Wild & Magical: Reflections on this year’s Firefly Gathering
- Volume 29
- / Issue 51
Cover Design Credit:
Scott Southwick
Cover Photography Credit:
Grace Sea Murdock
Firefly Gathering is the largest earth-skills happening in the country. This year’s event saw plenty of rain, but the weather did not prevent hundreds from taking outdoor classes focused on living in harmony with the earth and its inhabitants.
arts
Maia Toll’s memoir recaps spiritual journey
Letting Magic In is a coming-of-age story about her connection to the Earth, her intuition and the unseen realm that may surround us all. “I wanted to show the slow…Four of a Kind: Aaron Ybarra shares insights on the local theater scene
The actor talks new projects and the city's theater scene.A father and son’s soaked journey through the 2023 Firefly Gathering
Firefly Gathering is the largest earth-skills gathering in the country. Held at Deerfields, the 940-acre retreat center in the Pisgah National Forest near Mills River, the annual event transforms a…Four of a Kind: Elizabeth Brim talks local blacksmithing scene
The blacksmith talks new projects and the area's metal working scene.Local buskers reflect on their city beats
Xpress chats with a few local buskers about the thrills and pitfalls of the art form, as well as the economic realities that come with performing on the street.Four of a Kind: Marley Carroll discusses the local music scene
The DJ talks new projects and the city's music scene.Book explores lives and legacies of Eleanor Vance and Charlotte Yale
Author Bruce E. Johnson's new book tells the story of two women who make a lasting impact on the lives of young people in Western North Carolina.Four of a Kind: Becky Stone on the local storytelling scene
The teller talks new projects and the city's storytelling scene.Around Town: Pink Dog exhibit reflects on pandemic and its aftermath
An art exhibit reflecting on the pandemic at Pink Dog Gallery. Plus, the 76th Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands; the art of Dr. Seuss comes to town; and more.
food
What’s new in food: The Village Food Truck Park opens in Fletcher
Fletcher gets a food truck park. Plus, the WNC Farmers market holds an event on canning and preserving; Avenue M welcomes a new chef; and more.
news
City tries to learn from holiday water outages
While it has been over six months since the winter water outage that affected thousands of Asheville residents, several questions still linger over how such an incident could have occurred…Year-round schools remain rarity in WNC 30 years after they began
In July 1991, educators from Asheville, Haywood County and other districts traveled to Hendersonville on a fact-finding mission. Bruce Drysdale Elementary and Hendersonville Middle had just become the first public…Green in brief: Ecusta Trail gains $46M in federal support
The roughly 19-mile greenway along an unused rail line between Brevard and Hendersonville, first proposed in 2009, received about $46 million toward its estimated $53.5 million construction cost.
opinion
Letter: WNC needs mix of technologies to get connected
"We urge officials to keep open the option to use all available, reliable solutions to get Western North Carolina connected as they take advantage of its allocated BEAD funding."The cultural divide: A Jew in Asheville
"There were three distinct cultures in the Asheville I grew up in, and describing the dynamics and relationships among them is difficult."Food for thought
Letter: Asheville’s obelisk, take two
"The obelisk wasn't the problem. Vance was the problem."Octogenarian auditorium
