February events at Malaprop’s include a Pulitzer finalist and Decemberists singer

Malaprop’s Bookstore & Café, located at 55 Haywood St. in Asheville, announces events scheduled throughout the month of February.  For more information on any of these events, please visit

Veteran Minnesota writer Wendy Webb will discuss her newest tale of paranormal suspense, The Vanishing. Kirkus Reviews calls it “[a] brisk thriller tinged with gothic elements” and continues, “… Careening through séances and ghostly encounters leaves the reader breathless.” 

Her second novel, The Fate of Mercy Alban, is a staff pick and her first novel, The Tale of Halcyon Crane won a Minnesota Book Award. She is editor of Duluth — Superior Magazine.

Join Malaprop’s for readings and signings by Kathy Ackerman (Coal River Road), Melissa Crowe (Girl Giant), and Vievee Francis (Horse in the Dark).

Learn about the Enneagram System as panels of Enneagram types speak to their experience of their particular personality style. Certified Enneagram consultant Sandra Smith introduces basic concepts of the Enneagram and explores the gifts and challenges of each type.

John Pritchard joins us to discuss Sailing to Alluvium, his follow up to his previous novels Junior Ray and The Yazoo Blues. Dark, funny, profane, and set in the unmistakable Mississippi Delta, Pritchard’s novels have won praise as “hilariously tasteless” (Harry Crews) and “so beautiful, in fact, that it will make anyone who has ever aspired to fiction writing weep with envy” (The Tunica Times).

Deborah Johnson signs copies of her new novel, The Secret of Magic. 

Robert Hicks, New York Times-bestselling author of Widow of the South and A Separate Country says, “Like The South she tragically portrays, The Secret of Magic is a layered tale of the best and worst of our history, beautifully wrought by a master storyteller.”

Philipp Meyer’s second novel, The Son, has book lovers and culture makers across the globe calling it one of The Great American Novels. 

 From our own Charles Frazier, who says, “Meyer tackles large movements of American history and culture yet also delivers page-turning delights of story and character,” to The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), which says, “The Son is to literature what Goya is to painting,” the novel has captured the imagination of a wide range of readers. Meyer is the author of the novel American Rust, among other things, and he worked as a derivatives trader for UBS and an EMT in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

A professional cellist and writer, Chicago author Edward Kelsey Moore shares his novel about friendship, The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat. The book was selected by the BBC Radio2 Book Club in the UK and Library Journal says, “The author uses warmhearted humor and salty language to bring to life a tight-knit African-American community.” Moore’s stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times and on NPR, among others. He has also played with the likes of the Chicago Philharmonic , the Joffrey Ballet Orchestra, and on tour around the globe.

Malaprop’s is excited to host Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, the husband-and-wife team behind the magical, engrossing books of the Wildwood series! Blending their artistic talents since they met in college, Colin Meloy, songwriter and lead singer of The Decemberists, and Carson Ellis, artist and official illustrator for the band, create an unforgettable realm in Wildwood. The books are staff favorites, New York Times bestsellers, and beloved by people of all ages all over the place. Tickets to the event are $15 and include a coupon for $5 off the price of the new book, Wildwood Imperium, which expires on 2/9/14.  A Malaprop’s receipt for Wildwood Imperium is required to get in the signing line. Please come jump up and down with us!

Please join Malaprop’s for this wonderful opportunity to meet local small press and self published authors! Several authors from the area will present and discuss their recent work, take questions, and sign books.

A panel of women-in-the-know will discuss science fiction and young adult novels here at Malaprop’s! Joining us are the stellar: Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman, authors of These Broken Stars, which was named Best Overall Book in The Huffington Post’s Best Young Adult Books of 2013; Jodi Meadows, author of the Incarnate series, the most recent of which is Infinite; and Lissa Price, whose new novel, Enders, completes the story begun in Starters.

It was a match made in heaven…well, actually a bookstore! You’ve trusted your booksellers to help you ride off into the sunset with the perfect book. This Valentine’s Day we are taking our matchmaking to the next level. Bring your current or favorite book and meet other readers for a lively hour of speed-dating hosted by booksellers Justin and Erin. Registration required, so we can make sure there’s someone for everyone to check out (library pun intended). Email justin@malaprops.comto fill out a short questionnaire and register.

Please join host Tommy Hays for this monthly series featuring work from the Great Smokies Writing Program at UNCA.

