I was walking with my dog, Azzie (short for Azalea), along a stream the other day and admiring the gorgeousness of our native mountain laurels just the other side of peak bloom. In the dappled shade below, with the water running steadily from all the rain we’ve had, I was thinking about the distinct pleasure of a cool swimming hole on a hot day.
Next month, summer is officially here and I can’t believe it. We’ll be welcoming new books into the world, as well as planning some fun activities. Below, you’ll find a little piece from the team about how we like to spend our summertime downtime. We’d love to hear your plans or favorite beach reads, too!
If you enjoy outdoor water adventures on the French Broad River, give a shout of thanks to Wilma Dykeman, who was a pioneer in environmentalism and helped create a better plan for our river so that all could enjoy its benefits. A little more about her below.
As always, if there is anything we can do for you, or to support you, please reach out. Here’s to a cool dip on a hot day in all of our futures!
—Lauren
Azzie, the best hiking buddy, for your viewing pleasure. (This was taken in January—the same spot is much greener now.)
Celebrating Wilma Dykeman
Monday, May 20th would have been the 104th birthday of environmentalist, historian, teacher, speaker, writer, and all-around phenom Wilma Dykeman. Born in 1920 on a property in North Asheville that is now protected by RiverLink, Wilma had a deep connection to water. In 1955, she published The French Broad, all about the river and watershed that she lived near (both in Asheville and Newport, TN) and loved deeply. It was part of the Rivers of America series and was the first to call out the pollution that was impacting wildlife and humans.
Though she’s not a household name, you will find Wilma Dykeman’s footprint (and name) all over Western North Carolina. There’s the Wilma Dykeman Writer-in-Residence Program at UNCA and the Wilma Dykeman Greenway, which runs opposite the New Belgium Brewery. Her legacy is broader still and includes social justice initiatives, creative writing and educational opportunities, and additional environmental impacts. For more about Wilma’s influence, check out AVL Today’s recent coverage or this article written in 2015 by Dale Neal. She’s also in the NC Writers Hall of Fame and her obituary ran in The New York Times.
On Saturday, May 25th at 11am,
we’ll be celebrating Wilma, her legacy,
and Shannon Hitchcock’s new picture book biography of her,
Of Words & Water, at Wrong Way River Lodge in Asheville.
Wilma’s son, Jim Stokely, who runs the excellent Wilma Dykeman Legacy, will be joining the event, as well as our friends from RiverLink. Wilma is considered one of the founding mothers of RiverLink and her plan for the French Broad River, put together in the 1980s, is still being used as a reference for development along the water. It even influenced Shelton Steele and Joe Balcken, who created Wrong Way.
Malaprop’s will also be selling books onsite. Come join us, grab a beverage from the wonderful cafe, and sit on one of their decks admiring the greenway and the river beyond!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
LET’S DESTIGMATIZE MENTAL ILLNESS!
If you know us well, you’ll know that Caroline, Lauren, and the Gold Leaf team are all about some mental health! While we support taking care of ourselves and each other through therapy, self care, and more, we know that there are folks out there dealing with very difficult mental health issues that some of us haven’t experienced.
Sometimes, they are our friends, parents, or children, as was the case for poet Lynnell Edwards. Her collection, The Bearable Slant of Light, is a gorgeous, sometimes roiling, but ultimately hopeful unpacking of her adult son’s journey from hospital admission to diagnoses and treatments that worked. It’s a wonderful resource for those who want to understand, from a loved one’s perspective, what it’s like to go through this and find some grace along the way.
Listen to Lynnell Edwards on WUKY’s Accents
Find Mental Health Resources at NAMI
Welcome Lauren W.!
Our fabulous Spring intern, Julia, has moved on and graduated from WCU, but we’re thrilled to welcome Lauren W. from UNCA to the team for our Summer session!
Hello everyone! My name is Lauren. I am an artist and digital media designer with 8 years of experience. I am located in Asheville, NC and will be graduating from the University of North Carolina Asheville in December 2024 with a degree in New Media Interactive Design.
I have held a passionate love for art and design throughout my life and am excited to further my journey. I view art as an opportunity to express one’s unique perspective of life to the world. I work to bring authenticity to my practice in an effort to better understand and make an impact on reality.
