asheville social and community building resources
General ideas for socializing/being with people:
BumbleBFF
Volunteering
Classes at ABTech (recreational/continuing ed classes)
Sports league (ASSC, Highland Volleyball league)
Faith-based or spiritual community (find a church, ABCCM, Jewish Community Center, Islamic Center of Asheville)
Buncombe County Library events
Language conversation clubs (Spanish Language Wednesday evenings in Black Mountain, (Winter Weds. 6-7 at Peri Social House in Black Mountain on State Street. In summer/warmer months at Black Mountain Brewing. You can contact Michelle at languageinactionwnc@gmail.com to be added to the email list and WhatsApp group)
Dancing/Ecstatic dance (Asheville Movement Collective, Pole or dance classes at Dance Club Asheville)
Board game clubs - Bored Game Geeks, Asheville Board Game Club
Craft Circles - at Vintage Kava Wednesday Evenings
Seek Healing Listening circles - group therapy adjacent but less “therapy” like
Haywood Famous - sober/alcohol free evening coffee shop with events like silent book club, knit night, open mic night
YMI Cultural Center events: https://www.ymiculturalcenter.org/events
Firestorm Bookstore: Liberation and abolition-centered queer, feminist collective with books and events
AVL Digital Nomads: A community of remote workers, hybrid, traveling nomads, freelance and solo entrepreneurs. Helping remote workers thrive by fostering connection, facilitating collaboration, and generating local community impact: https://avldigitalnomads.org
LGBTQ specific:
*(this section is from Authentic AVL)*
Asheville City Soccer Club Pride Night
Asheville Instameet: A free photography event. The idea is to gather a group of people together with the very loose goals of making new friends and making new pictures. No special photography equipment is needed and the event is open to all skill levels.
Asheville Drag Brunch: The incredibly talented, funny, and entertaining DIVINE, the Bearded Lady, and her friends frequently team up to put on one of THE best drag shows in the Asheville area.
Blue Ridge Pride Festival: The annual Blue Ridge Pride Festival is a family-friendly event for all of Western North Carolina. Allies are welcome. You can expect music, entertainment, food, lots of vendors, floats, a parade, and an all-out celebration of the LGBTQ community. Volunteers are always needed, click here for more info. This event typically occurs in the fall.
Chow Chow’s Pride Brunch: Chow Chow is three weekends full of food and fun that celebrates the food culture in the region.
Krewe de Pride: Asheville has its own little Mardi Gras celebration and members of the LGBTQ community can participate by joining the Krewe de Pride team (aka Blue Ridge Pride) and being part of the parade downtown. For more information, click here. This event occurs in the winter.
Lizard Bookclub: The Lizard Bookclub, a part of Youth OUTright, is a space that aims to connect young queer people with literature that reflects and expresses their communities and selves. The club meets online on the last Sunday, every other month. Completing the book is not required to join the space.
Miss and Mister Gay Latina Asheville: Once a year a pageant occurs in downtown Asheville at the Diana Wortham Center for the Performing Arts.
Youth OUTright Queer Prom: a queer prom for all LGBTQ+ youth ages 14-20
Trans in the South: A Directory of Trans-Affirming Health and Legal Service Providers
Abortion support:
other resources we love to share with our clients
Books:
Group: How One Therapist and a Group of Strangers Saved my life, by Christie Tate
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A therapist, HER therapist, and lives revealed, by Lori Gottlieb
It’s Called a Breakup Because it’s Broken, by Greg Behrendt and Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt
Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence, by Esther Perel
Set Boundaries, Find Peace, by Nedra Glover Tawwab
Come As You Are, by Emily Nagoski
It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcisstic People, by Ramani Durvasula, PhD
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
It Didn’t Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle, by Mark Wolynn
Podcasts:
Where should we Begin?
The Anxious Truth
The Mental Illness Happy Hour
Coping with Ghosting
Self Help-less
Heavyweight
Workbooks:
Attachment Theory Workbook for Couples: Excercises to Strengthen and Grow your Relationships, by Elizabeth Gillette, LCSW
The Set Boundaries Workbook: Practical Exercises for Understanding Your Needs, by Nedra Glover Tawwab