Free micro-festival
Musical Acts: The Get Down Junkies, Natti Love Joys, and BEMI Music.
Stilt-walking Gulf fritillary butterfly, attend a solar tour or
homesteading workshop, visit local vendors, and unwind in the health &
wellness zone. All ages are welcome.
Meet the team and learn how to get involved for our Solar Festival in
August at the local Music Camp.

Get Off The Grid Fest Charrette
Free micro-festival
Musical Acts: The Get Down Junkies, Natti Love Joys, and BEMI Music.
Stilt-walking Gulf fritillary butterfly, attend a solar tour or
homesteading workshop, visit local vendors, and unwind in the health &
wellness zone. All ages are welcome.
Meet the team and learn how to get involved for our Solar Festival in
August at the local Music Camp.

We are offering this FREE micro-festival to kick off GET OFF THE GRID FEST. Enjoy live music by The Get Down Junkies, Nattie Love Joys and Bemi & Friends. Witness a stilt-walking Gulf fritillary butterfly, attend a solar tour or sustainability workshop, visit local vendors, and unwind in the health & wellness zone. Anyone who registers in advance will be entered to win a pair of tickets to GET OFF THE GRID FEST! Be part of the change as we envision together, “What’s the best that can happen?” All ages are welcome.

Join us on Tuesday, April 25th at 5:30 pm for an In Conversation event with author Matthew Vollmer. He’ll be chatting with about his book All of Us Together in the End.

All Of Us Together In The End is a lyrical examination of transformation after loss, by a writer the New York Times calls “irresistible” and “utterly convincing.” We’re excited to have Matthew in store with us and can’t wait to hear all about his writing processes, what inspires him, and ask questions about his book.

So don’t miss out on this free event!

BOOK SUMMARY

Vollmer’s family memoir shimmers with wonder and enchantment and begins with the death of his mother from early-onset Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Soon after, flashing lights and floating orbs appear in the woods surrounding his family’s home in rural North Carolina, where his widowed father lives. Formative memories of having been raised in the Seventh-day Adventist church resurge in Vollmer’s mind, hastening self-reexamination and reckoning.

He corresponds with a retired geology professor about “ghost lights,” which supposedly occur more in North Carolina than any other American state. He scrolls TikTok. He contacts an eccentric shaman who lives in Spain to have transcendental psychotherapy administered over Zoom. And then Jolene emerges, a woman endeared for decades to Vollmer’s father, holding secrets to their family’s past.

Amidst the turmoil and loneliness of the pandemic, All of Us Together in the End is a poignant and often humorous investigation into belief set in a time where it seems people will believe anything. It is an elegiac affirmation of the awesome, strange, otherworldly ways our loved ones remain alive to us, even when they are out of reach.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Vollmer is the author of two short-story collections as well as three collections of essays. He was the editor of A Book of Uncommon Prayer, which collects invocations from over 60 acclaimed and emerging authors, and served as co-editor of Fakes: An Anthology of Pseudo-Interviews, Faux-Lectures, Quasi-Letters, “Found” Texts, and Other Fraudulent Artifacts. His work has appeared in venues such as Paris Review, Glimmer Train, Ploughshares, Tin House, Oxford American, The Sun, The Pushcart Prize anthology, and Best American Essays. He teaches in the English Department at Virginia Tech and lives in Blacksburg, VA.

REVIEWS

“Matthew Vollmer thinks too much. I’m glad, for I’m probably not thinking enough most days. All of Us Together in the End is an honest missive addressed to hope, regret, childhood, faith, truth, parenting, and the paranormal. And Love, with all its mysteries. It’s an insightful, beautiful memoir that I’ll remember forever.”
—George Singleton, author of You Want More: Selected Stories

“This engaging what’s-in-the-woods puzzle elegantly probes the questions that characterize deep relationships and deeper mysteries.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“All of Us Together in the End is an unforgettable record of ‘a purposeful journey’ that became ‘a collision with the ineffable.’” —Rebecca Foster, Foreword Reviews, Starred Review

We are so excited to spend an evening talking about the highly anticipated new thriller from the USA Today and #1 bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and One of Us Is Dead author Jeneva Rose! Colleen Hoover herself says You Shouldn’t Have Come Here is “Everything I want in a thriller. Sexy, shocking, and tense with an ending I never saw coming.” We’ll enjoy a cocktail as we listen to Jeneva talk about her book and her writing process. Join us!

Your ticket includes admission, a cocktail, and a copy of the book.

BOOK SUMMARY

Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives at the idyllic getaway, she’s pleased to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells—and he’s eager to introduce her to his easygoing way of life. But there are things Grace discovers that she’s not too pleased about: A lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn’t right with the ranch.

