At the opening of a documentary on the life of Jimmy Lai, pronounced “Lie,” we hear words from a Chinese proverb. “If you are a bird, you would rather die singing than living a quiet life.”

Lai was never destined to live a quiet life, as we learn in “The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom,” released in 2022 by Acton Films. He was born in China in 1948, the son of a successful businessman. The next year, the Communists under Mao Zedong overthrew the government.

Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville will host a daylong series of worship services, presentations and artistic offerings focused on peace, education and action in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

Tara Pruett’s running journey emerged from a rough childhood. The art of running, the sport itself — with its life lessons and camaraderie within its vast community of athletes — became a beacon of safe harbor and personal resolve for Pruett. 

A local hero comes home to Western North Carolina for the first time in 20 years, potentially reigniting a longtime feud with an old nemesis and proving that some things always stay the same.

On Monday, Aug. 19, the series “Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture,” will present a screening of the film, “Clear Day Thunder: Rescuing the American Chestnut.” 

Experience the story of the American chestnut, a mighty wonder that once sustained all forms of life in the Appalachian Mountains, with a film screening at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 

A film about one of Western North Carolina’s most revered literary figures will make its world premiere in a free event at 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 9 at the Jackson County library in Sylva.