Keith Flynn (Wings Press trade paper, February 2013, 120 pages, $16.00).

Author events: 6:30 p.m., Fri., Apr. 5, 2013 at City Lights Bookstore;

7 p.m., Sat., Apr. 6, 2013 at Malaprop’s Bookstore & Café;

Sat., Apr. 20, 2013 at Blue Ridge Books, time TBA.

Poetry…

New book with WNC connection:

Beautiful: Translations from the Spanish Poetry of Federico García Lorca & Pablo Neruda by Caleb Beissert (New Native trade paper, February 2013, 82 pages, $12.95).

Author events: 3 p.m., Sat., Feb. 16, 2013, at Montford Books & More;

10:30 a.m., Thurs., Feb. 21, 2013 at City Lights Bookstore.

New translations of Spanish…

Author and journalist Alex Kotlowitz holds two talks on poverty and race in America and a showing of his new documentary film, “The Interrupters,” at UNC: Asheville on February 21.

12:15 p.m. in Highsmith University Union: “The Things They Carry: Growing Up Poor in the World’s Richest Nation”

4 p.m. in Highsmith University Union Alumni Hall: “Bearing Witness: Storytelling and Human Rights”

7 p.m. in Highsmith University Union Alumni Hall: Film screening of “The…

Asheville BookWorks, a community resource for print and book arts, presents several new workshops for early 2013:

Introduction to Platinum-Palladium Printing with Clay Harmon

Fri.-Sat., Feb. 22-24, 6-9 p.m. on Fri. and 9-5 p.m. on Sat.-Sun.; $327

The beauty of the platinum-palladium print is in the subtle gradation of tones from dark to light. Platinum-palladium prints are prized for their ethereally subtle…

New book with WNC connection:

Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island Liars’ Club by Christopher B. Teuton with Hastings Shade, Sammy Still, Sequoyah Guess, and Woody Hansen (UNC Press hardcover, October 2012, 272 pages, $30.00).

Author event: 7 p.m., Wed., Feb. 13, 2013 in Belk Library, Appalachian State University.

Collection of traditional and contemporary Western Cherokee stories with information on Cherokee storytelling…

“American Dervish,” a coming-of-age story about a Muslim-American boy by Ayad Akhtar, has been selected as Appalachian State University’s summer reading novel for 2013.

This highly-praised novel has been selected partly because it can apply to many facets of study – Dr. Clark Maddux mentions that “global studies, women’s studies, English classes, history classes, psychology classes, and sociology classes” will all find discussion points within “American Dervish.” It's also a story of…

New book with WNC connection:

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail Across North Carolina: Walking a Thousand Miles through Wilderness, Culture, and History by Danny Bernstein (History Press trade paper, February 2013, 176 pages, 16 page color photo insert, $19.99).

Author event: 7 p.m., Fri., Mar. 22, 2013 at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café.

Follows Bernstein’s 1,000-mile journey from Clingman’s Dome in the Smokies to Jockey’s Ridge State Park in…

Nebo resident Mary Lackman recently published a book on her mother’s family stories and memories titled “Crossings: My Journey and Treasures Found Along the Way.” The book is in honor of Lackman's mother, Odean Fondren, and the optimism and strength she has displayed throughout her life.

Read more about “Crossings” in an article written by Landdis Hollifield in…

The Swannanoa Valley Museum in Black Mountain presents a new hiking series for 2013: The Waterfalls of the Valley Hike Series.

The Waterfalls of the Valley Hike Series will lead hikers to five of the area’s most secluded and breathtaking waterfalls. They will begin on the first Saturday in February and continue on the first Saturdays in April, June, September, and November. The entire series can be experienced by museum members for $125, or separately as shown…

New book with Civil Rights/NC connection:

Leaving Tuscaloosa by Walter Bennett (Fuze trade paper, September 2012, 313 pages, $16.95).

Author event: 3 p.m., Sun., Jan. 27, 2013 at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café.

In 1962 Alabama, a young white man and a young black man struggle through 36 hours of racial turmoil, leading to their paths converging in “a terrible, riveting climax” (book description). “Leaving Tuscaloosa,” loosely based on…

On February 22 and 23, the Western North Carolina Historical Association will present performances of Sean O’Leary’s play, “Beneath Shelton Laurel.” The play, presented in the Reader Theatre style, is based on the 1863 Shelton Laurel Massacre in Madison County, where thirteen people suspected of Unionism were killed by Confederate soldiers.

“Beneath Shelton Laurel” will be performed on Fri., Feb. 22 at…

The third annual Gathering of Poets, hosted by Press 53 and Jacar Press, is looking for 20 more poets to participate in their “day of sharing, learning, and inspiration.”

The Gathering of Poets will be held at the Community Arts Café, 411 W. 4th St., Winston-Salem, on Saturday,…

New book with WNC connection:

Clive: Working for the Man in the Age of Vinyl by Don Silver (Holloway Press, January 2013).

Book launch: 7 p.m., Fri., Feb. 1, 2013 at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café.

Memoir of Silver’s rough time working as an A&R man for Clive Davis of Arista Records in the disco era of the early 1980s; written by an Asheville resident. See author website.