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...
Richmond’s creative economy has always been powered by risk-takers like musicians, painters, actors, writers, photographers, makers, and the small business owners who keep the city’s galleries, venues, and shops alive. Many piece together a living from passion projects, gig work, and side hustles, often without the safety net of employer-provided...
I was recently reflecting on a line I am particularly proud of. The tail half is: “I’ll go to the funeral if I get off of work.” As I am prone to do, it got me thinking about my abrasive hatred towards AI, especially in art. But I have to justify myself, if a computer wrote that line, would it still be a good line? The reason I think it is good...
Editor’s Note: With a new mayor in Richmond and Virginia’s governor’s race on the horizon, alongside ongoing federal redistricting battles and policy shifts, the question of how we build and hold power is more urgent than ever. In this guest commentary, a reader argues that too much of today’s activism has slipped into performance at the expense...
“The rebel yell, reinforced by a glorification of the lost cause was everywhere manifest,” reported John Mitchell Jr., editor of the Richmond Planet, an African American weekly newspaper, at the time of the Robert E. Lee monument’s unveiling. It was the spring of 1890. Boxes adorned with Confederate flags held the 12-ton bust, as a faithful...
My bunk gets sweaty when I lay it in. The walls sweat, too — you can see it. We’re in an oven. It’s too hot. It was an average Tuesday, nearly four in the afternoon, and I was saturated with sweat. Everybody was. All we could do was corral around a stand-up fan and try cooling off. Even the wall-mounted fans didn’t help us stop sweating. Shoot,...
When RVA Magazine approached me about becoming their regular theatre critic, I was tickled at the idea. I hadn't been too involved in the local scene, but I had been very critical - of everything, always. I was curious as to the state of quality. Regional theatre is a fall guy for numerous jokes in an industry puffed up with a hierarchy...
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 a...
And no, it’s not made from oranges.. The first time I encountered orange wine (or skin contact white wine), I was wowed by the color and it’s presentation. It’s gorgeous. This beautiful, amber-hued liquid danced around the edges of my swirling wine glass. I gave it a sniff and it was so earthy, not what I was expecting. Then I gave it a sip....
A former Richmond smoke shop owner breaks his silence on selective enforcement, shady distributors, and the regulatory loopholes driving Virginia’s booming gray market. In neighborhoods across Richmond, it’s hard to miss them: brightly lit vape shops glowing with LED signage, open late, their shelves lined with flavored vapes, glass pipes, and...
