Malaprop's to host month of special events in October

Saturday, October 1 at 7 pm

ALTON BROWN READING & SIGNING at DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE--TICKETED EVENT

Get your ticket now for an evening with Alton Brown! We are celebrating the release of his new book, EVERYDAYCOOK. This delightful new cookbook presents us with the best of Alton’s everyday recipes, which are grouped by time of day. Highlights include the Cider House Fondue, the Bad Day Bitter Martini, and Smoky the Meat Loaf. Alton’s television shows include the Peabody Award-winning Good Eats and Iron Chef America. He is the author of seven previous books.

Sunday, October 2 at 3 pm

POETRIO

Join us for our monthly series of readings and signings by 3 poets at 3 pm! This month will feature Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. (Series/India), Sue Weaver Dunlap (Knead), and Becky Gould Gibson (The Xanthippe Fragments).

Monday, October 3 at 7 pm

PAULETTE JILES LAUNCH & SIGNING with CHARLES FRAZIER

We are thrilled to host Paulette Jiles as she launches News of the World! Paulette is the New York Times-bestselling author of Enemy Women, Stormy Weather, and The Color of Lightening, and has been long-listed for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Her new book, recently short-listed for the National Book Award in fiction, follows two protagonists: elderly veteran Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd and 10-year-old kidnapping victim Johanna Leonberger. Library Journal calls it a “not to be missed” Western. Paulette will be introduced by Charles Frazier, acclaimed author of Cold Mountain and Nightwoods.

Thursday, October 6 at 7 pm

THOMAS MULLEN READING & SIGNING

Thomas Mullen’s Darktown is a historical novel that follows two black police officers in 1940s Atlanta as they deal with racism from the city and the police force while investigating the murder of a black woman. When signs point to police involvement, the two must figure out how to navigate ever-murkier waters. Publishers Weekly says, “Mullen uses the lens of a twisted murder mystery to unsettle readers with his unflinching look at racism in post-WWII Atlanta.” This book is slated to become a tv adaptation starring actor Jamie Foxx. Thomas is the author of The Last Town on Earth and The Revisionist.

Friday, October 7 at 7 pm

ELLIOT MOSS LAUNCH & SIGNING

Foodies unite for the launch of Asheville’s award-winning chef, Elliot Moss’s cookbook,
Buxton Hall Barbecue's Book of Smoke: Wood-Smoked Meat, Sides, and More. Moss is an expert on Carolina pit smoking. He will be here to share some of the tasty recipes born  from years of dedicated study of the nuanced art of smoke flavoring. Fellow restaurateur Micheal (Mikey) Files will be in conversation with Elliot and they are bringing snacks to share!

Saturday, October 8 at 3:30 pm

POETRY ON REQUEST

Local poets Katherine Soniat and Tracey Schmidt are hosting this event the second Saturday of each month from 3:30-4:30 pm. Come by and have a poem written especially for you!

Saturday, October 8 at 3 pm

CONSTANCE LOMBARDO LAUNCH & SIGNING

Celebrate the release of the sequel to Constance Lombardo’s beloved Mr. Puffball book, Mr. Puffball: Stunt Cat Across America! This installment follows Mr. Puffball after he and his idol and employer, El Gato, decide to make a buddy movie that will take them across the United States. But is someone trying to sabotage their chance at fame? Check out the new book for more of Mr. Puffball’s “unflagging energy and humor” (Publisher’s Weekly)!

Sunday, October 9 at 3 pm

GLENIS REDMOND READING & SIGNING

Glenis Redmond’s What My Hand Say is a powerful poetry collection from this locally beloved author, teaching artist, and imagination activist. Born in South Carolina, Glenis made her home in Asheville for many years before moving to Greenville, SC. She imbues her poetry with a sense of place, writing with what poet Kwame Dawes calls “skill and heart…[creating] poems that are urgent, full of alarm, and marked by the realization that the best art...dares to look boldly at hard experience and still find a music in it.” Glenis founded the first Greenville Poetry Slam and is a two-time Individual Southern Fried Slam Champion. She is the founder of Peace Voices, a Cave Canem Fellow, and an NC Literary Fellowship recipient, among other accolades.

