Nerd Nite Asheville presenter Tavi
By Gina Malone
If you’re seeking to engage your brain in a fun and casual way, and in a convivial and stress-free space, Nerd Nite Asheville is the ticket. Held monthly at River Arts District Brewing, the event got its start in August, 2023. Bringing this pastime held in cities around the world to Asheville was the brainchild of Von Magni. Von had experienced Nerd Nites in Los Angeles, and when they moved to Asheville, the city’s vibes indicated that it might work well here, too.
After contacting Matt Wasowski, the Boss of Nerd Nite Global, Von received a packet of information and was given the go-ahead to get the show off the ground, which meant finding a venue and a roster of presenters—and accepting the role of host. “I’ve been a performer my entire life, and have a background in comedy, theater, drag and pretty much anything else you can put on a stage,” Von says. “Hosting is something I particularly enjoy, though. I get to focus on the audience’s experience and get them involved.”
Robert “Lem” Lemery, owner of RAD Brewing, appreciates the partnership with Nerd Nite Asheville. “Brewery taprooms are more than just bars; they are stages, community centers and so much more,” he says. “We felt we were very much the right venue, we already aligned on target audiences and we felt a unique feature would help us stand out in the community. Von is a very special person who dedicates all they can (and more) into everything they do and they have impressed us with the curation and growth of this monthly event.”
In those early days, Von had to seek out presenters, who, by the way, do receive payment for their presentations. “I pestered everyone I knew who had an interesting skill,” they say. “It becomes a lot easier to fill a show like this when you think outside the box of what a subject should look like and instead think, ‘What would people drinking in a bar enjoy hearing fun facts about?’”
Through the years, (and now that presenters are booked at least six months in advance) the list of topics has ranged from parasitic worms to the electoral college, genital piercings to opera, captaining a deep-sea expedition to Polynesian culture, and there seems a never-ending promise of topics awaiting that 15-minute talk and slideshow. “It takes a certain type of personality to want to make a slideshow and present it to strangers in a bar,” says Von. “I’m always so amazed at how creative, witty and entertaining all of our presenters are.”
From left, Julianne Stickley, Dr. Amieris Lavender, Jess McLean and Jon Stickley
Jess McLean, along with her husband Arthur, has attended nearly every Nerd Nite Asheville presentation since September, 2023. “Nerd Nite is one of the most authentic spaces I’ve experienced in Asheville,” McLean says. “Experts from across our region come together to share research, ideas and imagination—and then the audience shows up ready to laugh, learn and be curious together.”
She finds the wide-ranging topics intriguing. “Every event introduces me to something completely new and often something I never would have sought out on my own,” she says, noting that Von’s sprinkling in of Star Trek clips, themes and jokes throughout the evening is also engaging. The event even gets its rallying cry, Allamaraine!, from the long-running and much-loved series.
McLean, who serves as co-executive director of Read to Succeed Asheville/Buncombe, has also presented twice on what happens in the brain as we learn to read. “The second was for Nerd Day, the family-friendly version of Nerd Nite, where the topics are geared toward kids of all ages,” she says. “Sharing science in a way that’s accessible, engaging and fun felt like a perfect fit for the Nerd Nite audience.”
Jared Rennie—a research meteorologist with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information based in Asheville—is another multi-time presenter who finds Nerd Nites a welcome opportunity to talk about science. “I treat my talks like stand-up comedy, blending funny memes with science nuggets,” he says. “Given that this is a brewery environment where heckling is encouraged, it just fit naturally for me. I have given five talks total, including what we do at NOAA, heat extremes in NC, satellites that get launched to space, and then some tough topics like Helene and what it’s like to be a federal employee these days.”
Von calls another frequent presenter, Tavi, “the perfect embodiment of this show,” both as a presenter with captivating topics and as an audience member with lots of relevant questions, and has created the Tavi Award for Doing the Absolute Most, which he has won two years in a row. A middle school teacher, Tavi has presented on 3D Printing and Armored Cosplay, Anime and Hawaiian Culture, among other topics. “Most ‘nerds’ struggle being in front of an audience and making their topic seem interesting,” he says. “Nerd Nite brings together the rare combination of people who are both vastly intelligent and incredibly social.” His May presentations, in recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—complete with singing, drum playing and spinning fire—have become a tradition.
All of the presenters agree that Nerd Nite Asheville offers a welcome escape from daily stresses, the chance to satisfy curiosity and a whole lot of laughs. “I’m proud of the success the show has achieved, but more than anything, I’m proud of what we all created together,” Von says. “There may be a lot of other Nerd Nites, but there is only one Nerd Nite Asheville, and it’s truly special.”
River Arts District Brewing is located at 13 Mystery Street, Asheville. Tickets to Nerd Nite Asheville are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, and attendees must be over the age of 18. The event is held on second Thursdays monthly, with shows starting at 7 p.m. Early arrival is recommended.
On March 12, planned topics are: What Does a Death Doula Do?; Evolution Gone Wrong; and The Mother of Hip Hop. Learn more at Asheville.NerdNite.com.
