Jokes, laughter, happiness and good health
As part of my gifts for Father’s Day this year, my daughter bought me a book. She apologized before handing…
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Love you madly: A retrospective on rock rebels Cake
In the vast annals of American rock music, alternative rock act Cake remains a beacon of eccentricity — this sonic…
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‘The Anxious Generation’ — Part 2
Editor’s note: This first part of this review was published in the July 24 edition of The Smoky Mountain News…
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The ‘Anxious Generation’ – Part 1
A month ago I called my brother-in-law, known to all the family as Uncle Jim, to ask a favor. He readily…
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Carry this together: Zoe and Cloyd
With their latest album, “Songs of Our Grandfathers,” rising Asheville Americana/folk duo Zoe & Cloyd decided to take a different…
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A bird’s eye view of feathered friends
In a remarkable book that combines eco-poetry, poetic prose and personal and scientific information by award-winning African-American ornithologist and professor…
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Blurring the Lines: A conversation with Liam Purcell
Straddling the line between neo-traditional and progressive bluegrass, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road are a fiercely ambitious and purposely…
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Dealing with loss, grief, and the balm of love
On the first Saturday of June, my friend John and I were just leaving McKay Used Books in Manassas, Virginia,…
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Mural celebrates past, present and future of Pigeon Center
A visually stunning amalgamation of images — both historic and aspirational — now adorns Waynesville’s Pigeon Community Multicultural Development center, breathing new…
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Southern stories for summer reading
Perhaps like many people, summer is a time for me to finally read those books I’ve been wanting to get…
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Time to stop the bashing, says Nina Power
When I heard British writer and philosopher Nina Power interviewed recently, I ordered her book. I was interested in her…
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Reflections on lessons learned at Bonnaroo
Wednesday morning, June 12, I left my sister’s house in Sapphire for my very first music festival. I’d been to…
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Scarred but smarter: A conversation with Drivin N Cryin
In the annals of American rock music, few storied bands have withstood the test of time and endured with such…
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Sebastian Junger on death, visits and physics
Every once in a while, I find myself engrossed in a book that suddenly delivers my ignorance to me on…
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Coming together: Bryson City Brewing to join WNC craft beer scene
It’s a sunny afternoon in downtown Bryson City. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is pulling into town with numerous locals…
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Books, parrots, love and regrets
If Monica Wood’s “How to Read a Book” were a painting rather than a novel, it would be a triptych,…
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Country coffee: Blue Ridge Roastery opens in Sylva
Situated in the heart of downtown Sylva, Blue Ridge Bootleg Roastery is the newest home for coffee drinkers, country music…
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A remedy for the spring-time blues
There are always seasons in life when you feel the need to get away from your day-to-day, and I have…
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‘Darwin and the Art of Botany’
Local author Jim Costa will present his new book, “Darwin and the Art of Botany: Observations on the Curious World…
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Fall apart together: A conversation with Tommy Stinson
Leaning back into his chair, Tommy Stinson tilts his head and gazes towards the sunset falling behind the Blue Ridge…
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Two fine novels for spring reading
Two novels, one a classic Western set in 1885 Nevada, the other centered on Barcelona and the aftermath of the…
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Bright sunny south: A conversation with Barry Bales
Barry Bales has 15 Grammy Awards and 23 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) honors, including four IBMA “Bass Player of…
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Building a world beyond
Having just recently written a review for these pages of an anthology made up of multiple writers published in 2023…
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Saddle up: Cataloochee Ranch rides into next chapter
Meandering up Fie Top Road in Maggie Valley, just as your vehicle’s engine is pushed to the limit and it…
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Molon Labe: A review of ‘Gates of Fire’
A little over three years ago, a stranger in a coffee shop with whom I’d struck up a conversation excused himself…
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Sure feels good anyway: A conversation with Amy Ray
A true mark of an artist is how well they age. Not simply by the passing years on the calendar,…
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Good medicine and Mother’s Day — a book, a poem
All of us, to one extent or another, make our way through a world of unexamined phenomena. It’s a complex…
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Validation within the process: Sawdust + Me opens in Waynesville
At the corner of Depot and Haywood streets in downtown Waynesville sits an old building. Originally a gas station, it…
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Renowned woodturner joins Gallery 164
Gallery 164 in Waynesville welcomes esteemed woodturner Mike McKinney to its roster of talented artists. In celebration of this exciting…
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Two faces of war: America 1861, Spain 1812
Anyone interested in the history of our country will benefit by reading “The Dogs of War: 1861” (Oxford University Press,…
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Carry the music: One World Brewing welcomes Annie in the Water
Within the greater Upstate New York live music scene, there’s a vast landscape of ebbs and flows — peaks and valleys…
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The path toward a brighter future
Ervin Laszlo (Nobel Peace Prize nominee, science philosopher and founder of the Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research) and David…
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30 years strong: Celebrate Record Store Day with In Your Ear Emporium
This summer will be 30 years since Lauren Calvert opened the doors to In Your Ear Emporium, downtown Sylva’s record…
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Record renaissance: Gar Ragland of Citizen Vinyl
Since its opening in October 2020, Citizen Vinyl has become a melodic hub for artists, music lovers and the curious…
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The books I didn’t read
As often as not, I check out books from the library I never read. They sit on my dining room…
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Gold light: Mallett Brothers Band rolls into WNC
It was about 15 years ago when Will Mallett cruised into Portland, Maine, and ended up crashing on the couch…
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Staring up at the branches on ‘Berry Lane’
A month ago, on a day that was officially in winter but which felt like spring, I was walking in the…
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‘Trailblazing Women of Country’
The production “Trailblazing Women of Country: A Tribute to Patsy, Loretta, and Dolly” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday,…
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‘The Midnight Post and the Postbox Clock’
Author Sarah Dean will host a special reading and signing from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at Blue Ridge Books…
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An old-school mystery for leisurely reading
For me mystery novels are summer. They are captivating, enjoyable and the perfect thing to read on a vacation.
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Built to last: A conversation with Randall Bramblett
At 76, singer-songwriter/keyboardist Randall Bramblett has been a musical artist most of his life. In recent years, a new outlook…
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Helprin’s new novel shows off his skills
It was another ordinary day when I swung by the public library on my way to town. I picked out…
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Big heart: Following cancer battle, J Rex releases new album
For Jerad Davis, it all started with a dry, nagging cough in the summer of 2022. With shortness of breath,…
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‘Hologram’ is a warning about our age of deceit
“In the land of the blind,” goes the old saying, “the one-eyed man is king.” In Walker Larson’s dystopian fantasy,…
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Running wild again: Jesse Iaquinto of Fireside Collective
Celebrating a decade together with a special anniversary gig this week at the Salvage Station in Asheville, Fireside Collective has…
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Novel is a lyrical trip to the Scottish Highlands
“Caledonia” was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain that lies…
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Appalachian blues: A conversation with Scott Low
At 46, Scott Low has a lot to be thankful for. Beyond his enduring career as a beloved singer-songwriter in…
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A unique self-help guide: ‘The Artist’s Way’
It’s always beneficial to revisit a classic and Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” (J. P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1992, 272 pages) is…
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That mountain sound: 'An Appalachian Evening' celebrates 25 years
Celebrating a quarter-century this coming summer, the “An Appalachian Evening” live music series at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center…
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A history of U.S. wars is worth a read
“Stand your ground! Don’t fire unless fired upon! But if they want to have a war, let it begin here.” …
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