Monday, October 10 at 5:30 pm

Join Malaprop’s booksellers Linda-Marie & Cindy at the Battery Park Book Exchange for an evening of wine, coloring, and conversation! We’ll have coloring books available for 25% off, or bring your own.

We’ll supply pencils and markers.

Tuesday, October 11 at 7 pm

ANN PATCHETT READING & SIGNING at UNCA HUMANITIES LECTURE HALL--TICKETED EVENT

Ann Patchett is joining us for a reading at UNCA, and you’re invited! Get your tickets now to celebrate Commonwealth, a novel that follows two families over five decades as they negotiate love, history, and secrets kept--and revealed. The seventh work from the author Kirkus Reviews praises as “one of our finest writers” will “keep you on your toes” with its narrative, told in “lean and inviting prose.”

Wednesday, October 12 at 10 am

MARY PARRY STORYTIME

Today we will have a special election-themed storytime event with author Mary Parry and her book Sadie McGrady Runs for President.

Wednesday, October 12 at 7 pm

LIDIJA DIMKOVSKA READING & SIGNING

Macedonian poet Lidija Dimkovska’s first novel, A Spare Life, tells the story of Zlata and Srebra, twins conjoined at the head in mid-1980s Yugoslavia. As they come of age together, they must also come to terms with the movement of history itself. The recipient of a 2013 European Union Prize for Literature, she has also been a finalist for the 2013 Best Translated Book Award. The Boston Review raves that the book is “transcendent, dizzying, and not to be missed.” Lidia is also the author of the poetry collections pH Neutral History and Do Not Awaken Them With Hammers.

Thursday, October 13 at 7 pm

MEGAN SHEPHERD LAUNCH & SIGNING

Asheville author Megan Shepherd’s debut middle grade novel is The Secret Horses of Briar Hill, which critics are already lauding as a “moving, magically tinged slice of historical fiction” (Booklist). It’s the story of Emmaline, who discovers a winged horse that needs her help while convalescing from tuberculosis at a WWII-era hospital. Kirkus Reviews praises the book, saying, “Emmaline's narration is unreliable, flawlessly childlike, and deeply honest; her faith in magic brings her solace and, possibly, healing.” Megan is the author of the young adult series The Cage and The Madman’s Daughter.

Friday, October 14 at 7 pm

SW. SHRADDHANANDA (SONYA JONES) READING & SIGNING Authors for Action Event! 

Rev. Dr. Swami Shraddhananda (Sonya Jones) sets for a clear and compelling argument for non-violence in A Short Book About Killing, an examination of the ethics of killing. Investigating a number of stories and philosophies from a wide variety of perspectives, including hunters and religious leaders, Sw. Shraddhananda speaks to a serious issue of our time. Dr. Kurt Johnson, co-author of The Coming Interspiritual Age, notes that the book “brings an urgently needed perspective of wisdom, compassion, and hope.” Sw. Shraddhananda is the interspiritual Spiritual Director of Slate Branch Ashram and the Preceptor and Lineage Holder for the Community of the Mystic Heart.

Saturday, October 15 at 3 pm

ALAN GRATZ DOUBLE LAUNCH & SIGNING

One of our favorite local authors joins us to launch two new books! Alan Gratz’s latest League of Seven novel, The Monster War, pits his seven young heroes against a series of monstrous adversaries as they fight to save the world! Kirkus Reviews calls it “a fitting capstone to an epic adventure.” Alan’s Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II is a “high-action spy thriller” about a young Irish boy who joins the Hitler Youth after his parents relocate to Berlin to work undercover for the British war effort.

Sunday, October 16 at 3 pm

WRITERS AT HOME READING SERIES

Join host Tommy Hays for the monthly reading series featuring work from UNCA’s Great Smokies Writing Program and The Great Smokies Review.

Monday, October 17 at 7 pm

JONATHAN LETHEM IN CONVERSATION WITH WILEY CASH: READING & SIGNING--TICKETED EVENT

Acclaimed novelist Jonathan Lethem comes to Malaprop’s to celebrate the release of A Gambler’s Anatomy, which follows international backgammon hustler and telepath Alexander Bruno, whose undergoes a radical surgery to remove a facial tumor that may also destroy his telepathic abilities. Publishers Weekly calls it “bizarre,” “inventive,” and “well crafted.”  Jonathan is a National Book Critics Circle award winner who the author of nine novels, including Motherless Brooklyn. He will be in conversation with celebrated local author Wiley Cash, whose most recent book, This Dark Road to Mercy, was praised by Jess Walter as "a terrific, moving and propulsive novel: Harper Lee by way of Elmore Leonard."

