Volume 42
Bar open from 6 - 11 PM (with lots of great N/A options!)
Show 7:30
The Mule @ Devil’s Foot
131 Sweeten Creek Rd
A food truck will be onsite! You may also bring your own food or do DoorDash/Uber Eats/etc. to the venue.
Presenters
Lora Hawkins
Lora is an assistant professor of English Education at Appalachian State University, where she teaches courses in language, literacy, and methods of English Education. Her scholarship sits at the intersection of culturally sustaining pedagogy, teacher identity, and youth-led participatory action research. She lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina with her husband, Teshale, and spends a great deal of time thinking about language--its gaps, its fossils, its capacity to name what we didn't know we felt. Lately, her most important word has been mama.
Rick Devereaux
Rick Devereaux is a retired U.S. Air Force major general and national security consultant. After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy, he flew the C-5 Galaxy, KC-135 Stratotanker, and jet trainers. His long Air Force career included commands of a group deployed to the Mideast after 9/11, a flying wing in England, and four Pentagon assignments, culminating in his last job as the Air Force’s Director of Operational Planning. After leaving the Air Force in 2012, he moved to Asheville and worked as a consultant to defense industry firms and think tanks. Rick is involved in the local community, serving on the boards of the World Affairs Council of Western NC, the Leadership Asheville Forum, the Asheville Civil Service Board, and he Chairs Blue Ridge Public Radio’s Board. He’s also a past president of the Rotary Club of Asheville. Rick and his wife Elizabeth live in Asheville.
Marisol Jiménez
Marisol Jiménez is the co-founder and principal of Spiral Path Consulting, a national consulting practice based in Asheville, North Carolina, and Tepeyac
Mountain Sanctuary, a grassroots healing justice and movement building organization. Marisol is also a spiritual and healing practitioner. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University of Chicago, served as a rape crisis counselor throughout her undergraduate education, and completed her masters in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Marisol practices under the guidance and mentorship of elders and educators who continue to guide, push, and hold her accountable in her healing offerings. She has held numerous healing spaces and retreats for Black, immigrant, and other frontline organizers that have included everything from rest, ritual, shadow work, and limpias.
Craig Carpenter
Craig Carpenter is an Asheville-based artist, designer, inventor, and advocate for play. Through ImCraig.com, he follows a lifetime of curiosity to help people smile, connect, and see the world a little differently.
His creative journey has taken him from 3D animation to photography, electronic music, product and game design, and entrepreneurship. Along the way, he’s built and exited companies, pursued award-winning creative work, and collaborated with brands around the world.
Today, he creates delightful, clever objects and experiences that invite people to play, including “chonky trinkets” called Chonkits that can be used for games, crafting, communication, education, therapy, and just plain fun.
He’s increasingly interested in what happens after we make something: the laugh, connection, curiosity, story, or moment of joy it creates.
Peter Tromba
Peter Tromba has over 20 years of experience as a middle and high school principal and district administrator. He also served for 5 years as the Interagency Policy Research Director for the State of Oregon, where he oversaw program initiation and evaluation for Early Learning, K-12, Post-Secondary, and Youth Re-Engagement. Before becoming an administrator, Peter taught reading classes to all ages and high school science and computer programming. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in education leadership from the University of Oregon.
Rebekah Henderson
Rebekah Henderson, a long-time resident of Asheville, is a lifelong learner and “recreation professional." She works as a faculty member at Western Carolina University in the Parks and Recreation Management program by day, and teaches fitness at WNC YMCAs by evening. Outside of work, you can find Rebekah moving through the mountains, on foot or on two wheels, usually with her dogs. Rebekah believes in engaging fully in life- socially, cognitively, and emotionally- and therefore values time with friends and family, traveling, trying new things, and adventuring.
Matthew Colombo
Matthew is a multimedia artist creating “It’s OK to Become a Human,” a project sharing stories, inspiration, and practical relational/emotional skills. His work focuses on the very personal steps/missteps he took to excavate his true self, after western culture and his upbringing tried to repress him into an unfeeling, cookie-cutter drone. The primary media of this project are writing, videos, workshops, and speaking. Matthew supports adults in pursuing their path of purpose and authenticity through UnCareer Coaching. He is a facilitator of children’s social-emotional-expressive learning at ZigZag ALC. Perhaps most importantly, he is a reliable and caring friend, lover, and funcle. Matthew has past lives as a good boy, earthskills teacher, bark hut dweller, government worker, and PhD scientist. You can contact him at www.matthewcolombo.com, and find him on Facebook and Instagram.
Rebecca Weston
Rebecca Weston is a dual citizen of the United States and Italy, online math tutor, and Camino de Santiago walking coach. Her journey to Italian citizenship began in 2015 and was the subject of a 2017 PechaKucha talk. This presentation brings that story to its culmination. Rebecca has walked thousands of miles on Camino routes through Spain, Portugal, and France, lived in Spain for four years, and returned to the United States in October 2025. Though she hasn’t learned Italian yet, Rebecca was delighted to discover that Spanish and Italian are similar enough for her to converse with Italians she met on the Camino de Santiago. Now that Italian citizenship is official, will she move to Italy? After years of Italian bureaucracy, the answer remains under review.
