In George Masa’s Wild Vision, Brent Martin explores the artistry and adversity of a photographer who made a life capturing western North Carolina’s most challenging landscapes.
July 2022
Posted inBooks
A Conversation with Brent Martin
The author of George Masa’s Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North Carolina talks to Assembly books editor Wiley Cash.
Posted inPolitics
The Education of Duke’s Eric Greitens
An ambitious student from St. Louis left a mark at Duke University before becoming governor of Missouri and resigning amid scandal. As Eric Greitens attempts a comeback, people who thought they knew him wonder who he really is.
Posted inEnvironment
The Forest for the Trees
A draft plan from the U.S. Forest Service would open 450,000 acres of the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest for logging, including in old-growth areas like Big Ivy. Environmental advocates say logging these trees is a missed opportunity on climate change.
Posted inPolitics
Hurricane Sandy
Sandy Smith—MAGA champion, culture warrior, conspiracy theorist, alleged domestic abuser—could become the first Republican to represent northeastern N.C. in Congress in 140 years.
Posted inHigher Education
A Major Departure at NC’s Community Colleges
Multiple sources tell The Assembly that a closed session vote has brought the imminent departure of president Thomas Stith, triggering another round of uncertainty for the state’s 58 colleges.
Posted inCulture
Cast In a New Light
The Lost Colony, a play about North Carolina’s first English settlers, is in its 85th year. Can it be modernized to reflect a more contemporary perspective on race, history, art, and colonization?
Posted inPolitics
King of The Road
Last year, the Burlington City Council unanimously supported transforming a bleak avenue leading from the interstate to downtown. Then power broker Sam Hunt derailed the plan—and helped exile the three-term mayor.