Like a lot of artistic corners of Asheville, the city’s improv theater scene is far more robust than you’d expect in a town this size. A natural extension of the scene's growth is the Asheville Improv Festival, debuting May 7-10.

Longtime Asheville journalist Matt Peiken is also a longtime improviser. He used the occasion of the upcoming festival to gather four important players in the scene—Gillian Bellinger, founder of Misfit Improv; Laurie Jones, co-founder of Adesto Theater, Tim Hearn of Speakeasy Improv and Tom Chalmers, the founder of Asheville’s longest-running improv troupe, the Reasonably Priced Babies.

They talk about the history and growth of Asheville's improv scene, the challenges of building and sustaining an improv community here and the collaborative nature of the people and groups leading the way.

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The Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.

Podcast Asheville © 2023

Twenty years ago, when Parker Pfister moved to Asheville, he made his living shooting photographs at the weddings of celebrities. Over the ensuing years, Pfister has explored his own curiosities, both through his viewfinder and in the darkroom.

His manipulated images resonate with dualities that convey multiple meanings and emotions. He’s a prolific photographer, and yet it’s surprising that only now is he seeing his first solo gallery exhibition, through Mars Landing Galleries in Mars Hill. The opening reception is Friday, November 1.

Here, I speak with Pfister about his unique approach to blending fine art with wedding photography, his fearless explorations into dangerous territory and the work he’s planning to show at Mars Landing Galleries.

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The Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.

Podcast Asheville © 2023

While Hurricane Helene disrupted virtually every life and way of life in this region, at least one thing is happening as scheduled—the 2024 election. Today, I talk with Amanda Edwards, a member of the Buncombe County Commission who is running to succeed the departing Brownie Newman as chair.

Here, in a conversation that took place weeks before Helene struck, Edwards talks about her motivations for entering electoral politics and the issues that motivate her today. Our conversation runs through affordable housing policy, education, the environment and improving emergency services. She also makes a point to talk about transparency and ethics as an elected official.

Later in this conversation, Edwards criticizes a now former practice of elected county officials accepting retention bonuses. Though she doesn’t directly name him, her opponent in this race, Van Duncan, was an elected sheriff who accepted such a bonus. I emailed Duncan’s campaign to ask for an interview and haven't receive a response.

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The Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.

Podcast Asheville © 2023

Amid thousands of people in Western North Carolina who’ve lost so much, scores of artists with studios in the River Arts District, in Swannanoa, and in downtown Marshall saw their livelihoods and life’s work washed away.

I begin my coverage of Hurricane Helene's impact and aftermath with a conversation with ceramic artist, jewelry maker and my friend, Nina Kawar. For the past eight years, she has had a studio on the first floor of Marshall High Studios, on Blannahassett Island in downtown Marshall. Flood waters rose to the ceiling of Nina's studio and all the others on the first floor and left every building in downtown Marshall in ruins.

We’ll hear Nina’s story of loss but also of astounding resilience in the face of something that until Hurricane Helene she had never imagined.

You can support Nina Kawar's fundraising efforts around the work and studio she lost in the flood by visiting her GoFundMe page.

Photo credit: Lauren Rutten / Asheville Made

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The Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.

Podcast Asheville © 2023

Sage Turner first came to a seat on Asheville City Council through her fight for more affordable housing in the city. She has since become well-versed and conversant on a spectrum of issues that come before council, but she’s never dropped the torch to help develop more affordable living in Asheville.

Today is the last in a six-part series of conversations with every candidate for City Council. Turner is one of two incumbents on the ballot, and she speaks with a depth of insight that can only come from working in the trenches. We spend a lot of today diving into some of the factors that have ballooned the costs of Asheville’s housing market and some of the counter-mechanisms at our disposal. We also get into how she approaches public safety, transit, permanent supportive housing for the homeless, climate readiness and her own political future.

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The Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.

Podcast Asheville © 2023

Pick an issue, and voters are likely to view it as yes/no, black-and-white question. They want to know whether their elected officials are for or against something. But Kim Roney has served on the Asheville City Council long enough to learn that behind every yes or no vote, there’s subtext and context.

My series of episodes spotlighting every candidate for City Council continues here with current sitting councilperson Kim Roney. We talk about the nuances and complexities of policy decisions and weave our way through tourism, climate justice, infrastructure maintenance, reparations, even water rate parity. We also delve into one of Roney’s everpresent issues—transparency in government—and the return of structured but off-the-record mini council sessions.

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The Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.

Podcast Asheville © 2023

Tod Leaven doesn’t dwell on the details when he speaks of his twin sister, who he says was battling addiction and chronic homelessness in the early 2000s when she was killed. But it isn’t a reach to see the connection with his sister, in part, fueling Leaven’s career as an attorney, his community service and his current run for a seat on Asheville’s City Council.

My conversation with Tod Leaven continues our series of episodes devoted to every candidate for City Council. Today, Tod Leaven talks about his path from the active duty military to a career in law to his current campaign. We dive deep into his takes on affordable housing, stewardship of public money and prioritizing what he believes are core city services.

Help "The Overlook with Matt Peiken" podcast reach its very reachable goal: Just $1,000 in monthly contributions by Election Day. Membership at our Patreon campaign starts at just $5/month.

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The Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.

Podcast Asheville © 2023

CJ Domingo has a particular insider’s vantage of the challenges facing Asheville—until relatively recently, he worked for the parking division of the city’s transportation department. He cites low morale among some city staff as a symptom of a larger void within city leadership.

Today, in our continuing series looking at every candidate for city council, Asheville native CJ Domingo shares his views on a range of city issues, including frustrations with deferred infrastructure maintenance and his thoughts on the new downtown bathroom the city is investing in for the unhoused. He also points to potential paths forward, such as his views on leveraging tourism dollars and the steps he’d like to see city leaders take with affordable housing.

Help "The Overlook with Matt Peiken" podcast reach its very reachable goal: Just $1,000 in monthly contributions by Election Day. Membership at our Patreon campaign starts at just $5/month.

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The Overlook theme song, "Maker's Song," comes courtesy of the Asheville band The Resonant Rogues.

Podcast Asheville © 2023