This full-bodied, 5-week poetry series will guide participants from "Ooof, poetry" to "Where's my journal?!" by buoying artistic play and cultivating attention. We'll take notice of neon color palettes, everyday coffee-shop conversation, rhythmic twitches in the body, the gruff and warm-hearted voice of life, and see what happens when we revolutionize those noticings into language. […]

An empty page is a lot like an empty stage. Many people who want to draw are stopped by self-consciousness and comparison. Even working artists and performers can become rigid, disconnected from spontaneity. In this 2-day workshop, we'll employ the values of improvisation to increase creative confidence and encourage play. We'll cover things like: - […]

Join us Sunday, June 28, 2-3:30pm at the Story Parlor for a free info session exploring our upcoming Creative Facilitator certification pathways: the Fall Intensive Cohort (September–December 2026) and the Monthly Immersion Cohort (September 2026–April 2027). This interactive gathering is an opportunity to learn more about the heart of the training, meet past graduates, ask […]

June 20 & 21 | 1:00 - 4:00 PM | Story Parlor In improv, the moment you try to “win” the scene, you often lose the thing that matters most: connection. This two-day improv workshop focuses on letting go of control, negotiation, and performance instincts so you can create scenes that feel honest, alive, and […]

ALLI MARSHALL launches her new novelette The Persephone Project with a reading, book signing, Persephone-inspired music, treats, and surprises. Dress as your inner goddess! Flower crowns appreciated.
 Sunday, June 7, 1-3 p.m. at Story Parlor Free event as part of Story Parlor’s Sunday Sessions! About the book: A contemporary retelling of the Persephone myth in […]

The next Juniper Bends reading is set for Friday, December 5, at Story Parlor. Readers are: RK Faulk, Lindsey Pharr, Brinn Langdale, and Alli Marshall, with music by special guest MAR. The theme for the evening is Metamorphosis and Transformation. 
Doors at 7 p.m. and show at 7:30. Seating is limited so grab your tickets […]

Juniper Bends returns with our fall event, celebrating the Autumn Equinox. Join us for an evening of poetry, fiction, CNF, and music at Story Parlor. Friday, September 19. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. $18. Students can attend for free with proof of current student ID, but MUST RSVP at the ticketing link. […]

Join writers and storytellers from Western North Carolina to celebrate, cry, and connect through stories about bodily autonomy. Think stories of birth, abortion, miscarriage, transition, gender identity, race, and all their intersections—stories that center the essential nature of bodily autonomy to our humanity.

Night 3 | The Book of Evocation The final installment enters the dreamworld of a young child on the edge of understanding. Through the lens of two reimagined Chinese creation myths, The Book of Evocation explores the vulnerability, wonder, and failure that often accompany the creative act. As worlds flicker into form and fall apart […]

“Sonic Shadows” brings to life the timeless romance between Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che, 141 BC–87 BC) and his beloved concubine, Lady Li. After Lady Li’s passing, a courtier’s shadow puppet play comforted the grieving emperor, becoming his favorite pastime. Now, witness Hobey Ford’s masterful puppetry as his creative figures come to life, moving […]

Night 2 | The Book of Convocation The second performance draws the audience into a mythic gathering—a convocation of old and new stories in conversation with one another. Here, elemental forces clash and yield, and from their tension, new worlds take shape. The Book of Convocation invites participants to step inside this mythic conversation—where the […]

“An old king, with hairs of white, steps through a magical doorway to recover the pieces of the firebird — a splendid yet enigmatic being who holds the keys to his freedom – and his heart.” Wandering bards Mica Sun and Samara Jade bring a uniquely original (and yet ancient and familiar) marriage of oral […]

Night 1 | The Book of Invocation The opening chapter of the Becomyth trilogy sets the stage with a theatrical meditation on the chaos of beginnings—where nothing is certain, and everything is possible. Against the backdrop of a world on the brink, two original creation myths converge, tracing the fragile yet forceful movements that bring […]

Join us for an evening of heartfelt connection and creative exchange as Shunyu Huang, former Story Parlor Artist-in-Residence, invites a guest from Asheville’s BIPOC community—who, in turn, brings a friend of their own—to the table. The first half of the evening is a relaxed roundtable conversation where the trio, over a shared pot of tea, […]

LET'S MAKE ART! For ages 6-12 Join us for two weeks of affordable art classes for elementary-aged kids! Drop-off is encouraged, making it an ideal option for homeschoolers, unschoolers, and after-school programs. SLIDING SCALE: $5-$20/class, but NOTAFLOF Monday 03/31+04/07 – COLLAGE AND MIXED MEDIA w/ Corona Fine Art Tuesday 04/01+08 – GRAFFITI STICKERS w/ Destro […]

Juniper Bends returns with our spring event, celebrating Renewal & Growth. Join us for an evening of poetry, fiction, CNF, and music at Story Parlor. Friday, March 7. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. $16 in advance / $20 day of event. Students can attend for free with proof of current student ID, […]

Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse, here come the Holidays breathing down our necks. Sure, it starts out nice, pretty decorations, warm feelings, but all that slowly starts to crumble as we stress ourselves to the brink searching for the perfect gift, or not being able to escape our weird family, or […]