a
M

Close

My Sober Story: BlackLiq

by | Dec 28, 2021

BlackLiq shares insight and knowledge about his struggle with alcohol and his eventual sobriety. BlackLiq is a Richmond hip hop artist, radio host, and instructor who attained excellence after stepping away from alcohol years ago. Any amount of time spent with BlackLiq becomes an impromptu learning experience, and his episode of “My Sober Story” doesn’t differ from that rocket science trajectory. Knowledge is what we can take home from this project. Whatever we have mistaken as gifts from alcohol were already inside us. And we’re worth it.

Interviews conducted by Ryan Kent
Direction and edit by R. Anthony Harris @majormajor_____
Camera by Joey Wharton @joey_wharton
Sound by John Reinhold @thereinholder
Additional edit by Todd Raviotta @naturalsciencetrav
Production by Wharton Major 2021

Ryan Kent

Ryan Kent

Ryan Kent is the author of the collections, Poems For Dead People, This Is Why I Am Insane, Hit Me When I'm Pretty, and Everything Is On Fire: Selected Poems 2014-2021. He has also co-authored the poetry collections, Tomorrow Ruined Today, and Some Of Us Love You (both with Brett Lloyd). His spoken word record, Dying Comes With Age, will be released by Rare Bird Books in 2022. Ryan is a staff writer for RVA Magazine and maintains a pack a day habit. (photo by D. Randall Blythe)

SUBSCRIBE TO THE RVAMAG NEWSLETTER




more in community

Can Ellwood Thompson’s Survive Its Owners?

What is Ellwood Thompson’s now? That feels like a fair question most people should be asking right now after this week’s news that the company that owns one of Richmond’s most recognizable stores is being taken over by another company whose primary business is data...

I Went to the Data Center Town Hall at Studio Two Three

On Monday night, close to 300 to people packed into Studio Two Three in Richmond for a town hall about data centers, moderated by Gray Montrose and co-hosted by Henrico Civic Action and Data Center Defiance.  I went to get a better sense of where Richmonders are from...

Be Kind, Rewind! Welcome to Monster Video

On a hot day in June, while visiting The Veiled Mirror and talking with them about collecting old books and DVDs, I was told that next door would be opening as a VHS video store soon. All throughout July, several of my friends who knew of my movie library habit...

Skip the Chains! A VCU Student Guide to Cheap-ish Local Eats

It’s that time of year when the U-Hauls come rolling in, parents are circling the block looking for parking, and thousands of new VCU students are about to move in and get their first real taste of Richmond. There are about 4,500 new students and 1,500 transfer...

Thousands of Lanterns to Light Up Dorey Park

The Water Lantern Festival is back in Richmond on Saturday, August 22nd. Think thousands of personalized glowing lanterns floating on the water, with live music, food, and generally good vibes moving along with them. You get a lantern to make your own. On...

Richmond’s Famous Romantix Mural Gets a New Chapter

For a decade, the mural outside the Romantix adult store, formerly Taboo, on Midlothian Turnpike has been one of Richmond's most debated pieces of public art. Now it's gone, replaced by a new collaboration between tattoo artist and muralist Jesse Smith and Miami-based...

As Funding Shrinks, Richmond’s Safety Net Is Full

She decided to finally leave. Maybe it was after years of abuse, or after one violent night too many. Maybe it was the first time she truly believed that if she stayed, she might not survive. Whatever brought her to that moment, making the call took courage.  On...

Seeing Richmond Through Their Eyes

Editor's Note: Writers Block is an occasional series featuring personal essays, reflections, and creative nonfiction from Richmond-area writers. In Seeing Richmond Through Their Eyes, Gabriella Ryan shares how a month spent showing her Italian cousins around Richmond...

Topics:

TO THE RVA MAG YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR THE LATEST VIDEOS