For the last several years, Britt has worked as an in-class math tutor at the only high school in Yancey County: Mountain Heritage. One year, at age 47, she decided, just for the fun of it, to take calculus for the first time. A colleague gave Britt a textbook and let her join his Google classroom so she could see notes and assignments. She did all the homework and took tests and quizzes after school/work, eventually completing the semester. What Britt hadn't expected was for poems to start appearing in the margins of her homework and notes. Midlife Calculus is a collection of those poems that bear witness to what it's been like to learn and teach through COVID. Hint: It wasn't easy before Helene. Now, it's just another thing none of us can imagine. As of October 22, there is still no timetable for a return to school because the infrastructure cannot support reopening: lack of water, internet, and roads make it impossible. 

McWhirter Pottery is nestled in the beautiful South Toe River valley, near Mt Mitchell, North Carolina. The pottery was established in 1963 by Kore and Jim McWhirter; we continue the tradition of hand made quality products. We mix our own clay and make our own lead free/food safe glazes. We are known for our thin drinking lip, elegant shapes, hand made glazes, and one-of-a-kind designs. Light weight yet durable, our pottery incorporates both function and art. Each piece is lovingly created and decorated by hand, in the unique style that is easily recognized as McWhirter Pottery.

Nestled in the mountains of Western North Carolina is the home of Happy Hens & Highlands Farm. Owned and operated by Emily Grace, a Western North Carolina native, the farm is an independent woman owned business established in 2014. Located in Yancey County, Happy Hens and Highlands raises AHCA registered highland cattle for breeding stock, rescues unwanted or sick farm animals, and helps with rehabilitation and rehoming. Our endeavors are supported by merchandise sales that cover food costs and veterinary care. God made us stewards of the Earth; as stewards, Happy Hens and Highlanders, loves, respects, and cares for His creations. 

Born officially in 2011, McCoun Tomahawks specializes in hand forged tomahawks and small axes. We create a wide variety of tools designed for many different uses, from camping to combat. McCoun Tomahawks is the product of three generations of blade smiths, beginning in the early 60's with Charles McCoun making a few knives as a hobby. These were passed down to his son Mark in the late 80's, when he began his knife making journey. 

Bryant and Young Lumber Company is a locally owned sawmill that serves the Western NC region. Located in Burnsville, NC, we command a truly integrated lumber production service, beginning with the forest and ending with high quality wood products, including window, door and furniture parts as well as hardwood flooring. Our services cover logging, timber buying, lumber sales, forestry and land management. 

We are a wood products manufacturer from the Mountains of Western North Carolina. For several generations, our family has sought to provide quality wood products from our local forests with the help of a great team of skilled workers from our area. Our flooring starts with sustainable forest management practices and professional timber harvesting. Nearly all of our flooring starts as a tree growing in one of 5 counties in Western North Carolina. The logs are then sawn in to green lumber in a high production sawmill in Burnsville, North Carolina (With Mt Mitchell being in our “back yard”). The lumber is then dried in Marion, North Carolina, where our flooring manufacturing facility is also located.