Wed 3/11 – 7= 9:00 PM NC Writers Network and The Brandy Bar + Cocktails present ALIDA WOODS & PAIGE GILCHRIST as next in their series “In the Company of Writers.” This program offers a series of personal and conversational dialogues featuring guest writers/poets followed by an open mic forum. These inspirational gatherings will elucidate and entertain those attending. The guest authors speak from 7-8 PM with an open mic from 8 -9 PM. The original music of Bob Sherrill welcomes you, continues during intermission, and closes the evening. Sign-ups for the open mic sheet are posted at the entry.
For Alida Woods “poetry is a form of gratitude and memoir.” She notes, “My poetry will save friends and family from a cumbersome memoir about things they already know! Poems are so much shorter!” Grateful for the Western North Carolina writing community and Charlotte’s Lit’s Chapbook lab, she’s published her second book Listening for Grace Notes in 2025 (Kelsay Press). Her chapbook, Disturbing Borders, was published in 2018 by Finishing Line Press. Her poems appear in The Amsterdam Quarterly, Artemis, Great Smokies Review, Front Porch, and Smokey Blue Literary Arts Magazine. Alida retired after 30 years as a teacher and principal in the Asheville Schools and continues to live in Asheville. She coordinates North Carolina Poetry Society’s Poetry in Plain Sight project there too.
Paige Gilchrist, after years of freelance writing and editing and a decade as editorial director at Lark Books, did what any self-respecting Asheville resident would do: left it all and earned her yoga-teaching certification. She now teaches yoga, trains yoga teachers, produces audio meditations, and loves learning about and practicing poetry with the rich writing community of Western North Carolina. Her poems appear in Amethyst Review, Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, ONE ART, Rattle, Susurrus, Juniper, Kakalak and North Carolina Poetry Society’s Poetry in Plain Sight project. Her chapbook, Weep Holes, will be published by Seven Kitchens Press this fall. She was awarded First Place in the 2026 William Matthews Poetry Contest by The Asheville Review and former US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser for her poem “First Kiss.”
Thurs 3/12 – 4-9 PM – Girl Scout Cookie pairings – They are back with cookies in tow!! Don’t shun them at the doors of Walmart, Harris Teeter, Ingles, CVS, Economy Drugs, and anywhere else they can squeeze their table and cookies in. We hope you welcome them and yes, buy those cookies. This great organization was founded by Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, aiming to empower girls through outdoor activities, service, and skill-building. Originally called Girl Guides of America, it was renamed in 1913. With over 50 million alumnae, the organization has emphasized inclusivity, with early troops for African American, Native American, and Mexican American girls. We have offered the Girl Scouts a table outside our door on Thurs 3/12/26 from 4 til’ 6 so you can select your favorite box to bring in (or we will have a selection at the Bar) and join us in a pairing of cookies with your favorite drink. But here are some facts you may or may not know about the Girl Scouts: (1) the 3-finger salute represent the 3 parts of the promise: to serve God and my country, to always help people, and to live by the Girl Scout Law. (2) The first known cookie sale by a troop occurred in 1917 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. (3) The first overseas troop was established in 1925 in Shanghai, China. (4) The organization moved its headquarters from Savannah to Washington, D.C., and then to New York City in 1915. (5) Early uniforms were blue but were changed to khaki when the girls requested it and the original fabric ran out. (6) The organization received a federal charter in 1950. (7) During WWII, Scouts collected scrap metal, grew “Victory Gardens,” and worked as courier messengers. (8) Membership count for 2024-2025 was 2 million. $6 a box, preferably cash. So join us for our pairing suggestions! When you lilke is on Facebook, let us know your favorite cookie…https://www.facebook.com/TheBrandyBar/
WNC Songwriter Sessions returns Wed 3/18 – 7-9 PM – featuring Rob Simone, Chris Smith & Todd Hoke.