War, persecution and manhood: three books
Cold weather means more time indoors, and more time indoors means more time for books. Here are three for the…
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WCU presents ‘Fantasia on Mysterium’
A special stage production of “Fantasia on Mysterium: The Epic Immersive Theatrical Recital” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Jan.…
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Ready to try theater?
The Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville is currently offering a wide variety of classes in the theater arts for…
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A portrait of an Appalachia upbringing
For those of you who don’t know her, Julia Nunnally Duncan is an award-winning freelance writer and author of 11…
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When the dance gets hot: Sublime tribute act Badfish returns to WNC
Back in 2001, while students at the University of Rhode Island, bassist Joel Hanks and drummer Scott Begin had been…
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An artist's legacy: New database contributes to study of George Masa's photography
Angelyn Whitmeyer might be the last person you would expect to contribute to ongoing research surrounding a Japanese photographer who…
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Fun with weird data, poetry, and history
Suppose, like some of us, you find yourself needing a quick word fix. You’ve got the jones for something to…
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A year in review: the best albums of 2023
Editor’s Note: Since August 2012, Garret K. Woodward has held the position of arts and entertainment editor for The Smoky…
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Come what may: poetry for the new year
In a recent online search, I came across “Good Riddance, But Now What?” by that master of light verse, Ogden…
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Over the hills and far away: Warren Haynes' Christmas Jam returns to Asheville
It’s been some 43 years since John Bonham, iconic drummer for rock gods Led Zeppelin, tragically passed away at age…
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The true story of a teacher who defied Hitler
In 1933 Germany, headmistress Anna Essinger was ordered by the newly-elected Nazi party to fly a Nazi flag above her…
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What does it mean to be: A conversation with Joe Russo
When drummer Joe Russo takes a moment to reflect on his decades-long friendship and collaboration with guitarist Tom Hamilton, he…
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A church in communion with all creatures
The Covid pandemic has produced many new books with many of them addressing the current situation in which we humans…
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Five strings of fury: New book spotlights Haywood banjo legends
In the mid-1960s, when Bill Allsbrook was a med school student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, he decided…
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Fingers like lightning: A Haywood County banjo retrospective
Editor’s Note: Since first rolling into Haywood County in August 2012 to start work as the arts and entertainment editor…
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This must be the place: ‘Night after sleepless night, I walk the floor and I want to know’
And so, we enter the whirlwind holiday season once again. Honestly, it feels like I was just in Knoxville, Tennessee,…
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Rash takes care of business in ‘The Caretaker’
Ron Rash’s new novel “The Caretaker” (Doubleday, 2023, 252 pgs.) is much different than his previous novels.
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Kaleidoscope of creativity: Haywood artisan offers her craft onstage, on the wall
Performer. Writer. Director. Instructor. Photographer.
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This must be the place: ‘Stop the bus, turn the radio up high and grab the first guitar you see’
Hello from Room 1029 in the Blue Valley Cottage at the Old Edwards Inn, situated near the intersection of U.S.…
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The unfailing connection of a classic novel
I have always been a fan of old books. There’s a comfort I find in between the pages of a story…
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This must be the place: ‘Remember when we got drunk that time in Ontario, listening to Warren Zevon on the stereo’
Hello from Room 6102 at the Sonder motel on the edge of Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s 80 degrees outside…
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This must be the place: ‘Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere’
It was at 7:27 a.m. Monday when the red ball of fire broke the horizon line at Wrightsville Beach.
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This must be the place: ‘And I thought that I’d found a light to guide me through’
A soothing mid-fall breeze floats across my front porch, through the screen door and into the apartment, ultimately swirling around the…
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This must be the place: ‘The universe begins immediately to your left’
It was an otherwise quiet Tuesday evening when my girlfriend started in on me once again that it was high…
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This must be the place: Ode to Anna Marie, ode to the kids of Smith Street (and beyond)
Stepping outside the small log cabin, I took a moment to collect my thoughts. Vast farm fields and ancient dirt…
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This must be the place: ‘It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work’
Somewhere around Schroon Lake, New York, just following a quick hike in the Adirondack Mountains, it was decided to head…
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Jim Avett rolls into Andrews
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Jim Avett will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at The Blue Stage in Andrews.