Tuesday, October 18 at 7 pm

MARTHA STRAWN LAUNCH & SIGNING

Across the Threshold of India is Martha Strawn’s discussion and documentation of India’s tradition of threshold creation, a task passed down through generations of women that she reveals to be both mathematically intricate and aesthetically sophisticated. Scholar Mark H. Sloan of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art praises the book’s “timeless photographs,” calling it a “unique and enduring gift” to scholarship and to enthusiasts of Indian history and culture.

Wednesday, October 19 at 10 am

SPECIAL STORYTIME EVENT: FOOTLOOSE!

Join us for some fun with Footloose, a new kid’s book by Kenny Loggins featuring barn animals dancing to the hit song. We’ll dance along with the characters of the book, too!

Wednesday, October 19 at 7 pm

AN EVENING WITH OUR PUBLISHER REPRESENTATIVES!

We will be joined by a group of publisher reps for a presentation of the best books coming out in Winter 2016-17! You’ll get the exclusive early scoop on what you should be reading next, and you’ll also get some special tips about what books to buy for this upcoming holiday season! Refreshments will be provided.

Thursday, October 20 at 7 pm

SELENA EINWECHTER READING & SIGNING

As a part of our Regional Focus event, owner/innkeeper Selena Einwechter,  will present Courage is Abundant in the Abstract. This book is part memoir, part self-help and takes readers through her journey to manifest her dream of what is now Tiffany Hill Bed and Breakfast.

Friday, October 21 at 7 pm

ALISON UMMINGER READING & SIGNING

In Alison Umminger’s young adult novel American Girls, fed-up teen Anna runs away to the glitter of Hollywood to live with her older sister, an aspiring actress. Things turn dark when Anna starts research on the Manson Family girls for a project and is faced with the less than glamorous aspects of the search for fame. Booklist raves that this debut novel is “bittersweet and true...Anna’s journey to self-discovery is one that should be widely read.” Alison was the fourth woman ever to be president of National Lampoon Society at Harvard. She teaches English at the University of West Georgia.

Saturday, October 22 at 3 pm

AMY CHERRIX & TWO HOOTS PRESS LAUNCH AND SIGNING

Our bookseller Amy and her mother, Marty Keener Cherrix, are the founders of Two Hoots Press, which is set to rerelease the beloved Roaming the Mountains by John Parris. This is a gorgeous repackaged edition of a Western North Carolina classic from a Sylva native and Citizen-Times columnist. His “Roaming the Mountains” column in the Times was the basis of five books. He was a recipient of the Mountain Heritage Award, the Laurel Leaf Award of the Appalachian Consortium, and the recipient of an honorary degree from Western Carolina University.

Sunday, October 23 at 3 pm

TIM BARNWELL READING & SIGNING

Tim Barnwell’s Great Smoky Mountain Vistas is your new resource for identifying the peaks, valleys, and attractions in the Great Smokies. These details combined with Tim’s panoramic photography makes this an indispensable guide that you can take on all of your drives and hikes. Tim is the author of Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas, a favorite in our store! Phil Francis, former superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway and vice-superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, says that the book is “a great geographical reference of the entire park and is a fantastic guide.”

Monday, October 24 at 7 pm

WRITER’S COFFEEHOUSE

The Asheville/WNC Writers Coffeehouse is a monthly meeting where area writers come together to discuss the business of writing, gather shared knowledge, and network. Open to writers of all experience levels, whether you’re a New York Times-bestselling author or someone just thinking about picking up a pen and putting it to paper. Co-hosts include local authors Jake Bible, Beth Revis, Jamie Mason, and Brian Rathbone.

Wednesday, October 26 at 7 pm

BELLE BOGGS READING & SIGNING

The Art of Waiting: On Fertility, Medicine, and Motherhood is Belle Boggs’s vulnerable and personal account of her attempt to become a mother in a period when women are advised to put career first before having children. Based on her essay for Orion that went viral in 2012 and was re-published in Harper’s, the book is, according to Kirkus Reviews, “so much more than a memoir about trying to conceive…[a] deeply empathetic book about more than one woman’s challenge” and the pressures of society, whether you have a child or are childless. Belle is also the author of Mattaponi Queen, and her stories and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Ecotone, and Slate. She teaches creative writing at NC State University.

