Bart Ehrman to read at Blue Ridge Books
 

Bart Ehrman to read at Blue Ridge Books

Author Bart D. Ehrman will read from his latest book, God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most…
Read More

Comment

A Southern siren among Manhatten’s literati
 

A Southern siren among Manhatten’s literati

In A Ticket to the Circus: A Memoir (978-1-4000-6794-7, $26), Norris Church Mailer gives an account of her marriage to…
Read More

Comment

Thomas Rain Crowe to Read from New Poetry Collection
 

Thomas Rain Crowe to Read from New Poetry Collection

Tuckasegee poet Thomas Rain Crowe will be at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 8,…
Read More

Comment

Sentimental story is also very memorable
 

Sentimental story is also very memorable

The Memory of Running is a “road book.” In some respects it resembles what critics in the 19th century called…
Read More

Comment

Poet captures WNC culture in new book
 

Poet captures WNC culture in new book

Jackson County resident Thomas Crowe will read from and sign copies of his new collection of poems, Crack Light, at…
Read More

Comment

Author discusses adventure on the Appalachian Trail
 

Author discusses adventure on the Appalachian Trail

Jennifer Pharr Davis will discuss her book, Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian Trail, at 6 p.m. on Saturday,…
Read More

Comment

Biography recounts the life of a quiet hero
 

Biography recounts the life of a quiet hero

In “Twelfth Night,” Shakespeare wrote: “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have…
Read More

Comment

Library launches website
 

Library launches website

The Friends of the Macon County Public Library (FOL) have unveiled a new informational web site, MaconLibraryFriends.org. The site showcases…
Read More

Comment

Teens invited to voice their views
 

Teens invited to voice their views

The teen friends of the library meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 24, at Marianna Black…
Read More

Comment

Book discussion looks at our influence on the planet
 

Book discussion looks at our influence on the planet

Ahead of Western Carolina University’s upcoming literary festival, the Macon County Public Library will host a book discussion on Alan…
Read More

Comment

Stephen King collection gets the thumbs-up
 

Stephen King collection gets the thumbs-up

At the conclusion of this collection of four novellas: Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King adds an “Afterword.” In acknowledging…
Read More

Comment

Mystery author gives reading
 

Mystery author gives reading

Author Leanna Sain will give a reading at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville from 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 26.…
Read More

Comment

Poems, nonfiction readings at City Lights in Sylva
 

Poems, nonfiction readings at City Lights in Sylva

City Lights Bookstore in Sylva will feature local authors of poetry and nonfiction in the coming week. Coffee with the…
Read More

Comment

Hiking the Pacific Coast Trail with Skywalker
 

Hiking the Pacific Coast Trail with Skywalker

Some The Smoky Mountain News readers may remember a review here several seasons ago of Bill Walker’s Skywalker: Close Encounters…
Read More

Comment

Library offers books for sale
 

Library offers books for sale

Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library will have hundreds of books, DVDs, CDs and other media on sale from 9 a.m.…
Read More

Comment

Love, devotion and a restless journey
 

Love, devotion and a restless journey

The great kite of the crucified Christ loomed and caused the crowd to vibrate. Like a pyre before him, the…
Read More

Comment

Spiritual connections explored by local author
 

Spiritual connections explored by local author

Jody Kraner (aka JadriAnna Lee), author of Northern Lights: A Journey to Insight, will appear for a reading and discussion…
Read More

Comment

Battling weight problems and ensuing baggage
 

Battling weight problems and ensuing baggage

Though heroin and cocaine are dangerous and illegal, both drugs carry with them a cachet, the dark romance of, say,…
Read More

Comment

Read Across America
 

Read Across America

As part of the celebration of Read Across America, Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville is hosting two events that emphasize…
Read More

Comment

Wayne Caldwell wins Wolfe award
 

Wayne Caldwell wins Wolfe award

The WNC Historical Association and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial will host Western North Carolina author Wayne Caldwell from 2-4 p.m.…
Read More

Comment

Book group to begin
 

Book group to begin

Gary Carden has announced the first meeting of a book discussion group which will begin with a meeting at 5…
Read More

Comment

Vampire saga lacks traditional horror appeal
 

Vampire saga lacks traditional horror appeal

For quite some time now, the literary genre known as “science fiction/horror” has been undergoing radical changes. The “creatures of…
Read More

Comment

WCU to host literacy conference
 

WCU to host literacy conference

Educators from throughout the region are invited to attend a one-day conference focusing on literacy hosted by Western Carolina University’s…
Read More

Comment

A novel that sparkles with quality writing
 

A novel that sparkles with quality writing

In Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand (ISBN 978-1-4000-6893-7, 2010, $25), first-time novelist Helen Simonson has created a superb portrait of life…
Read More

Comment

Ron Rash returns to City Lights with new paperback edition
 

Ron Rash returns to City Lights with new paperback edition

City Lights welcomes Ron Rash back to the store at 2 p.m. on Feb. 13 to celebrate the release in…
Read More

Comment

New book looks at remarkable work of therapy dogs
 

New book looks at remarkable work of therapy dogs

Author Deanna Klingel of Sapphire Valley will be at City Lights Bookstore at 2 p.m. on Feb. 12 to discuss…
Read More