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This must be the place: ‘The questions of a thousand dreams, what you do and what you see’
It’s never easy to go home. And I think it only seems to get harder, perhaps more abstract and blurry,…
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Bryson City community jam
A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
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This must be the place: ‘A sunbeam’s shining through his hair, fear not to have a care’
It’s 9:54 a.m. Tuesday. I’m sitting at the old wooden kitchen table at my parents’ farmhouse in rural Upstate New…
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Mountain Heritage Day
A beloved long-time Western North Carolina tradition, the 49th annual Mountain Heritage Day will be held from 10 a.m. to…
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Franklin welcomes bluegrass legend
Americana/bluegrass artist Darren Nicholson will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the gazebo in downtown Franklin.
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HART presents ‘Good Ol’ Girls’
There will be a stage production of “Good Ol’ Girls” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22-23, 29-30, Oct. 5-7 and 2…
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Highlander ‘Salon Series’
An intimate performance by renowned Americana/indie act Hurray For The Riff Raff will be part of the “Salon Series” at…
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Edwards returns to Meadowlark
Americana/indie singer-songwriter A. Lee Edwards will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, in the Speakeasy Bar at the Meadowlark…
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Haywood art studio tour
The Haywood County Arts Council’s annual “Haywood County Studio Tour” will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday,…
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This must be the place: ‘I don’t know, don’t really care, let there be songs to fill the air’
It’s 11 a.m. Monday. Currently sitting in the rec room of my aunt’s high-end apartment complex on the outskirts of…
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Can you escape the corn maze?
The annual corn maze and pumpkin patch will return through Oct. 31 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City.
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This must be the place: ‘A horse is a horse, of course, of course’
The alarm on my smart phone echoed throughout the small cabin. It was 7:30 a.m. Saturday and I had to…
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Down home radio: WPTL celebrates 60 years on the air
In the winter of 1978, Terryll Evans was a ninth grader in Orlando, Florida. But, by March, she and her…
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A love story from a more innocent time
Every once in a while, a novel hits me with a punch I never saw coming, perhaps even one unintended…
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This must be the place: Ode to STS9, ode to intent and intuition
Emerging from the rental car, a slight drizzle from an early evening storm rolled across the high-desert landscape of Morrison,…
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In search of natural beauty: Beloved Designs Woodworking
Woodworking newcomers Matt and Jessa Brantley have already made numerous statements with their eye-catching pieces.
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This must be the place: Sweating out my worries, just another day
Covered in sweat, I was about three miles into a Friday afternoon run around Lake Johnson on the outskirts of…
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Bryson City community jam
A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
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This must be the place: ‘Scarecrow and a yellow moon and pretty soon a carnival on the edge of town’
Mailbox 278 (pictured) along Route 581 in the unincorporated community of Nahunta, North Carolina. In the rural depths of Wayne…
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Gratitude is the attitude: Doug Gray of Marshall Tucker Band
Last Tuesday morning, Doug Gray was standing outside his hotel room in Jackson, Wyoming.
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Barn Quilts: Deborah Freedman mixes traditional with contemporary
Deborah Freedman has been painting barn quilts for five years, but she conveys a sense that she has been creating…
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This must be the place: ‘Make another dime just to lose it in time, what's the meaning’
Exiting the elevator of the Cambria Hotel in downtown Asheville on Monday morning, I noticed the “Sunset Time” scribbled on…
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This must be the place: ‘No, I’d rather go and journey where the diamond crescent’s glowing’
Parking the truck at the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and the Nolichucky River on the outskirts of the small…
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