Editor's Note: Writer's Block is a space for Virginia writers to share personal essays, fiction, memoir, and works that fall somewhere in between. We’re standing on some corner in downtown Richmond: me, my two friends, a pair of women, and their male friend we had met...
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...
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...
Booze, Bombs, and Backyard Politics
We stepped down the cobblestone steps, our backs to that gothic tower of bricks seeing us off into a damp night. Jesse’s face was blue as he stared down into his phone and said: C’mon, I think it’s this way. It’s west? I asked. No, it’s in this direct—I mean yes… it’s west. You’re sure? He told me he was good for it. The guy who walks...
My god, I thought, this place will kill me one day… The door squeaked shut behind me; there was no turning back. The second floor of the office was as wide as a football field, with a maddening yellow tent and the stench of stale coffee and bleached paper. There was an unnerving clattering of phones, fax machines, and keyboards filling the...
Vice published an article in ‘99 declaring RVA “a black hole”, “a sedative”, and “the easiest place in the world to do nothing and still have the best fucking time in the world”. After living there for 6 years in my early 20s, I couldn’t agree more. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Suddenly, I had forgotten why I was in the kitchen. So I fixed myself...
ed. note: This story is just for fun and obviously a work of fiction. Enjoy! I am Elrilion of planet Garcust. It is now I will recount the labor of my glory. Long is my reign as warrior king. Fell is the fatal might of Gemnon, my proven sword. Vanquished are my enemies. Severed and strewn amongst galaxies are the heads of those who conspire...
Step into an unsettling yet eerily familiar world with this latest fictional short story submission. This gripping narrative explores a dystopian reality where personal freedoms and women's reproductive rights are critically endangered. The protagonist's heart-wrenching journey, shaped by oppressive legislation and societal pressures, invites you...
This Valentine's Day, Death Club Radio's Phil Ford considers the doomed romantic tradition of the Lover's Leap, and asks: where did this macabre folk legend come from? I like to think I am a practical, sensible person -- although many have told me otherwise -- but I still can’t fathom why two forlorn fools would jump off a cliff for love. Who the...