Despite her uneasiness, the two bond and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things change for the worse. What began as a playful romance soon turns into a complicated web of lies. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to have morphed to obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him—including her reason for staying at his ranch to begin with. Vacation flings typically end in heartbreak, but for Grace and Calvin, it’ll be far more destructive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeneva Rose is the internationally bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and One of Us Is Dead. Her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages and optioned for film and television. Originally from Wisconsin, she currently lives in Chicago with her husband, Drew, and her English bulldog, Winston.

REVIEWS

“Everything I want in a thriller. Sexy, shocking, and tense with an ending I never saw coming. Jeneva Rose is the queen of twists.”Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A page-turner from start to finish with a whiplash of a twist ending, Rose has cemented her place as a must-read author for fans of domestic thrillers. Sexy, sizzling, and suspenseful.”Jennifer Hillier, USA Today bestselling author of Things We Do in the Dark and Little Secrets
“Jeneva Rose’s latest is a cat-and-mouse thriller, rustic Airbnb style. Throw in sexy romantic tension between narrators Grace and Calvin, and you have an unputdownable story where the suspense accelerates with every page turned. The twist at the end is brilliantly unexpected. This story will make you think twice about your next vacation rental, and about being a host. Sexy, shocking suspense.” Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author
“A dark, suspenseful psychological thriller with a great premise and masterful use of twists. Rarely have I read a book where I have switched allegiance with characters so frequently and still got my prediction wrong. It’s a pitch-perfect sinister read and begging for a sequel.”John Marrs, USA Today bestselling author of The One
“[An] intriguing thriller…A sinister undercurrent runs throughout, and while the reader is privy to each narrator’s thoughts, there are a few land mines buried along the way to the surprise ending. Rose should win new fans with this one.”Publishers Weekly

The Soiree will return in 2023 – a signature arts festival that electrified the streets of downtown Anderson from 1985 – 2009. During that time, the Soirée distinguished itself as one of the first, and finest, arts festivals in our region. The 2022 Soirée continued the same standard of excellence with a focus on visual, culinary, and performing arts. 

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This community-led festival, hosted by the City of Anderson, will provide an entertaining two-day cultural experience attracting visitors from near and far. Visitors will enjoy live performances with multiple stages, visual artists selling original handcrafted works and delicious food prepared by some of Anderson’s finest chefs. It is fun for the whole family with creative activities planned especially for children and the young at heart! 

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The Soirée is coordinated by the City of Anderson with support from community volunteers. 

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The Simpsonville Farmers Market is an open-air market held on in-season Saturdays in the heart of downtown Simpsonville. Our vendors are local farmers and artisans, and unlike others in the area we plan and run our own market each year. We feature an array of products from the expected seasonal fruits and vegetables, to eggs and artisan cheeses, locally roasted coffee, eggs and meat, health and beauty care, and much more. What was a small affair in 2010 has now grown into a celebrated market known locally for its high quality and variety.

There is a lot to choose from, so make sure you bring your reusable shopping bags!

The Soiree will return in 2023 – a signature arts festival that electrified the streets of downtown Anderson from 1985 – 2009. During that time, the Soirée distinguished itself as one of the first, and finest, arts festivals in our region. The 2022 Soirée continued the same standard of excellence with a focus on visual, culinary, and performing arts. 

​

This community-led festival, hosted by the City of Anderson, will provide an entertaining two-day cultural experience attracting visitors from near and far. Visitors will enjoy live performances with multiple stages, visual artists selling original handcrafted works and delicious food prepared by some of Anderson’s finest chefs. It is fun for the whole family with creative activities planned especially for children and the young at heart! 

​

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The Soirée is coordinated by the City of Anderson with support from community volunteers. 

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Learn more about more than 40 countries from representatives at each booth. Enjoy native performances and perhaps even give the musical instruments a try yourself.

Grab a snack from one of the many vendors on the City Park promenade or a food truck. You’ll find everything from gyros to fajitas here!

Children will love the arts and crafts activities representing various countries. From making native masks to showing off henna tattoos, the Greer Goes Global International Festival is for kids of all ages.

You want to get into horror but you don’t know where to start. This is your sign. This is an intensive, boot campy, crash course 4 week program that will throw you head first into reading, writing, talking, screaming, digesting, sweating, and bleeding horror content. It’s going to be a blast!

We will meet on the following Thursdays: May 4, 11, 18, 25 from 7-9PM EST. Over those 4 weeks, participants will read a number of stories from various subgenres with the intent to identify tools and techniques used by the author. Implementing lessons and notes from class, students will workshop one story they’re passionate about over the duration of the course. At the end you’re going to have a story you’re proud of, but also you will have had a little tapas of what horror can be. Welcome to the fold!!

