Friday, January 1 from 12 to 5 pm
NEW YEAR’S DAY SALE
As always, we will ring in the New Year with shortened hours and a 25%
off sale! With a few exceptions, everything in the store is 25% off.
We hope you’ll help us celebrate 2016, the love of books, and Malaprop’s 34th year in business!
Sunday, January 3 at 3 pm
POETRIO
Join us for our monthly series of readings and signings by 3 poets at
3 pm! This month will feature Phillip Barron (What Comes from a Thing), Eric Nelson (Some Wonder), and Dee Stribling (Appalachian Picture Book).
Monday, January 4 at 7 pm
SARAH ADDISON ALLEN BOOK LAUNCH & SIGNING We are excited to welcome local author Sarah Addison Allen back to celebrate the paperback launch of First Frost. Tinged with magic, it tells the story of Sarah’s beloved characters, the Waverley women of Bascom, NC. In this novel, “an ominous shadow from the past” casts its pallor over the family as they strive to keep their close connections and stay true to themselves. According to Library Journal, it’s a “beautiful, lyrical story, complete with genuine characters whose depth reflects Allen’s skill as a writer.”
Saturday, January 9 at 7 pm
SARAH KAUFMAN READING & SIGNING
Pulitzer Prize-winner Sarah Kaufman’s The Art of Grace: On Moving Well Through Life is “an insightful, intelligent examination of grace.”
Sarah, a renowned dance critic for The Washington Post, offers up an examination of grace and posits that humans are wired to appreciate its expression through art and movement. Elizabeth Gilbert notes that the book is a “thoughtful meditation” that is “both inspiring and uplifting.”
Sunday, January 10 at 5 pm
WIL WELDON PRESENTATION
Videojournalist Wil Weldon hails from Durham, NC, and has created an astonishing variety of documentary, nonfiction, and experimental pieces, including his homage to the late great Southern Man of Letters, Reynolds Price. A graduate of Duke, Weldon was Price’s student, then after graduating became his full-time, live-in assistant. As Weldon himself says of the experience, “Little time was required before I knew that there was truly no limit to the wisdom I could glean from [Price].” In Pass It On, Weldon shares his friend and mentor’s passion for writing, art, and life. Weldon’s other pieces include three full-length documentaries on his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, his brother’s conversion to Sufi Islam, and his most recent work, a series of short documentaries on the urban gardens of Barcelona. A world traveler and a polyglot, Wil’s goal is to captivate and challenge his viewers through the medium of film.
Thursday, January 14 at 7 pm
SIMRAN SETHI DISCUSSION, TASTING & SIGNINGJournalist, author, and educator Simran Sethi’s recent book Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love, “looks at ways in which monoculture and an increasingly standardized global diet put food systems in peril and leave crops vulnerable to blight and climate change,” according to The Wall Street Journal. The Boston Globe says, “unlike many other recent books that cover some of the same territory, what sets Sethi’s work apart is her joyous, generous attitude toward the human appetite.” One of the UK’s Independent eco-heroes, Sethi was also named one of the top eight women saving the planet by Marie Claire magazine. She will be joined by Jennifer Lapidus of Carolina Ground Flour and other local food activists and the event will include a bread tasting.
Friday, January 15 at 7 pm
FREDA LOVE SMITH READING & SIGNING
Red Velvet Underground, Freda Love Smith’s new book, is part rock-n-roll memoir and part cookbook. Smith, now a food columnist for Paste, is best known as the drummer and cofounder of bands such as the Blake Babies, Antenna, and the Mysteries of Life. Her former bandmate, Juliana Hatfield, calls Red Velvet Underground “sweet, unsentimental scenes from the ever-evolving life of a woman of many shifting and balancing roles: mother, wife, drummer, student, teacher, friend, daughter, food enthusiast.” Smith lives in Illinois and teaches in the School of Communication at Northwestern University.
Saturday, January 16 at 3 pm
CANDIDE JONES READING & SIGNING
Local author Candide Jones’s In the Tree Top is a beautiful reimagining of the classic lullaby “Rock-a-Bye Baby.” Written by Jones with beautiful illustrations by watercolorist Steve Emery, it’s a timeless book that has something for everyone, including hidden animals you and your child can look for as you read. Kirkus praises the book’s “tender new verses and delicate watercolor paintings.” A portion of sales go to benefit child abuse prevention and animal welfare non-profits. Jones is a writer and editor as well as an animal welfare and community advocate.
Sunday, January 17 at 3 pm
KRISTINA HORTON READING & SIGNING
Local author and elementary school teacher Kristina Horton discusses her new biography about her great-grandmother, Ella May Wiggins. Ella May, instrumental to organizing both white and black workers at the mill, was murdered in broad daylight with many witnesses, but no one was ever held accountable for the crime. After discovering a newspaper clipping in some family papers, Horton launched into extensive research about Ella May. Martyr of Loray Mill: Ella May and the 1929 Textile Workers’ Strike in Gastonia, North Carolina is “infused with an intense and passionate curiosity” according to the Charlotte Observer.
Monday, January 18 at 7 pm
WRITER’S COFFEEHOUSE WITH JAKE BIBLE
Join us for our inaugural meeting from 7-9 pm! 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. The meeting is 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. Come and spend time with like-minded people that love the art and business of writing.
