VIRGINIA LITERATURE




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After Strong Turnout, Richmond Arts Park Enters Holding Pattern

Under the Manchester Bridge, what had been an idea for years turned into something tangible, at least for a day. Hundreds of people moved through the space as muralists painted, DJs played, and passersby stopped mid-bike ride or walk to figure out what was going on....

The Veiled Mirror Comes With Ghost Stories Included

If you are in the market for a glass eye in the same shade as your lover’s, some elaborate hair jewelry, or even an electric couch to use as a Victorian cure-all, then you need to head over to The Veiled Mirror. This Victorian antique store opened downtown in January,...

Richmond Had a General Strike and a First Friday on the Same Night

It was 72 and breezy. Unseasonably pleasant, almost chilly. VCU students were splayed out on picnic blankets in Monroe Park enjoying soft serve and the sunshine. Citronella and the smell of hot dogs wafted through the air from some folks having a cookout. “High...

My Life As a Spider: The Two Years I Tried to Delete

Editor’s Note: Max Winter is a University of Richmond alumnus reflecting on his time at UR in the late ’90s and the campus culture he experienced. You can read more of his work on his Substack HERE. Recently, while eating carnitas in East LA, I check my phone and get...

It’s Still Our City Ep. 20 | Katie Davis, Salvation Tattoo

“Katie Davis left home (Maine) at 16 and moved to Richmond Virginia. She started working in a tattoo shop at age 17. A total dream job for a music and art loving minor delinquent. While apprenticing and working full time, she also attended/graduated VCU with a BFA in...

Proof In The Park! Richmond Arts Park Gets Trial Run This Weekend

The City of Richmond is giving organizers behind a proposed arts park under the Manchester Bridge a one-day opportunity to test the concept in real time. Scheduled for Saturday April 25 from 12-5pm, the event will serve as a live proof of concept for what supporters...

Virginia MOCA Launches New Era

Before the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU was even around, and before the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts really began to embrace contemporary work, especially anything connected to street art or artists working in the present, Virginia Museum...

Because None of This is Important, All of It Is.

Amid feedback loops, flickering lights, and fleeting connections at Get Tight Lounge, a local sound tech finds clarity in the chaos and meaning in the impermanence. by Eric Kalata I had to go across town first, to a different venue, to grab the microphones and monitors that I would need for the night. There were six speakers, and I was to take...

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Eric Kalata writing_photo by R Anthony Harris_RVA Magazine 2025

Writer’s Block | ‘Poker Game’ by Cameron Ritter

A Sunday series from RVA Magazine featuring writers from Richmond and VirginiaWriter’s Block is RVA Magazine’s Sunday series highlighting contemporary writers working in Richmond and across the Commonwealth. Each week, we feature original poems, short stories, or essays. Just real voices writing right now. This week’s piece comes...

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Poem-by-Cameron-Ritter_RVA-Magazine-2025

Writer’s Block | Poems by Jennifer Jurlando

A Sunday series from RVA Magazine featuring writers from Richmond and VirginiaWriter’s Block is RVA Magazine’s Sunday series highlighting contemporary writers working in Richmond and across the Commonwealth. Each week, we feature original poems, short stories, or essays. Just real voices writing right now. This week, we’re featuring four...

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Poems-by-Jennifer-Jurlando_RVA-Magazine-2025

Writer’s Block | Poems by Anna Leonard

A Sunday series from RVA Magazine featuring writers from Richmond and VirginiaWriter’s Block is RVA Magazine’s Sunday series highlighting contemporary writers working in Richmond and across the Commonwealth. Each week, we feature original poems, short stories, or essays. Just real voices writing right now. This week, we’re featuring four...

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Anna-Leonard-poems_photo-by-Spruce-RVA-Magazine-2025

From The Village Cafe to Literary Fame: Tom Robbins Dies at 92

Tom Robbins, the celebrated author known for his whimsical storytelling and philosophical wit, passed away on February 9, 2025, at the age of 92 in La Conner, Washington. Though he became a literary icon in the Pacific Northwest, Robbins' formative years in Richmond, Virginia, played a significant role in shaping his worldview and creative voice....

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Tom-Robbins-death_RVA-Magazine-2025

Dispatch From Cuba 2015

I wanted to give a bit of context for this piece. I was introduced to Bill one afternoon at the local watering hole by a mutual friend. Bill, a talented and experienced writer, shared some of his work with me, and I was interested to read more. When I asked if he had anything we could publish, he sent over a series of travel vignettes. You can...

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William-Hamby-Dispatches_RVA-Magazine-2024

‘VASK8R’ | Starting Over at the Local Roller Rink

The rules are simple: don't get in anyone’s way and try to look good while doing it. The warehouse off Williamsburg Blvd mimics many of the same buildings near the Richmond International Airport. But on Wednesday night, when many of the local businesses have locked the doors and shut off the lights, the parking lot of the roller skating rink is...

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Richmond roller rink story and photos by Olivia Alexandra Bolling_RVA Magazine 2024