Week One: Building the Scary Premise and Your Scared Characters

After introductions we’ll talk about what brought us to this class and what stories (if any) are something we want to pursue. Through a series of generative exercises we’ll make your protagonist and the scary thing for them to encounter.

Reading: TBD

Writing: The first draft of your story!

Week Two: Setting, Secondary Characters, and the Talking about the Monster

We’ll workshop our pieces. Then we’ll go over the role of setting, the importance of characters for your protagonist to interact with, and how information can build suspense about the monster.

Readings after Class: “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood, “Bulldozer” by Laird Barron

Write: The second draft of your story!

Week Three: The Villain’s Perspective and Your Character’s Agency

We’ll workshop your pieces again. We’ll discuss the importance of the villain’s perspective and how nailing it down can make the conflict clearer. We’ll also go over agency and what it means for your character being agentic vs. passive.

Readings: “The Cabbit” by Maria Dong, “No Matter Which Way They Turned” by Brian Evenson, and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates.

Write: The third draft of your story!

Week Four: One More Workshop

This is the last class! What a doozy! We’ll workshop everyone’s pieces and talk about what techniques and tools we enjoyed, utilized, didn’t quite mesh with.

Should You Have the Time…

Read: “The Jaunt” by Stephen King, “The Boogeyman” by Stephen King, “Rainy Season” by Stephen King, “Hairy Legs and All” by Stephen Graham Jones, “The Moths” by Elina Hawkinsons, “The Coward II” by M. Gira, with more to come.

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Alex Gonzalez is a WGA screenwriter, author, and instructor. He teaches fiction writing at various platforms and teaches MFA level screenwriting at Long Island University. He is one of the creators of PoC satire site Flexx Magazine, horror-zine youarenotalone, and has been published in various magazines and anthologies, with his novel Land Shark debuting in 2020. He has been a consultant on novels, treatments, and screenplays. His feature script Negative Space is currently in development with Extra A Productions (The Giant, Little Woods) and his second novel is on submission through FinePrint Lit.

The Simpsonville Farmers Market is an open-air market held on in-season Saturdays in the heart of downtown Simpsonville. Our vendors are local farmers and artisans, and unlike others in the area we plan and run our own market each year. We feature an array of products from the expected seasonal fruits and vegetables, to eggs and artisan cheeses, locally roasted coffee, eggs and meat, health and beauty care, and much more. What was a small affair in 2010 has now grown into a celebrated market known locally for its high quality and variety.

There is a lot to choose from, so make sure you bring your reusable shopping bags!

Join us on Sunday, May 7th at 5:30 pm for an In Conversation event with authors Mimi Herman and Susan Reinhardt where we’ll be talking about their respective books The Kudzu Queen and The Beautiful Misfits.

We’re very excited to have these ladies in store with us and can’t wait to hear all about their lives, writing processes, inspirations, and books.

So don’t miss out on this free event!

THE KUDZU QUEEN

Fifteen-year-old Mattie Lee Watson dreams of men, not boys. So when James T. Cullowee, the Kudzu King, arrives in Cooper County, North Carolina in 1941 to spread the gospel of kudzu—claiming that it will improve the soil, feed cattle at almost no cost, even cure headaches—Mattie is ready. Mr. Cullowee is determined to sell the entire county on the future of kudzu, and organizes a kudzu festival, complete with a beauty pageant. Mattie is determined to be crowned Kudzu Queen and capture the attentions of the Kudzu King. As she learns more about Cullowee, however, she discovers that he, like the kudzu he promotes, has a dark and predatory side. When she finds she is not the only one threatened, she devises a plan to bring him down. Anyone who knows—or has been—a fifteen-year-old girl will understand how a crush can sour, or even turn dangerous. And anyone who’s seen “southern topiary” will recognize how it swallows up whatever stands in its way. Based on historical facts, The Kudzu Queen unravels a tangle of sexuality, power, race, and kudzu through the voice of an irresistibly delightful (and mostly honest) narrator.

ABOUT MIMI HERMAN

Mimi is a Kennedy Center teaching artist, director of the United Arts Council Arts Integration Institute and co-director of Writeaways writing workshops in France, Italy, and New Mexico. She has taught in the Masters of Education programs at Lesley University, served as the 2017 North Carolina Piedmont Laureate, and been an associate editor for Teaching Artist Journal. Since 1990, she has engaged over 25,000 students and teachers with her warm and intuitive teaching style.

