Things that May Brings

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: May 2024

Cynthia Woodsong

With May flowers come joyous times and lots and lots of culture at our area libraries. In a month that is more packed than ever with activities stimulating and educational, there’s no denying that there’s lots of energy about – from author presentations to plant displays and celebrations of National Mental Health Awareness Month.

Plus, Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library is kicking off their “Summer Celebration” to mark the 30th anniversary of its founding. The future looks bright, and our librarians look forward to seeing you there.

Here’s what our libraries are doing in May:

Both Hudson Library and Cashiers Community Library will shine a light on the work of North Carolina mystery writer Diane Kelly. Known for penning romance and mysteries featuring feisty heroines, quirky sidekicks and sexy leading men, Kelly is a former state assistant attorney general and tax advisor who spent much of her career fighting white collar criminals. She’ll be in Highlands on Friday, May 10, at 11:00 A.M. to discuss the “Appeal of Appalachia,” and in Cashiers on Friday, May 10 at 3:00 P.M. to talk about her newest book, Four Alarm Homicide.

Diane Kelly

Readers eager to engage with authors will surely want to meet Kevin Couhig on May 31 at 3:00 P.M. in Cashiers. A charismatic character of our times, Couhig spent years pushing for growth and new infrastructure in his role as president of Louisiana’s West Feliciana Parish, while working in corporate America. After retirement, he put his energy into storytelling, and writing.

His first novel, A Man for Others – the compelling story of the life of Rob Coogan, a multi-talented Irishman, adept in guitar, songwriting and football.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and both libraries will participate in the Health Foundation and the Highlands Counseling Center’s Bee Kind Initiative, as well as highlighting kindness and mental health topics in programming for all ages.

The Cashiers Library is showing the movie Orchestrating Change in partnership with the National Association for Mental Illness on Thursday, May 9 at 3:00 P.M. There will also be a workshop at the library on gratitude journaling with Laura Plush on May 29 at 2:00 P.M..

Gardening enthusiasts will be pleased to learn that the Hudson Library is partnering with the Highlands Biological Station to showcase the extraordinary plant creations of Cynthia Woodsong. A floral designer since the age of 17, Woodsong creates paper flowers that are replicas of native plants found in North Carolina, including pitcher plants, trout lilies, and Venus flytraps. Her display will be on view from the second half of May through the end of June, to coincide with the programs she’s leading at the Botanical Station.

For information on Cashiers, call (828) 743-0215, or visit fontanalib.org/cashiers; and for Highlands, (828) 526-3031, fontanalib.org/highlands.