The Rumpus, now based in Asheville, hosts reading at Story Parlor; the Asheville Symphony lands $10k NEA grant; Peiken set to launch Podcast Asheville; Terpsicorps turns 20

Also, a new multi-day music festival may be coming to town in August

The Asheville Symphony’s ALT ASO series brought the orchestra to Hi-Wire Brewing’s RAD Beer Garden last year. The symphony was recently approved to receive a $10,000 NEA grant to support the series this year./ photo by Micah Mackenzie, courtesy of the Asheville Symphony

This story sponsored by Citizens Fuel Co., a family-owned Asheville company.

Hey y’all, just a quick reminder that your financial support is critical to this hyperlocal journalism newsletter effort. Please consider paying for a subscription if you haven’t already. Cheers!

The Asheville Symphony has been approved to receive a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that will support the symphony’s effort to take the orchestra to unique locations around Asheville. The ALT ASO series was created last year to produce engaging artistic experiences in unexpected Asheville places. This year, the series is set to include four concerts at Hi-Wire Brewing’s RAD Beer Garden, the Salvage Station, Highland Brewing and the Orange Peel. The NEA grant, the Asheville Symphony’s first, is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants.

The Rumpus, now based in Asheville, is hosting evening of readings, discussions, and literary community-building from 7-9 p.m. on Feb. 8 at Story Parlor in West Asheville. The event will feature writers Morgan Thomas, author of the story collection “Manywhere” and a recipient of Lambda Literary’s Judith Markowitz Award for Exceptional New LGBTQ+ Writers, as well as Rumpus editor-in-chief Alysia Li Ying Sawchyn, author of her debut essay collection “A Fish Growing Lungs.” She teaches creative writing at Warren Wilson College. In a recent conversation at WestBase Coworking, The Rumpus publisher Alyson Sinclair told me that she’s looking to reach out to the Asheville writing community as she continues to work on ways to collaborate with the wider community. Aly became owner of The Rumpus a year ago. Founded in 2009, The Rumpus is one of the longest-running, independent, online literary and culture magazines in the U.S., according to its website.

Jarrett Rutland, a fantastic author/illustrator here in Asheville, is partnering with author Matthew Manning for “Asheville: A Graphic History,” his first full-length trade paperback graphic novel. The graphic novel will be published by The History Press, an imprint alongside Arcadia Publishing, based in Charleston, S.C. The story, narrated by a friendly bear, is a whimsical, fun, factual take on the history of Asheville “that will sustain the average history follower, while inviting a new demographic of history lovers” to learn more about Asheville’s history, Rutland writes.

Megan Shepherd, the New York Times bestselling author of middle grade and young adult novels including “Malice House” and “The Madman’s Daughter” series (and an Asheville resident), has announced that she was chosen to write the never-before-written novelization of the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” The movie, a holiday classic created by Tim Burton, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The book is due out July 4.

Charles Frazier, the award-winning and bestselling author of “Cold Mountain,” is preparing to release one of the most anticipated books of the new year in April. “The Trackers” is “a stunning new novel that paints a vivid portrait of life in the Great Depression,” according to publisher HarperCollins. I can’t wait.

Lori Horvitz will read from her new book of memoir-essays, “Collect Call to My Mother: Essays on Love, Grief, and Getting a Good Night’s Sleep,” in the second-floor boardroom of the Asheville Chamber & Visitors Center, 36 Montford Ave., at 3 p.m. on Feb. 19. Her book, just released from New Meridian Arts, explores themes of identity, love, and grief. It follows the writer’s experiences as a queer, Jewish New Yorker living in the South, looking for love in the Internet age.

Matt Peiken, a reporter at Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville for the past five years, has announced he's leaving the station and plans to launch his own podcast production company, Podcast Asheville. He also plans to launch a daily local news podcast about Asheville called "The Overlook." Think of it as a cross between “The Daily” by the New York Times and “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross on NPR. “I’ll interview journalists and others in the community at the heart of local news, issues, trends and the arts,” Peiken writes. Look for the show to debut Feb. 13, with episodes up at 6 a.m. every Monday through Friday.

Music Movie Mondays, the popular series at Grail Moviehouse in the Asheville River Arts District, continues at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 13. Tickets are $15. The event showcases the best in new, classic and cult films about music, with special screenings featuring an introduction by music journalist Bill Kopp, followed by the film and then a moderated discussion. The latest in the series is “WATTSTAX,” the 1973 film documenting the all-star concert held in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The show, attended by more than 110,000 concertgoers, featured headliner Isaac Hayes and many other big names from legendary Memphis-based label Stax Records. A special co-host for the post-film discussion is Sidney Barnes (Motown staff writer, member of psych-soul band Rotary Connection, etc.). Music Movie Mondays is sponsored by AshevilleFM.

Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance will celebrate its 20th anniversary this summer with the premiere of company director Heather Maloy’s “Cleopatra.” Using hand-picked professional dancers in the summers when they are off contract from critically acclaimed dance companies, Terpsicorps gives Asheville the opportunity to enjoy top-caliber performances. The news this fall that the Academy at Terpsicorps, a dance school affiliated with Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, was closing had some people concerned that this included the professional performing company. On the contrary, Terpsicorps already has rehearsal space in place for the summer and is heading into the anniversary season stronger than ever, according to a press release. With the recent hiring of Michele Bryan as the managing director, Maloy will have more time to devote to her creative process. Cleopatra will be performed at the Hanesbrands Theatre in Winston-Salem from July 20-22 before arriving in Asheville at the Diana Wortham Theatre on July 27-29 in 2023.

AVL Fest is the name of a new music festival that appears to be in the works. Mountain Xpress reporter Edwin Arnaudin posted the following, which he found in a press release about Asheville events, on his personal Facebook page: “Asheville-based Wicked Weed Brewing and Worthwhile Sounds announced the inaugural AVL Fest, launching Aug. 2-6, 2023. The multi-day music festival will take place at venues across the Asheville area and features a lineup of local, regional and national talent.” Check @avlfest on Instagram for updates.

Asheville Musical Theatre “is an exciting new theatre company located in Downtown Asheville bringing high-quality professional theatre opportunities to local artists and patrons alike,” according to the company’s website. There’s no other information listed. Anyone know more about this group?

Thanks for reading,

-j