What’s Happening

White Horse Black Mountain  June 30^th,  7:30 pm 

Tracey Schmidt returns to White Horse Black Mountain, one of her favorite local venues, to perform by memory the work of Rumi, Hafiz, Mary Oliver, and her own work. The performance is Sunday June 30^th, 7:30. Tickets are 12.00 in advance  and 15.00 at the door.  

Postpartum depression doesn’t only affect women. According to research, new fathers can suffer the same symptoms — and if their partners are suffering from postpartum depression, as many as 25 percent of new fathers may also experience it.

Join the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival at Burnsville Wine and… on June 14th from 4-7 p.m.  to taste some wines or sparkling sodas, eat some nibbles and learn about the authors coming to the Festival.  At this friend and fundraiser, you can watch a preview of the free Thursday night performance by Red Herring Multi-media productions and their story, “My Grandfather’s Prayers.”

On Being with Krista Tippett
Gregory Orr
“Shaping Grief With Language”

By Ronald L. Feinman

A century ago, historian Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. argued that history occurs in cycles. His son, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., furthered this theory in his own scholarship. As I reflect on Schlesinger’s work and the history of the United States, it seems clear to me that American history has three 74-year-long cycles. America has had four major crisis turning points, each 74 years apart, from the time of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to today.

By Joe Killian

Last week Colorado became the 18th U.S. state to outlaw so-called “conversion therapy” — a scientifically discredited practice that attempts to “cure” people of being lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

Gov. Jared Polis, Colorado’s openly gay governor, also signed a bill that will make it easier for transgender people to get state-issued ID and other documents that correctly reflects their gender identity.

In North Carolina, the Mental Health Protection Act, was filed in March. It would outlaw converstion therapy, part of a rapidly growing national movement.  Despite polls showing overwhelming bipartisan support for the ban, it faced stiff opposition from religious groups and conservative Republicans and did not receive a hearing in this legislative session. No such bill has yet been passed in any state in the Southeast. Continue

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By Stan Link Associate Professor of the Composition, Philosophy and Analysis of Music, Vanderbilt University in The Conversation

If you haven’t seen Kodi Lee’s May 28 performance on “America’s Got Talent,” it’s worth a watch. The 22-year-old Lee is blind and has autism. His rendition of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You” brought the crowd to its feet – and thrilled viewers at home.

in The Representation Project

It’s that time of year again…time to break out the summer clothes, get out in the sun, be OUT, and celebrate pride—and transgender representation!!

This year’s Pride festivities mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village, and New York City has joined forces with World Pride to host the 1st ever World Pride on US soil. Many fearless LGBTQIA+ leaders emerged after Stonewall, notably Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries (STAR) founders Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to honor the two women by creating the world’s first ever permanent, public art monument to transgender women. Continue reading

NC Stage Company has been voted best local theatre 8 out of the past 9 years in the Mountain Xpress Best of WNC Poll. NC Stage was also recently awarded the American Theatre Wing National Theatre Company Grant.

North Carolina Stage Company is a professional theatre in downtown Asheville, North Carolina working with members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, under a Small Professional Theatre Tier 4 Contract. As a non-profit, professional theatre, North Carolina Stage Company depends on contributions to support our programs. We are a professional theatre in downtown Asehville producing award-winning plays since 2002.  NC State Upcoming Season 

May 30, 2019 (Morganton, NC) —  The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) announces a major grant of $250,000 from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF). The grant will convey naming rights to be determined at the school’s new campus that will open in Morganton in 2021. BWF is the largest single contributor in the history of NCSSM with a cumulative total of nearly $3.2 million. This latest grant will help foster a cutting edge learning experience for students, as the school drives continuous educational innovation with a data-science influenced program that includes applied learning experiences with regional institutions and industries.

Dr. Mark McNeill

Wouldn’t you want to bring a $4 billion investment into NC that could add 40,000 jobs to our economy in just five years?  What if these funds also helped address the opioid crisis and lowered insurance premiums? You probably would.