COMMUNITY




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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....

What to Know About the Big Dipper Innovation Summit in Richmond

There’s a lot of change happening in Richmond right now, and most of it can feel out of our hands. But the reality is, there are people in leadership shaping how the city and state grow, who it’s for, and where it’s going next. At some point, you either tune it out or...

Why Richmond is Ready for Rest Fest Right Now

In 2009, I went to three different GameStops trying to find a Wii Fit Balance Board, and getting one started my path toward having yoga in my life. After two years of doing virtual yoga on a game system, I was challenged by a student to seek out meditation and yoga...

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...

GWAR Asks Fans to Donate Blood in Support of Co-Founder Chuck Varga

GWAR is asking fans and the broader community to step up in support of co-founder Chuck Varga, who is currently battling cancer. “We are coming together to support Chuck Varga (The Sexecutioner), one of the founding members of GWAR, who is currently battling cancer,...

Virginia Lawmakers Clash Over $1.6B Data Center Tax Breaks

State lawmakers will soon return to the Capitol after ending the General Assembly session without a budget, in part due to some debate whether to continue current tax breaks for data centers. The Democratic-led Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee put forth a budget that would end the tax exemption for data centers by 2027, and free up...

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Virginia-Data-Center-tax-Breaks-by-Alexa-Barnes_photo-by-Kacy-Lee, VCU-Capital-News-Service_RVA-Magazine-2026

Love Thy Neighbor

There was a new guy that moved across the street from me, a new neighbor, and every time he saw me on the front porch puffing away, he asked to bum a smoke. It got so incessant that I had begun smoking in the backyard instead, not wishing to part with any of my precious pack of cigarettes if it wasn’t to be consumed by me. After a couple of weeks...

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The Richmond Animation Festival Doubles Down This Year

For the 4th Richmond Animation Festival, the program expands to two nights of screenings.  First, on Saturday, April 25th, the Shorts program curated by Jordan Bruner and Zack Williams will screen at Studio Two Three, and the feature screening of Julian Glander’s Boys Go To Jupiter will play at The Byrd, Sunday, April 26th. Starting in 2023,...

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Richmond Animation Festival 2026 by Todd Raviotta_RVA Magazine 2026

Writer’s Block | Two Poems by Cameron Ritter

Writer’s Block is RVA Magazine’s 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 two poems by Cameron Ritter. His work leans into observation and dialogue, pulling from everyday...

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Poems by Cameron Ritter_RVA Magazine 2026

The Era of Straight-Up Greed (Or, Can I Live?)

I stopped for gas the other day, it’s $4.19 a gallon. You swipe your card, you move on. That’s just the baseline price of existing now in Richmond. Inside, I grabbed a couple things without thinking. A two-pack of Reese’s and an iced tea. The kind of purchase made a thousand times from muscle memory. $3.45 for the candy. Four bucks for the tea. I...

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The Era of Straight-Up Greed (Or, Can I Live?) by R. Anthony Harris_RVA Magazine 2026

Writer’s Block | Student Poets from PodiumRVA Speak Their Truth

A Sunday series from RVA Magazine featuring writers from Richmond and Virginia Writer’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. Editor’s Note: The following poems were...

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PodiumRVA_photo by Alizea Sidorov_RVA Magazine 2026

New Menu, Who Dis? Get Tight Gets Tighter.

Randy O’Dell has a posse. The co-owner of Get Tight Lounge, and owner of En Su Boca, and beloved bars and restaurants of RVA legend, has always known how to attract incredible talent in his kitchen and behind the bar. He’s joined forces with Drew Schlegel in keeping the vibes fresh and the menu fresher. They’ve just invested a lot of trust and...

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The Byrd Theatre Is Still Richmond’s Palace of Dreams

Christmas Eve, 1928. Richmond is cold and the city is dressed for the holiday. On West Cary Street, a crowd gathers outside a building that wasn't there six months ago; a French Empire facade rising up in the middle of a neighborhood that had no idea it was about to become something. The first film that night was Waterfront, a First National...

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