Mike Gerhardt, Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at UNC-Chapel Hill, will share some of the most interesting stories from his new book, The Forgotten Presidents, on the under-appreciated constitutional impact of several former leaders. He will also talk about which presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan modeled their respective presidencies on and how presidents that are rarely studied actually shaped the conflicts we read about today between the President and Congress.

Fall in love with young adult literature at Malaprop’s! The lovely ladies of the The Lovestruck Tour–Megan Shepherd, Megan Miranda, Robin Constantine, and Kasie West–make a stop in Asheville to talk about their new books. Asheville’s own Megan Shepherd is the author of The Madman’s Daughter and now Her Dark Curiosity. Megan Miranda is the author of Fracture, Hysteria, and Vengeance. Robin Constantine is the author of The Promise of Amazing, and Kasie West is the author of Pivot Point, The Distance Between Us, and Split Second.

Cofounder of the Prama Institute in Marshall, NC, Ramesh Bjonnes shares his recent book Sacred Body, Sacred Spirit: A Personal Guide to the Wisdom of Yoga and Tantra. Bjonnes is a certified yoga health educator, a popular yoga columnist for the award-winning Elephant Journal, and a lecturer on yoga philosophy and history to yoga teachers and students across the US.

Local author Martha Graybeal Rowlett will sign copies of her book, Weaving Prayer into the Tapestry of Life, just in time for Lent.

Dr. Susan Harlan of Wake Forest University will curate this series of Shakespeare Salon discussions. Each month, Dr. Harlan will lead a conversation about a different Shakespeare play. This month we are kicking it off with As You Like It. Please join us!

Malaprop’s is thrilled to welcome back award-winning author and illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton! In honor of Black History Month, she will present her latest picture book, We Shall Overcome, which brings the iconic and enduring song alive with her bright and evocative illustrations. Brantley-Newton is the author and illustrator of Let Freedom Sing and illustrator of The Girl Who Heard Colors, One Love, and Every Little Thing. Recommended for ages 4-8.

Based on her book Braving the Fire: A Guide to Writing About Grief and Loss, Atlanta author Jessica Handler will offer a mini writing workshop. Handler is also the author of the memoir Invisible Sisters, which was named a Best Memoir of 2009 by Atlanta Magazine and one of

25 Books All Georgians Should Read by the Georgia Center for the Book. 

Author Ann Hood said of Invisible Sisters, “heartbreaking and hopeful…[t]his book is a gift.”

Discuss the spiritual meanings of solitude with Kevin Lewis, University of South Carolina Professor of Religious Studies. Paul Kane of Vassar College writes: “As a term, lonesomeness has not had much traction in the discourse of the humanities, but Lewis is keen to establish it as a genuine concept. Key to this concern, or perhaps enthusiasm, is his perception that lonesomeness is not just an affect, a homegrown version or variety of loneliness, but rather a positive condition of possibility for religious experience.”

Local author Catherine Reid shares her new book, Falling into Place: 

An Intimate Geography of Home. Library Journal says Falling into Place “will be savored by those who relish reading beautifully written essays about natural history and environmental concerns, as well as by readers who enjoy memoirs.” The author of Coyote: Seeking the Hunter in our Midst and the director of the undergraduate Creative Writing program at Warren Wilson College, Reid is also a NEA Creative Writing Fellow and the recipient of a NC Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award.

Writer, teacher, and psychic Paul Selig discusses his most recent channeled text, The Book of Knowing and Worth. This is the culmination of his trilogy begun with I Am the Word and The Book of Love and Creation. Recently featured in New York Magazine as one of NYC’s top clairvoyants, he holds a Master’s Degree from Yale, directs the MFA program in Creative Writing at Goddard College, and serves on the faculty at NYU.

 From the author of the novel Swamplandia!–a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize–comes a magical and uniquely daring collection of stories that showcases the author’s gifts at their inimitable best. 

Vampires in the Lemon Grove, which came out in hardcover in 2013, was a Washington Post Notable Book and a Best Book of the Year according to O, The Oprah Magazine, Huffington Post, and the A.V. Club. It is also a Malaprop’s Staff Favorite. Karen will be interviewed on the Malaprop’s stage by Greta Johnsen, Morning Edition host and news reporter for WCQS in Asheville, NC and the co-host of WBEZ’s Nerdette Podcast. Tickets to the event are $10 and include a coupon for $5 off of Vampires in the Lemon Grove. A booksigning and wine and cheese reception will follow the event.