Comment

Area storytellers featured in new book
 

Area storytellers featured in new book

In view of the fact that Southern Appalachia is acknowledged to be a massive reservoir of traditional storytelling, Saundra Kelley’s…
Read More

Comment

Author recounts unique parenting journey
 

Author recounts unique parenting journey

Some novels call to mind certain family members. There are the wise old stories that remind us of our grandparents,…
Read More

Comment

Rash commemorates paperback release
 

Rash commemorates paperback release

Local author Ron Rash will hold a reading at City Lights in Sylva to celebrate the paperback release of his…
Read More

Comment

WCU professor co-authors book about rising sea levels
 

WCU professor co-authors book about rising sea levels

A book co-authored by Western Carolina University professor Rob Young about the global threat to coastal communities posed by rising…
Read More

Comment

Cancer survivor to talk at Jackson Library
 

Cancer survivor to talk at Jackson Library

In May 2008, Jane SpottedBird was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Her doctor gave her 6 to 12 months to…
Read More

Comment

A grisly war novel that stands apart
 

A grisly war novel that stands apart

“It took Karl Marlantes 30 years to write his thunderous, brutally granular account of scorched-earth combat in Vietnam. Matterhorn was…
Read More

Comment

WCU professor co-authors book about rising sea levels
 

WCU professor co-authors book about rising sea levels

A book co-authored by Western Carolina University professor Rob Young about the global threat to coastal communities posed by rising…
Read More

Comment

Haywood author to read from new novel ‘Sweetie’
 

Haywood author to read from new novel ‘Sweetie’

Kathryn Magendie, an author from Haywood County, will be at City Lights book store in Sylva to read from her…
Read More

Comment

Revisiting one of the last raids of the Civil War
 

Revisiting one of the last raids of the Civil War

Anyone who has driven state roads between Asheville and Winston-Salem has quite possibly seen those state historical markers commemorating the…
Read More

Comment

Program focuses on African-Americans and their history in Jackson County
 

Program focuses on African-Americans and their history in Jackson County

Victoria Casey McDonald, a local writer and historian, will present a program about African-Americans in Jackson County at the Jackson…
Read More

Comment

This is quality Southern writing
 

This is quality Southern writing

How many times have you heard the lament, “They don’t write southern novels the way they used to”? This statement…
Read More

Comment

A cautionary tale of the dangers of excess
 

A cautionary tale of the dangers of excess

“The rich are different from you and me,” F. Scott Fitzgerald once famously said to Ernest Hemingway, to which Hemingway…
Read More

Comment

Group to discuss ‘Time and Again’ at public library
 

Group to discuss ‘Time and Again’ at public library

The next Book Ends book discussion group will be held at the Jackson County Public Library on Thursday, Jan.13. The…
Read More

Comment

In new novel, outlook is grim without technology
 

In new novel, outlook is grim without technology

Let me begin this review by confessing that I never heard of E.M.P. (Electromagnetic Pulse), and I was distressed to…
Read More

Comment

Elderly Brothers ring in New Year’s at Legion
 

Elderly Brothers ring in New Year’s at Legion

The Elderly Brothers will perform on New Year’s Eve at American Legion Post 47 in Waynesville. The Elderly Brothers have…
Read More

Comment

Gary Carden to present Old Christmas Traditions program at library
 

Gary Carden to present Old Christmas Traditions program at library

Storyteller and author Gary Carden will present a program titled “Old Christmas Traditions” at 7 p.m. on Jan. 4 at…
Read More

Comment

Pride of the Mountains is California-bound
 

Pride of the Mountains is California-bound

Nearly 400 members of Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band will travel to Pasadena, Calif., to march…
Read More

Comment

Waynesville Inn to play host to second-annual Winterfest
 

Waynesville Inn to play host to second-annual Winterfest

Haywood County residents looking to brave the ice and leave their firesides this January can find an afternoon of respite…
Read More

Comment

Leavitt creates emotional story, realistic characters
 

Leavitt creates emotional story, realistic characters

In her previous novels — two of which, Coming Back To Me and Girls In Trouble, have been reviewed here…
Read More

Comment

Swain library to hold meeting for teenagers
 

Swain library to hold meeting for teenagers

The teen friends of the library meeting will be held at the Marianna Black Library at 3:30 on Thursday, Dec.…
Read More

Comment

A dark story about death, love and loss
 

A dark story about death, love and loss

Dear readers, if you decide to purchase this amazing novel, please consider the following advice: forget George Romero and the…
Read More

Comment

A bunch of possibilities for your book lover
 

A bunch of possibilities for your book lover

To buy affordable holiday gifts for men past the age of 30 can be difficult. When confronted with men who…
Read More

Comment

Bookstore program to help children in need
 

Bookstore program to help children in need

City Lights Bookstore has started the 12th year of its annual Holiday Giving Tree, a program designed to put books…
Read More

Comment

Donation to Jackson County library makes a perfect gift
 

Donation to Jackson County library makes a perfect gift

Library lovers and history buffs from all over have a singular opportunity this year to combine giving Christmas presents to…
Read More

Comment

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.