UNC Asheville English professor Lori Horvitz (now Professor Emeritus) held the first Queer Girls Literary Reading in 2009 as a space for celebrating and sharing stories from queer women. “This series is about representation — about seeing and being seen, hearing and being heard,” explains Horvitz. “It’s about connecting with one another, building community with each other and our allies and creating a platform for queer women.” On Sunday, Jan. 26, the 15th annual event will take place on the Eulogy stage at 10 Buxton Ave., with seven featured local and regional writers of varying ages, races, identities and abilities expressing their diverse experiences and perspectives through essay, prose and poetry. Joining Horvitz in reading original works will be co-organizer Lockie Hunter plus Nickole Brown, Vance Goodman, Mali Rosensweet, Jack Elbow Teague and Amy Upham. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., readings begin at 6 p.m. Admission is by suggested donation of $5-$10, though contributions of any size are welcomed. No one will be turned away. avl.mx/efr
The American tradition of Groundhog Day on Feb. 2 has a twist in Brevard — White Squirrel Day — and this year, there's a new squirrel in the mix.
Meet Pisgah Piper, Brevard's new sight-impaired white female squirrel who will be predicting whether or not the area will get six more weeks of winter. She'll also be predicting the Super Bowl winner, like past white squirrels have. The big reveal will be at 11 a.m. at Mary C. Jenkins Center, located at 221 Mills Ave. in Brevard.
Brevard's previous white squirrel for White Squirrel Day was Pisgah Penny, who died last year. Pisgah Piper is carrying on her family's legacy, as she's the niece of Pisgah Penny.
“Who needs grumpy groundhog when you can have a beautiful white squirrel that not only predict spring's arrival but the winner of the Super Bowl?" White Squirrel Day Master of Ceremonies Don Debiase said in a Jan. 24 news release. "With a 57% accuracy rate from our previous White Squirrel Ambassadors, I look forward to Pisgah Piper’s predictions.”
With wrinkly skin that comes in various shades of brown, eastern hellbenders aren’t easy to spot. These giant salamanders, which average 20 inches in length, spend most of their lives nearly invisible under rocks on the bottom of cool, fast-flowing streams. In a two-year research project starting this summer, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will use a combination of cutting-edge technology and traditional survey techniques to solve the mystery surrounding the hellbender’s distribution in the Smokies.
“One of the major conservation questions is: Are hellbenders reproducing in our streams?” said Jonathan Cox, wetlands biology technician for the park. “And it's really hard to find that out because their lifespan is so long that you can have a hellbender detected in a stream for multiple decades, but it may be the same individual.”
For some small-business owners in Western North Carolina, it was a December to remember.
After Tropical Storm Helene wiped out the usually bustling fall tourist season, they say, holiday shoppers turned out in big numbers in the final month of 2024. It wasn’t enough to make up for the lost fall revenue, but it provided some financial stability heading into 2025.
“October and November were dreadful,” says Barbara Hughes, owner of Narnia Studios, a downtown Hendersonville gift shop. “But it was like a light switch went on on Dec. 1, and it continued all the way until Dec. 31. December was spot on and perfect.”
Other merchants say the holidays weren’t quite so merry and bright. While sales were markedly better than in October and November, they fell short of a typical holiday shopping season.
Black Mountain’s annual Holly Jolly event marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season in the town.
“The intent is to bring people in to downtown, to the historic area, to all the stores there,” says Melinda Hester, executive director of the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce. “The stores open their doors, they stay open late, they have hot chocolate, cookies, candy, other things for the people.”
North Carolina has plenty of unusual landmarks and roadside attractions - WorldAtlas writers chose eight of the strangest, including several from Western N.C.
Founded in 1994 by cartographer John Moen and his wife, Chris Woolwine-Moen, WorldAtlas publishes educational materials and articles on geography, sociology, demography, environment, economics, politics and travel. Previously, the publication has put out lists on eccentric towns, best main streets, unique traditions and more in N.C. alone.
Here's what World Atlas said about these eight "unusual and unexpected" attractions plus the full list.
World's Largest Chest of Drawers - High Point
Last Shell-Shaped Shell Station - Winston-Salem
Devil's Tramping Ground - Bear Creek
Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky - Raleigh
House of Mugs — Collettsville
Helen's Bridge - Asheville
Shangri-La Stone Village - Prospect Hill
Land of Oz Theme Park - Beech Mountain