I have three cats, Artemis, Deku, and Shiro. In my free time I love to spend time in nature, practice spirituality, read, connect with my inner child through toys, video games, and cartoons, hike, and listen to music. I am excited to join the team!
What We Want to Do in the Sun
The summer, with its stretched time, is upon us! So, at the beach, in the mountains, or in the space of our own heads, here’s what the Gold Leaves want to read and do.
LAUREN H.
Beach Read:
I want language that keeps me rapt, wondering what turn of phrase will make something mundane into something transcendent. So probably Sandra Cisneros or Ron Rash. My favorites are the short story collections, Woman Hollering Creek and Nothing Gold Can Stay.
Summer Activities:
I’ll be camping, hitting up a music festival with one of my besties, and wrapping it up with a trip to a Ren Fair!
GRACE
Beach Read:
A classic rom com, or I love a YA novel or series for a summer read!
Summer Activities:
Getting outside in nature as much as I can, enjoying the local views, waterfalls, and swimming holes!
CAROLINE (aka CC)
Beach Read:
Anything by Beatriz Williams or Portraits and Observations by Truman Capote. Both put one in mind of mid-century lavishness and old money set in New England and New York!
Summer Activities:
We will be heading to Maine to scatter my Dad’s ashes, crying over our lobster rolls and clam boats. We follow that up with a Dad’s side family reunion in Montreal. After Montreal, my Mom, two-year-old, and our dogs will be driving over the course of a week from Western Massachusetts to Western North Carolina. It will be a beautiful and fun adventure, and will keep my Dad in mind as it’s the kind of thing he would love to do.
LAUREN W.
Beach Read:
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Summer Activities:
This summer, I am looking forward to exploring and finding good hang out spots in nature, reorganizing my room, going thrift shopping, going to Build a Bear, making art, and spending time with my fur babies. :)
Hitting Shelves Soon!
Our Bodies Electric
by Zackary Vernon
“Imagine a novel that sings like a love-drunk cross between The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Breakfast Club. Now imagine it set in the sweltering heat of lowcountry South Carolina. Now imagine it told in the spirit of Walt Whitman. Now imagine that book in your hands.”
—Mark Powell, author of The Late Rebellion
Coming June 4, 2024
Kings of Coweetsee
by Dale Neal
“As in Carson McCullers’ Ballad of the Sad Café, the genius of this novel is that it sings like a ballad: dire, sweet, and fierce, each character’s fate twisted and true.”
—Marjorie Hudson, author of Indigo Field
Coming July 23, 2024
Upcoming Events
All times are Eastern, and all events free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.
GRINDfest AVL *tickets required for some events
AB-Tech, Asheville, NC
May 24-26
Shannon Hitchcock Book Launch & Celebration of Wilma Dykeman
Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins, Asheville, NC
May 25 @ 11am
Cecil Willis Reading & Signing
Blue Ridge Books, Waynesville, NC
May 25 @ 1pm
Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe Turns 42!
Asheville, NC
June 1, All Day
Nerd Pride Fest *suggested donation
The Nerd Dungeon, Asheville, NC
June 1, 10am-4pm
Zackary Vernon Book Launch
The Awesome Space, Boone, NC
June 7
Denise Kiernan’s CRAFT with Ray Suarez
Little Jumbo, Asheville, NC
June 9 @ 4:30pm
Constance Lombardo and Shannon Hitchcock
Malaprop’s, Asheville, NC
June 10 @ 6pm
Zackary Vernon Discussion
Georgetown County Library, Georgetown, SC
June 11 @ 4pm
Blue Ridge Pride Stonewall Gala
AB-Tech, Asheville, NC
June 29 @ 5pm
Dale Neal Book Launch, featuring Sheila Kay Adams
Citizen Vinyl, Asheville, NC
July 23 @ 7pm
As always, please feel free to share this with anyone you think would enjoy it. We appreciate you and our lush literary ecosystem so much!
Connect with us on social media! @goldleafliterary
“Sometimes a body needs to move, to raise a ruckus. Sometimes a body just wants to tear the roof off a motherfucker.”
— Julia Ridley Smith