Friday, October 28 at 7 pm

MEDEA BENJAMIN READING & SIGNING

Activist author Medea Benjamin joins us once more to celebrate her new book, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection. Medea’s book tackles the issue of foreign policy and the controversial relationship between the United State and Saudi Arabia. Medea is the cofounder of the peace group CODEPINK and Global Exchange, an international human rights organization. She has published articles on The Huffington Post, AlterNet, and more. In 2014, she was the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award.

Saturday, October 29 at 11 am

STACY McANULTY READING & SIGNING

Celebrated children’s book author Stacy McAnulty’s new picture book is Beautiful, which, according to Kirkus Reviews, “shatter[s] the cultural definition of ‘beauty’ by showing young girls of all races and abilities” who are “given the space to find beauty in all kinds of ways.” From being pirates to examining insects, from planting gardens to conducting chemistry experiments, these girls are colorfully rendered by Stacy’s narrative and Joanne Lew-Vriethoff’s delightful illustrations.

Monday, October 31 at 7 pm

ANN HITE READING & SIGNING

Sleeping Above Chaos is regional author Ann Hite’s newest novel. It returns to the small town of Swannanoa Gap, a place filled with Southern ghosts, love triangles, mystery, and discovery. Protagonist Ella Ruth Allen stumbles upon her own family history after following a ghost deep into the woods, and the story follows not only her own growth, but also episodes from history, including Pearl Harbor and the Civil Rights Movement. Mary Hood, author of A Clear View of the Southern Sky, praises the book, saying that Ann’s fiction “mirrors and reflects today’s dreams and what we make of our prejudices and heritage.” This is Ann’s fourth novel.

Join a Bookclub!

Every Wednesday at 10 am

MISS MALAPROP’S STORYTIME!

Malaprop’s hosts storytime with Miss Malaprop herself! Join us every week on Wednesdays at 10 am with your wee ones for classic and contemporary stories that are sure to enchant and entertain. Together, we’ll introduce children to the wonderful world of books! Recommended for ages 3-9.

Monday, October 3 at 7 pm

LGBTQ BOOKCLUB

Join hosts and Malaprop’s booksellers Hannah Richardson and Caroline Christopoulos for the LGBTQ Bookclub! The October pick is Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh.

Tuesday, October 4 at 7 pm

WOMEN IN LIVELY DISCUSSION BOOKCLUB (WILD)

Join co-host and Malaprop’s bookseller Linda-Marie Barrett and co-host Maria Fire for the WILD Bookclub, which meets at the Battery Park Book Exchange. The October pick is My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante.

Tuesday, October 4 at 7 pm

CURRENT EVENTS BOOKCLUB

Join host Bruce Roth for a lively discussion on topics of current interest including war and peace, the economy, the environment, and other hot political topics. The October pick will be announced soon.

Wednesday, October 5 from 1 to 2 pm

AUTISM BOOKCLUB

Hosts Catherine Faherty and Carolyn Ogburn will lead a discussion of The Real Boy by Anne Ursu and Erin McGuire.

Wednesday, October 5 at 7 pm

MALAPROP’S BOOKCLUB

Host Jay Jacoby will lead a discussion of A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, edited by Eric Newby.

Monday, October 10 at 7 pm

MYSTERY BOOKCLUB

Join host Tena Frank to discuss A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny.

Tuesday, October 11 at 12 pm

DISCUSSION BOUND BOOKCLUB

Hosted by the Asheville Art Museum, this monthly discussion is a place to exchange ideas that relate to artworks and the art world. Bring your book and a brown-bag lunch to make the most of your midday break! The October pick is Visual Intelligence by Amy Herman.

Thursday, October 27 at 7 pm

WORKS IN TRANSLATION BOOKCLUB

Join host and Malaprop’s bookseller Justin Souther to discuss writers—and their literature—in translation and the cultural, political and artistic influences that mold them. The October pick is Voices from Chernobyl by Samuel Archibald.