Join author John T. Edge, former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, as he takes readers on a journey to find a home in the South, reckoning with its troubled past and “searching for a newer and better” version through food. His latest book, memoir House of Smoke, tells his own story of growing up in a house that belonged to a Confederate general and the violence he witnessed around him. The memoir shares how searching for a home led him to find, and later rediscover, a place at the table. At this release event, Durham author Bronwen Dickey will be in conversation with Edge. Attendees must purchase a book. At checkout, use the “customer comments” section to indicate whether you plan to attend. –Kennedy Thomason
Durham Arteries, a free portrait photography and mapping event, is hosted by the City as part of its Durham Cultural Roadmap initiative. The pop-up event is dubbed the Department of Make/Believe and hosted by Monèt Noelle Marshall and R. Stein Wexler, two local artists who have led the public engagement process in the city’s effort to propel the arts forward. If you want to have a say in future local cultural programming and how the city imagines the arts, going forward, this event is a key opportunity to make your voice heard and discuss the roadmap. —Eva Flowe
The 37th annual Hallow-Eno (get it?) is a perfect mid-autumn event for families, especially those with young children. Access to the Eno River began reopening in September, following flooding during Tropical Storm Chantal. Hallow-Eno is held at West Point on the Eno, which has reopened, though riverbank access is still closed. The event will have campfire stories, complete with a campfire, as well as food trucks, drinks, and treats. I cannot promise they will tell them, but I was deeply creeped out by stories about the wendigo at Eno summer camp as a child. The event will also feature crafts and games. –EF
Since opening in 2005, the Nasher has established itself as a cultural cornerstone in Durham and a national leader among museums championing minority voices. To mark twenty years, the museum is holding a grand opening for its new sculpture garden, alongside a slate of programming that kicks off at noon with the NCCU Sound Machine Drumline and continues through the afternoon with screenprinting classes, poetry, drag story hour, photobooths, and numerous other activities that draw in other local institutions, from the Scrap Exchange to the Museum of Life & Science.
Don’t miss a sensory observation tour of nearby Duke Gardens at 3 p.m. The afternoon closes off with a 5 p.m. performance from 9th Wonder. Parking is free; check out the museum website for more details. —Sarah Edwards
The aftermath of the 2024 election cycle left good and bad news for progressives, a topic commentator Gene Nichol tackles in his latest book, “Now What? How North Carolina Can Blaze A Progressive Path Forward.” With Democratic wins in state leadership but a victory for President Donald Trump, Nichol writes to progressives who have political energy and no place to put it. Nichol’s book shares his insights into how progressives can “move the state forward, tackling the opposition and their own flagging spirits.” There will be room for up to 70 guests, but priority will go to those who have purchased a book. At checkout, indicate in the “customer comments” section if you would like a seat saved. —KT
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