Editor’s note: New for 2026 we are excited to partner with local arts nonprofit Hellmouth Magazine, whose team will be curating a monthly lineup of can’t-miss arts and culture events, exhibitions and more. Hellmouth is dedicated to publishing quality cultural commentary both online and via its gorgeous print magazine; I devoured the inaugural issue from cover to cover. Next week I’ll be sharing a feature story on Hellmouth including interviews with its creators. Until then, enjoy. – Leslie
January is a quiet month with long stretches of night and small blips of sunlight in between. As the Dame Maggie Smith is noted to have said: “We talk so much of light, please let me speak on behalf of the good dark. Let us talk more of how dark the beginning of a day is.” And though the beginning of our year is dark as well, we can find the good in it, uniting amongst our kin, huddling close beneath that cloak of crepuscule.
To encourage Knoxville to step outside of their homes during this winter respite, Hellmouth Magazine has curated a list of (currently known) fetes and fares worth braving the cold. The nonprofit pub joins the Inside of Knoxville community to bring you the deep cuts, the underground, and the most interesting happenings in arts and culture each month. We love to see all the activity on comprehensive lists, but sometimes in a sea of simply names and locations, it’s hard to choose what’s going to be a truly engaging event.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 2
Exhibition Opening
Donté K. Hayes + Keven Kao: Ancestral Objects
5–9 PM @ UT Downtown Gallery
Though First Friday will be in full swing at the usual venues (i.e. the Emporium, RED Gallery, and Arrowmont), and it’s certainly worth it to make a full cycle through all of the open doors, we are most intrigued by Ancestral Objects, opening at the UT Downtown Gallery. With both artists approaching the medium of clay from different cultural backgrounds, the exhibition aims to create a visual dialogue between the artistic artifacts.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15
Film Screening
CHROMA: First Reformed, dir. Paul Schrader
8 PM @ St. James Episcopal
Hellmouth was overjoyed to discover the existence of CHROMA late last year, a nascent organization that screens experimental and arthouse cinema in curated locations across Knoxville — most notably, at St. James Episcopal Cathedral. With Chroma Experimental Film Festival in development and slated for Fall of 2026, we are more than excited to see what they have in store. This month’s screening? A psychological thriller and soul-shaking encounters, the spiritual world colliding with the physical one; we’ll join CHROMA for a viewing of First Reformed (2017), starring Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried wherein a minister of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 & SATURDAY, JANUARY 17
Theater
Interactive Play: In the Castle of Eternal Sunset
7–8 PM @ Fable Hollow Bookshoppe
Nestled in the cottagecore dreamworld that is Fable Hollow Bookshoppe, this interactive play regionally premieres in Knoxville from NYC-based playwright Charles Green. Presented by First Take Co., In the Castle of Eternal Sunset follows two teenage boys as they play their final session of Dungeons & Dragons on an autumn day in 2004. What sets this performance apart is the engagement from the audience and randomized probability; viewers will be asked to read fragments of text that are chosen by the roll of the dice. It’s an experimental approach to fantasy storytelling, merging elements of gameplay and playwriting to present something entirely new. Seats are limited — snag your ticket now!
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15
Writing Workshop
POET 6:30–8:30 PM @ Hummingbird Apothecary (North location, 93716 Walker Blvd)
Back in October, Hellmouth visited one of POET’s open mic nights at Hummingbird Apothecary, where wordsmiths gathered to speak their truth to strangers and friends alike. Their workshops also began last year in the spirit of collective conversation and exploration, rather than formal lecture. In October, the theme of the workshop explored the theme of survival, an apt premise for the American zeitgeist. Together, the group plumbed the various emotions that such a topic elicited—its lurking connotations and personal experiences—before splitting off for solo writing time. We are looking forward to learning the topic for January and hearing the fruits of fortitude at a future open mic night as well (set for the following Wednesday).
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21
Literary Gathering
Sip ‘n Read, Hosted by The Bottom
6–8 PM @ Peter Kern Library
Hosted by one of our favorite indie bookstores in the area, The Bottom stands as a collective working to reclaim and reimagine Black space in Knoxville. They invite fellow readers to join them at Peter Kern Library to enjoy specially curated cocktails. The first hour will be dedicated to reading the book of your choice, followed by a social hour to meet and connect with friends and other attendees. The Bottom will be there with a small selection of books to purchase if you want to support the bookshop, and attendees will have the chance to participate in exciting giveaways! Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29
Film Screening
CHROMA: The Mirror, dir. Andrej Tarkovsky
8 PM @ St. James Episcopal
Another screening by CHROMA that we simply had to add to the list—it’s Tarkovsky, after all. Expect an avant-garde meandering through consciousness, as Mirror portrays a dying poet pondering his memories. With the storyline slipping and winding through time as a nonlinear narrative, the cinematography follows suit as it blends from color to black-and-white to sepia. It’s considered to be Tarkovsky’s magnum opus, so it’s sure to be a trip—and what better way to view it than in a sacred space?
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
Exhibition Opening
Fashioning Ourselves: The Power of Clothing & Adornment
@ McClung Museum
In this newest exhibition of their permanent collection, the McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture showcases jewelry, textiles, and garments from countries all over the world, including Belgium, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, France, and the U.S. According to their website, Fashioning Ourselves “examines how humans use clothing to mark milestones, express values, communicate beliefs, and navigate life’s challenges.” The Curator of Cultural Collections, Sadie Counts Ph.D., hopes to demonstrate the global experience of adornment and accessory. We at Hellmouth are looking forward to seeing how this world history engages with contemporary Knoxville and beyond.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
Music Show
Studio 54 presented by Hellmouth & Rutam
8 PM–? @ Sassy Ann’s
The cultural legacy of the infamous NYC discotheque lives on in Knoxville. Studio 54 was once one of the most popular nightclubs of the late 1970s, a mecca for the glitterati of culture and arts. Indulgence was the code for Studio 54’s operating policy: On one occasion, the interior was transformed into a farm for country singer Dolly Parton, and on another occasion, a white horse was acquired so that model Bianca Jagger could ride into the club for a grand entrance as part of her birthday celebration.
For this evening at Sassy Ann’s—Knoxville’s own emblem of nightclub dancing—Hellmouth Magazine teams with DJ duo Rutam to emulate that era of glamour and debauchery. Expect hedonism, debauchery and some damn good music. Be sure to dress up, too. Otherwise, you will be turned away at the door.
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