Strike a Pose: In the face of hostility, local drag scene stands tall
- Volume 29
- / Issue 34
Cover Design Credit:
Scott Southwick
Cover Photography Credit:
Courtesy of Asheville Drag Brunch
The local and national climate for drag queens and kings feels especially fraught. Events are protested, and in Tennessee performances on public property are now banned. But despite these challenges, the Asheville drag community continues to host events practically every day. And many of these performances benefit communities in need.
arts
Asheville’s drag community unites amid protests
Divine and Dahmit Janet discuss the difficulties facing the modern drag scene.Local shelter provides a place for creativity and hope
Art, says JoeRob, has saved him from drug addiction and has offered him a deeper sense of purpose in life. Through the Restored Dreams Project, he’s hoping to extend that…Asheville music venues reflect on the impact of 2020’s lockdown
Three years after the initial shutdown, Xpress catches up with local music venues about the state of the scene, how individual spaces weathered the storm and what the future looks like…Around Town: Concert honors Doc Watson’s 100th birthday
The Diana Wortham Theatre will host a concert celebrating Doc Watson's 100th birthday. Plus, Eblen Charities gives away prom dresses and AVL Clothing Swap raises money for reproductive rights.
food
What’s new in food: Rabbit Hole at Sunny Point Café opens
Sunny Point Café's annex opens in West Asheville. Also, Mayfel's reopens under new ownership; Asheville Beauty Academy hosts Women's History Month Wine Dinner; and more!
news
Schools address student anxiety over mass shootings
Technologically-connected students and their peers can be exposed to any tragic occurrence at any time, so a mass shooting at a faraway school can create terror and panic all the…Green in brief: Asheville unveils draft Municipal Climate Action Plan
Nearly a year after its original timeline, Asheville’s government is preparing to ratify a Municipal Climate Action Plan. The city’s Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment unanimously recommended…Council approves up to $20M for McCormick Field
Attendees at baseball games may pick up part of the tab for the McCormick Field improvements through a new 50-cent “facility fee” to be added to each ticket.Compared to 8 other districts, pay-to-cost-of-living gap highest in Asheville
A local teachers group presented a grim picture to the Asheville City Board of Education on March 14 illustrating that Asheville teachers are paid less but face a higher cost…
opinion
Letter: The trouble with electric buses
"We should use and maintain what we have (except nukes), manufacture mainly two-stroke diesel bus (and fire engine) parts and address climate change exclusively with municipal abortion funding."Letter: Women need to use their voting power
"We women have to wake up and use our voting power to support what we need. This is clearly the way to protect the future."Letter: Promote trees, not roads, in our national forests
"This forest management plan was supposed to be a framework for long-term sustainability of our national forests and carbon storage but instead puts wildlife habitats and old-growth areas at an…Letter: Solutions needed for downtown homeless situation
"I feel like if this situation isn’t seriously addressed, it will have a long-term negative effect on Asheville and its many businesses that rely on tourism."Wheels on the bus
Letter: A disconcerting downtown experience
"Clusters of mostly men had gathered in the shadows of every doorway. No one spoke to us or even acknowledged us, but I was glad I wasn’t alone."Letter: Asheville’s sad descent
"It has become a place where local people cannot afford to live and many of us no longer want to visit."Letter: Downtown problems need city, county attention
"I have felt a creepy vibe when I have gone downtown because of the difficulty of finding parking and the homeless folks camped out on sidewalks."Mind the gap
