Jan. 3-9 This Week in the Swannanoa Valley

David Madden book is for sale locally

The University of Tennessee Press has published “Marble Goddesses and Mortal Flesh,” a work of fiction by Black Mountain resident David Madden. Copies are available locally at Black Mountain Books, Malaprops and the Book Exchange. For signed or inscribed copies, go to david@davidmadden.net.

The book's protagonist is Lucius Hutchfield, an idealist with a romantic vision of life who witnesses the actions of unconventional heroes and heroines. He narrates his adventures in four related novellas. Like Lucius, a native of Knoxville, Madden was an adolescent usher in the 1940s, a Merchant Mariner in the 1950s, and his two brothers were con men in their youth.

And coming up ...

UR Light Center offers Jan. 14 concert

Matt Venuti, singer-songwriter and modern-day troubadour, will play a concert on Sunday, Jan. 14 at the UR Light Center from 4-6 p.m. Venuti plays melodic-percussive Swiss acoustic instruments and Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI) wind synthesizer. For more or to purchase tickets, contact the center at 669-6845 or URLight.org.