Tuesday, January 19 at 7 pm
STEVE SCHAPIRO DISCUSSION & SIGNING
Steve Schapiro’s book Bliss is a loving and extensive look at transformational festivals, specifically “Bliss Ninnies,” a subculture of the contemporary neo-hippie movement whose members reach ecstatic states through meditation and dance. It’s a gorgeous collection of photographs that celebrate life in all of its forms. Steve is a renowned photojournalist who famously documented Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s. His pictures have been on the cover of Vanity Fair, Time, Sports Illustrated, and People, as well as in many museum collections, including the Smithsonian Museum and the High Museum of Art.
Wednesday, January 20 at 7 pm
ALEXANDRA BRACKEN READING & SIGNING
NY Times-bestselling YA author Alexandra Bracken has created a time-traveling adventure that spans the centuries in Passenger. The first of a new series, it’s the story of teen Etta Spencer, whose debut as a violin soloist is cut short by unforeseen events that launch her into a space- and time-bending saga that is filled with danger, romance, and thrills. Publisher’s Weekly calls it “sweeping,”
“clever,” and “well-crafted.” Alexandra is the author of the popular Darkest Minds series.
Friday, January 22 at 7 pm
LUKE HANKINS READING & SIGNING
Local poet, editor, and translator Luke Hankins shares his meditations on literature, art, aesthetics, ethics, religion, and the life of the spirit in The Work of Creation: Selected Prose. Taking the form of criticism, essays, and interviews, Hankins’ work “sets out to revalidate and reposition the poet’s work as part of a more fundamental set of contemporary challenges: to seek the genuine in the fractured, divine union in uncertainty, magnanimity in despair,”
according to Bruce Bond (Immanent Distance: Poetry and the Metaphysics of the Near at Hand). Hankins is the founder and editor of Orison Books and Senior Editor at Asheville Poetry Review. He is the author of Weak Devotions, a collection of poems, and Poems of Devotion: An Anthology of Recent Poets.
Saturday, January 23 at 7 pm
ANN HITE READING & SIGNING
Regional author Ann Hite spins a tale of family lore, mystery, and the supernatural in Where the Souls Go, which follows the legacy of the Pritchard family of Black Mountain. Set deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it’s the story of Annie Todd, who is visited by spirits who teach her about her own family’s history. The narrative spans three generations of women whose tenacity and grace is highlighted through Ann’s dynamic storytelling. The Huffington Post notes: “Once you start
. . . Where the Souls Go you will be entrapped [and] you will just want the story to go on and on.”
Sunday, January 24 at 5 pm
WORKSHOP & SIGNING WITH BETH REVIS
Bestselling local Young Adult author Beth Revis will be joining us to celebrate her book Paper Hearts Vol. I: Some Writing Advice and to lead a writing workshop! Guaranteed to “spark your imagination and get your hands back on the keyboard,” it’s a down-to-earth, practical, and fun writing guide that offer something for everyone. Beth is the author of the acclaimed Universe series, which was celebrated as “fast-paced,” “action-packed,” “unforgettable,” and “entirely original.”
Monday, January 25 at 7 pm
TAYLOR BROWN READING & SIGNING
Regional author Taylor Brown’s debut novel, Fallen Land, is an “evocative” and “nail-biting” tale of a horse thief in the final years of the Civil War. Booklist raves: “Picaresque in style, tracing . . .
wanderings from danger to devastation with photographic precision and a stunning descriptive style reminiscent of a mournful ballad, this historical novel bleeds sorrow and regret. And the reader cannot look away or forget.” Taylor is the recipient of the Montana Prize in Fiction, and his work has been represented in over twenty publications. His short story, “The Season of Blood and Gold,” was a finalist in the short story category of the 2015 International Book Awards and became the first chapter of this book.
Thursday, January 28 at 7 pm
LINDSAY STARCK READING & SIGNING
In her new novel Noah’s Wife, NC-based author Linsday Starck crafts a contemporary allegory about a sea-side town “dealing with human folly in the face of nature’s ungovernable force.” Set in a village that has lost faith as rain has beaten down on it continuously for years, it follows the story of exuberant minister Noah and his unnamed wife, who arrive with a vision to save the local zoo’s animals. Along the way, they meet a cast of unforgettable characters that make this “a riveting fable.” Lindsay is the editor in chief of Carolina Quarterly and she teaches Creative Writing at UNC Chapel Hill.
Friday, January 29 at 7 pm
ANN McMAN, CYNN CHADWICK, AND LORI HORVITZ DISCUSSION & SIGNING Lesbian fiction and humor writer Ann McMan hails from Winston-Salem, NC. The author of five novels and two short story collections, her latest novel is Backcast. UNCA professor Cynn Chadwick is the author of more than seven books, including Girls with Hammers. She is also the founder of Napping Porch Press. Lori Horvitz’s memoir, The Girls of Usually, is an exploration of cultural, ethnic, and sexual identity. Her fiction has appeared in many publications, including the edited collections Boomer Girls and Dear John, I Love Jane. She also teaches at UNCA.
Saturday, January 30 at 7 pm
KEVIN HEARNE READING & SIGNING
Join us for an evening with bestselling fantasy author Kevin Hearne, whose new book, Staked, is an entry in his wildly popular Iron Druid Chronicles, a series praised as “outrageously fun,” “razor-sharp,” and full of “zap-pow-bang fighting!” This book finds dreamy Irish hero Atticus O’Sullivan, a 2,000-year-old Druid, saving the world from vampires. It’s all in a day’s work for our heartthrob protagonist, who is celebrated as “one of the best main characters currently in the urban fantasy genre.”