From the Rich Soil of Silence is a poetry and music hybrid;
The poetry of Michael Hettich, Eric Nelson and Mildred Barya
And the music of Elysian Studios: J. Ario Casanova and Daniel Despins.
In our increasingly fractured and fragmented cultural landscape, the most deeply nurturing and rejuvenating cultural experiences often take seed in the rich soil of silence, a stillness that reminds us that by listening deeply we may be transformed, or at the very least rejuvenated, to engage more fully in our own lives, in the lives we interact with, and in the teeming vividness we partake in all the time.
Poetry and music are perhaps the two art forms that draw most deeply from this inner silence as they transform it into song. Tonight we will hear examples of these transformations in the poetry of Michael Hettich (A Sharper Silence), Eric Nelson (Horse Not Zebra), Mildred Barya (The Animals of My Earth School) and in the haunting, unique, and beautiful music of Elysian Studios.
Tickets $20
Doors at 7pm | Show 7:30pm
Story Parlor | 227 Haywood Road
Parking & Policies
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase. All shows, unless specified, are ages 16+.
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Michael Hettich’s A Sharper Silence, published by Terrapin Books in 2025, has been called a “heartfelt, heartbreaking collection” (Marie Harris).
His previous book of poetry, The Halo of Bees: New and Selected Poems, 1990-2022 won the 2024 Brockman-Campbell Book Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society.
His poetry, essays, and reviews have appeared widely in journals and anthologies, and he has published more than a dozen books of poetry across four decades.
His other honors include several Individual Artist Fellowships from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, The Tampa Review Prize in Poetry, the David Martinson/Meadowhawk Prize, a Florida Book Award, the Lena M. Shull Book Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society, and the inaugural Hudson-Fowler Prize from Slant magazine at the University of Central Arkansas.
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Mildred Kiconco Barya is a North Carolina-based writer, forager, and poet. Winner of the 2025 Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize, and the 2020 Linda Flowers Literary Award, she teaches and lectures globally and is the author of four full-length poetry collections, including The Animals of My Earth School (Terrapin Books), which received Honorable Mention in the 2024 Eric Hoffer Poetry Awards and was a Brittle Paper Notable African Book of 2023.
Her fifth collection, Hands in Clay, is forthcoming (Serving House Books). She coordinates the Poetrio Reading events at Malaprop’s Independent Bookstore/Café and blogs here: www.mildredbarya.com
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Eric Nelson’s most recent book, “Horse Not Zebra” (Terrapin Books, 2022), was a finalist for the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award and received Honorable Mention in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Brockman-Campbell Book Award.
His poems have appeared in many journals, including The Oxford American, Poetry, The Sun, Rattle, Verse Daily,
Poetry Daily, and in several anthologies.
His previous book awards include the Gival Press Poetry Book Award, the X. J. Kennedy Poetry Award, and the Arkansas Poetry Award. In 2005, he received the Georgia Author of the Year Award.
He has lived in Asheville since 2015.
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Jonathan ( J. Ario Casanova) is a multifaceted artist who channels and expresses across numerous mediums, genres, and styles alike.
He is the co-founder and director of Elysian Studios, a similarly eclectic production studio, where he carries the vision for video game and multi-media production.
His current projects include a self-contained role playing game based on the imaginings of the wild paranormal world around us called “11:11”, as well as a long throw series, “Avalon” centered in the studio’s own vast, co-imagined universe.
He has performed and arranged music with several groups - including the Baltimore Ravens Marching Band and Drum-line - and continues to compose, mix, and master projects with an eye on expressions that come from the soul.
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Daniel Despins is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and video game designer who likes to tell stories through his music, in an attempt to connect with others on a deeper level.
Daniel finds his musical roots in many different worlds, including film and video game music, 20th century classical, jazz, folk, rock, musical theatre, wind ensemble, and marching band music.
Daniel is a co-founder of Elysian Studios, a video game studio whose mission is to create immersive worlds in which people can experience profound, emotional stories.
He is a frequent collaborator with dear friend and Elysian Studios co-Founder J. Ario Casanova. Some of Daniel’s music has been performed by Hila Plitmann and the Boss Street Brass Band, Bergamot Quartet, the Tampa Bay Symphony, the Peabody Institute Opera Etudes Program, Christiana Winds, and the University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra.
Daniel studied music composition with Michael Hersch at the Peabody Institute, and with Jennifer Margaret Barker at the University of Delaware.
Michael Hettich \ Mildred Kiconco Barya \ Eric Nelson \ J Ario Casanova \ Dan Despins