Mimi holds a BA from the University of North Carolina and an MFA in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson. She is the author of The Kudzu Queen, A Field Guide to Human Emotions, Logophilia and The Art of Learning. Her writing has appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, The Carolina Quarterly, Shenandoah, Crab Orchard Review, The Hollins Critic, Main Street Rag, Prime Number Magazine and other journals. Mimi has performed her fiction and poetry at many venues including Why There Are Words in Sausalito, Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh and Symphony Space in New York City.

THE BEAUTIFUL MISFITS

Eighty-four seconds can change your life. Or destroy it. Josie Nickels is an Emmy-winning news anchor, poised to rise through the ranks of television journalism. On a bitter March evening on live TV, the pressures and secrets burbling behind the closed doors of her ridiculous Victorian mansion explode and the overwhelmed journalist spills family secrets like a Baptist at altar call. The aftermath costs her much more than a career. It robs her of a beloved son—a preppy, educated millennial trapped in the deadly world of addiction. Desperate for a new start and a way to save her son, Josie packs up her pride, her young daughter, and accepts a new job slinging cosmetics at a department store make-up counter with other disgraced celebs. In the gorgeous mountains of Asheville N.C., known for hippies, healings, and Subarus, Josie is faced with a choice for her son: Take a chance on a bold, out-of-the-ordinary treatment plan for her son or lose him forever. This heart-wrenching and, at times, hilarious novel, will delight fans of book-club women’s fiction and inspire and give hope to those with addicted sons and daughters.

ABOUT SUSAN REINHARDT
Susan Reinhardt is a bestselling author and humorist whose latest release, The Beautiful Misfits, publishes March 2023 from Regal House Publishing. Her debut novel, Chimes from a Cracked Southern Belle, won the Independent Publisher Book Award for “Best Regional Fiction,” and Tantor Media recently bought the audio rights. Reinhardt lives near Asheville, North Carolina, and loves her grown kids and her rescue cats. Her quirky talent is riding a unicycle while twirling a baton.

Make plans to attend this Power Up Spartanburg Workshop on How to Start Your Business and How to Access Capital. Offered every month in partnership with the SC Small Business Development Center, join Jay Jenkins, Director of Small and Minority Business Development, to learn about the topics below.

Training Topics: Business Start-up/Preplanning; Accounting/Budgeting; Business Financing
Description:

We are so excited to host the writing BFFs behind the Ali Brady pen name: Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey! Perfect for reading BFFs, we can’t wait to hear more their new book The Comeback Summer, where two sisters have one summer to crush their comfort zones and save their grandmother’s legacy. Hear more about this sweet, sexy, and heartfelt novel, as well as this author duo’s unique writing process as we enjoy a book-inspired cocktail. This is a ticketed event.

Your ticket includes admission, a cocktail, and a copy of the book.

BOOK SUMMARY

Hannah and Libby need a miracle. The PR agency they inherited from their grandmother is losing clients left and right, and the sisters are devastated at the thought of closing. The situation seems hopeless—until in walks Lou, an eccentric self-help guru who is looking for a new PR agency. Her business could solve all their problems—but there’s a catch. Whoever works with Lou must complete a twelve-week challenge as part of her “Crush Your Comfort Zone” program.Hannah, whose worst nightmare is making small talk with strangers, is challenged to go on twelve first dates. Libby, who once claimed to have period cramps for four weeks straight to get out of gym class, is challenged to compete in an obstacle course race. The challenges begin with Hannah helping Libby train and Libby managing the dating app on her sister’s behalf. They’re both making good progress—until Hannah’s first love rolls into town, and Libby accidentally falls for a guy she’s supposed to be setting up with her sister.
Things get even more complicated when secrets come to light, making the sisters question the one relationship they’ve always counted on: each other. With their company’s future on the line, they can’t afford to fail. But in trying to make a comeback to honor their grandmother, are they pushing themselves down the wrong path?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ali Brady is the pen name of writing BFFs Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey. The Beach Trap is their first book together. Alison lives in Chicago and works as a VP creative director at an advertising agency. She’s the author of You and Me and Us and Little Pieces of Me. Bradeigh lives with her family in Utah, where she works as a physician. She’s the author of the psychological thriller, Impostor.

The Simpsonville Farmers Market is an open-air market held on in-season Saturdays in the heart of downtown Simpsonville. Our vendors are local farmers and artisans, and unlike others in the area we plan and run our own market each year. We feature an array of products from the expected seasonal fruits and vegetables, to eggs and artisan cheeses, locally roasted coffee, eggs and meat, health and beauty care, and much more. What was a small affair in 2010 has now grown into a celebrated market known locally for its high quality and variety.

There is a lot to choose from, so make sure you bring your reusable shopping bags!