Community Calendar

Queers and horror have always gone hand in manicured hand. We know what it means to be made into a monster, all while navigating the true life terrors of conversion therapy and gender reveal parties. This queer horror book club explores queerness from the magic to the truly macabre. Last year, we discussed & loved Lindsay King-Miller's The Z Word and this month we've been possessed to read the newly released This is My Body. (Use promo code YIKES to save 10% at checkout.)

A brutal, brilliant story of motherhood, memory, and religion, deviously simple and terribly clever. King-Miller has become one of my must-read authors.
Gretchen Felker-Martin, author of Cuckoo

Each meeting of this book club is structured to encourage deep engagement with the themes of the text, as well as facilitate connection among the participants. If you are looking to meet other queer people and/or horror lovers this is the book club for you! This month, we will be welcoming the author for a virtual Q&A for the second half of the book club discussion!

For past book club title selections, check out our queer horror list.

Endangered Impressions: a collection of drawings highlighting nature threatened by the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Management Plan

This is your chance to snag a masterpiece with heart! These one-of-a-kind works–created by fellow supporters– might just become your next favorite wall art and a daily reminder to stand strong for the places we all love to call home.

The online art auction will kick off at 3 pm on Sunday, August 24th, and will run until 11:45 pm on Friday, September 20th. Winners will be contacted the week of September 22nd. Don’t want to wait to take home your favorite piece? Check out the “Buy Now” options. All proceeds will benefit MountainTrue.

Art is framed in re-used frames to embrace a more sustainable approach.

Stephanie Elizondo Griest, an award-winning author and professor of creative nonfiction at UNC Chapel Hill, shares her new book Art Above Everything: One Woman's Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life, a sweeping exploration of the sacrifices women artists make to pursue their work across borders, disciplines, and decades.

This book is a must-read for every woman artist! It will affirm the decisions you have made, inspire you to get back to the page or the canvas or the studio, and clarify that you belong to a glorious and global lineage of creatives... [Griest's] lucid and lyrical reportage, coupled with memoir, left me riveted and articulated for me the many ways that we navigate the ecstasies of making art and the practicalities of paying the rent.”
Daisy Hernández, coeditor of Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism

Stephanie Elizondo Griest is a globetrotting author from South Texas. Her 6 books include: Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana; Mexican Enough; and All the Agents and Saints: Dispatches from the US Borderlands. She has also written for the New York Times, Washington Post, The Believer, BBC, VQR, and Oxford American. Her work has won a Margolis Award for Social Justice Reporting, an International Latino Book Award, a PEN Southwest Book Award, and a Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Gold Prize. She currently serves as a professor of creative nonfiction at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

The Happy Valley Jamboree is a free, laid-back, fun-forward and community-centric gathering for all lovers and performers of traditional mountain music. Located on the Scenic upper Yadkin River in Caldwell County, the jamboree features music and joke contests, open mics, storytelling, kids activities, and more. For those that wish to spend the night, camping is just $25 for the weekend, $10 additional days before or after the festival. More at Happyvalleyfiddlers.org

Laid Back Country Picker plays good music and treats everybody right. He has played and recorded with Grammy winners. He has performed at the fabled Ryman Auditorium, Bonnaroo and Red Rocks. His show combines 70s guitar rock, honky-tonk and punk, all with hillbilly sensibility. His band features the powerhouse drumming of his silent partner “Honey”. In her curlers and moo-moo, Honey has no time for foolishness. LB attracts fans from many genres, including rockabilly, punk and metal, as well as more traditional country and rock and roll purists. He has toured the nation and can be heard regularly on Sirius Outlaw Country. Rejecting the modern for the surreal, Laid Back and Honey deliver a unique musical experience. Johnny Knoxville called Laid Back his favorite new band!

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area announces Returning to the Ridge: Blue Ridge Craft Trails Invitation at Mars Landing Galleries in Mars Hill, NC, from July 2 through September 28, 2025. The exhibit brings together the exceptional talents of 33 artists featured on the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, showcasing the vibrant artistic landscape of Western North Carolina.

The artistic spirit of Southern Appalachia, deeply rooted in its stunning natural environment, will be on full display. From the intricate details of pottery to the masterful craftsmanship of woodworking, the exhibition will feature 60 pieces spanning a diverse range of traditional mediums, including fiber art, printmaking, metalworking (including jewelry), and basketry. This celebration of local artistry comes at a crucial time, as Hurricane Helene impacted many artists. Artists participating are from the central and western sections of BRNHA’s 25-county footprint, encompassing the NC mountains and the Qualla Boundary.

Join the Greer Farmers Market for it's 10th Anniversary year in Greer, each Sunday from May-August, 11AM-2PM. 30+ Farmers, Makers, and Bakers are nestled in scenic Greer City Park along with live music, food trucks, and kids activities. Come shop and eat local with us. We are a SNAP retailer, Healthy Bucks site, and have more food assistance programs TBA. Learn more at GreerFarmersMarket.com.

Endangered Impressions: a collection of drawings highlighting nature threatened by the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Management Plan

This is your chance to snag a masterpiece with heart! These one-of-a-kind works–created by fellow supporters– might just become your next favorite wall art and a daily reminder to stand strong for the places we all love to call home.

The online art auction will kick off at 3 pm on Sunday, August 24th, and will run until 11:45 pm on Friday, September 20th. Winners will be contacted the week of September 22nd. Don’t want to wait to take home your favorite piece? Check out the “Buy Now” options. All proceeds will benefit MountainTrue.

Art is framed in re-used frames to embrace a more sustainable approach.

The Happy Valley Jamboree is a free, laid-back, fun-forward and community-centric gathering for all lovers and performers of traditional mountain music. Located on the Scenic upper Yadkin River in Caldwell County, the jamboree features music and joke contests, open mics, storytelling, kids activities, and more. For those that wish to spend the night, camping is just $25 for the weekend, $10 additional days before or after the festival. More at Happyvalleyfiddlers.org

Endangered Impressions: a collection of drawings highlighting nature threatened by the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Management Plan

This is your chance to snag a masterpiece with heart! These one-of-a-kind works–created by fellow supporters– might just become your next favorite wall art and a daily reminder to stand strong for the places we all love to call home.

The online art auction will kick off at 3 pm on Sunday, August 24th, and will run until 11:45 pm on Friday, September 20th. Winners will be contacted the week of September 22nd. Don’t want to wait to take home your favorite piece? Check out the “Buy Now” options. All proceeds will benefit MountainTrue.

Art is framed in re-used frames to embrace a more sustainable approach.