Buncombe County Public Libraries, The Wolfe Memorial and The YMI Cultural Center collaborate on discussion series, "Race, Truth, and Fiction in Thomas Wolfe’s The Child by Tiger."

The two-part series asks questions like, "Is Asheville still segregated? Are race relations in Asheville different from those in other parts of North Carolina? Does the 1906 Will Harris event — a lone African American gunman’s rampage that left 5 people, black and white, dead on the streets of Asheville, resulting in the shooter’s death at the hands of a posse two days later — Illustrate any truths about why race relations in Asheville are what they are? What impression did the event make on Thomas Wolfe, who was six years old at the time? What does Wolfe’s short story, 'The Child by Tiger,' suggest about the event and the writer?" So says a press release for the event.

• Part 1: “African American Survival Mechanisms in Asheville” Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the YMI Center.
• Part 2: “An Unfound Door? Thomas Wolfe and Race” Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at the Wolfe Memorial.

The programs is free. For more info: Pack Memorial Library 250-4741.

There will also be a reader's theatre of "The Child By Tiger." According to the press release, "The Thomas Wolfe Memorial Advisory Committee will host a Readers Theatre of Wolfe’s Child by Tiger on November 15 at 6 p.m. For $5, visitors will experience the Wolfe’s story in a trio voice in this reading adapted by the late Wolfe scholar, Ted Mitchell. All proceeds will benefit the Memorial. For more information please contact the Memorial at 253-8304 or Christian.edwards@ncdcr.gov."