What’s Happening

By Terri Hansen on Dec 17, 2018 in Native Voices

Much has been said about the inspiration of the ancient Iroquois “Great League of Peace” in planting the seeds that led to the formation of the United States of America and its representative democracy.

Welcome wonderful women~ Conference registration is now open! We invite you to join us for the 15th anniversary celebration as we gather again in sisterhood—celebrating plants, the Earth, and one another. Be among the first to sign up!  Registration is Open! 

Making Theater that Makes a Difference

Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective Inc. is a 501(c) 3 certified non-profit organization which purposes to increase and sustain opportunities for more diversity within the Western North Carolina performing arts community, by producing, and working with other performance artists or groups to present works which confront issues of social diversity in a provocative way; and by providing opportunities for audiences to explore visions of our diverse world. Visit us here for Different Strokes Performng Art Collective Season

Jacqueline Osherow, author of eight collections of poetry, will read from her works at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3, in UNC Asheville’s Karpen Hall, Laurel Forum, in the first event of the fall semester presented by the university’s Center for Jewish Studies and its Department of Religious Studies. This event is free and open to everyone.

–by Mirka Knaster, syndicated from exploringtheheartofit.weebly.com, Jul 10, 2019 in Doing Good

It’s going to happen eventually. It may not be right away and it may not look exactly like it ought to look at first, but at some point in the not-too-distant future, North Carolina is going to expand its Medicaid program.

The momentum to move forward is too strong and the arguments against doing so are just too weak. Consider the following:

• A growing and overwhelming majority of states – including many dominated by Republicans – have already taken the step and enjoyed extremely positive results.
• The healthcare community is for it and the future of many hospitals depends on it.
• A fast-growing segment of the state’s business community supports it.
• As detailed in a recent, in-depth report, the economic benefits to the state would be huge.
• Voters want it to happen.
• Most importantly, it will, quite literally, save thousands of lives.

In comparison, the arguments against expansion look downright pitiful. Continue

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Colorado becomes 18th state to outlaw “conversion therapy” as North Carolina’s bill goes unheard

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 BRETT ZIEGLER for U S News & World Report

They volunteer for the military. They create jobs. They help their communities. They are U.S. immigrants.

Malaprop’s Café has evolved into the meeting place in our town. Our café boasts a literary menu, with treats from local bakeries and organic, fair-trade, shade-grown coffee roasted locally. We offer free wireless service and eight plug-in stations. Our baristas embrace the role of community catalyst. Join us whenever you can!  (Listen to Audiobooks and Support Malaprop’s Bookstore)

Letters from Little Rock

By  Nickole Brown & Jessica Jacobs |  July 2, 2015  in Oxford American

The poets Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs were married in California in October of 2013. Following the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling, they exchanged a series of letters from their home in Little Rock. Nickole begins:

Some images I want to bless in clear water and hold up to the light. Like my sister, nearly six years ago now, sitting up during a contraction to touch the crown of her son not yet born. Or my peonies in Kentucky—one June, I cut every single stalk and brought the armload inside, blooms big as grapefruit, blasting open with black ants. 

Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprisings

First of its Kind, the Groundbreaking National Exhibition Opens Sept. 14 in Miami and will Headline Art Basel

As celebrants across the nation honor the 50th anniversary year of the Stonewall Uprisings, in the heart of Pride month the Frost Art Museum FIU announces Miami will be one of only three cities in the U.S. to host Art After Stonewall: 1969 ─ 1989. The major exhibition of more than 200 works opens in Miami on September 14, and due to its size and scope will encompass the entire second floor of the museum, including the Grand Galleries.