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...
Sixty-five years ago, a group of brave young Black Richmonders walked into a department store, sat down at a lunch counter, and refused to leave. That’s what they did. That’s what got them arrested. They just sat in a segregated space where their presence alone was considered a crime. https://vimeo.com/9827740?share=copy That moment—the...
I’ve given up on trying to write reviews of plays I see at the Firehouse Theatre immediately after leaving the show. Maybe I’m slow, but there is always so much to process that “sleeping on it” is the only way I’m going to unpack the turmoil they’ve left me with as I walk out the door.Detroit '67, currently showing, is no exception. The Firehouse...
If English is your first language and you own at least 100 books, I’d lay even odds that one of them is the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Even if you’ve never read it. Shakespeare’s kung fu grip on the GOAT trophy is impressive for its 400-year title retention and his distant-as-all-hell competition in the rearview. When someone gets to...
Music is the lifeblood of our city. The late-night sets, the sweat-soaked venues, the dusty record bins filled with sonic treasures and hidden frequencies. Richmond gets this— more than any other city in Virginia. So here’s Weekend Frequency—a weekly, reader-curated playlist built for the city, by the city. Part revival, part continuation of...
These shows got me amped. Join me and catch the wind in the sails and take off into a musical tomorrow across a sea of uncertainty. If you’ve got any tips, send them my way. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. The CamelFriday, March 14th, 2025Golden Fest | A Benefit For Justin...
Given our current political predicament, no line in cinema feels more relevant than when Bob Hauk, the police commissioner in Escape from New York, says to Snake Plissken, “The president’s gone missing.” To which Plissken coolly responds, “President of what?” Released in 1981 and directed by John Carpenter, Escape from New York, is arguably...
Music has always been a mirror. It tells us who we are, what we value, and, sometimes, what we’re too afraid to face. But if music is supposed to reflect the world around us, then what does it say that so much of today’s mainstream music says… nothing at all? Richmond once had something to say. It made music that rattled cages, music that took a...
There are few people who can expose the playbooks of power quite like NYT bestselling author Cory Doctorow—unraveling how tech monopolies, political elites, and radicalization can converge at a singular point. As a science fiction writer, activist, and former European Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, he’s always been at the...
Gallery5 and the surrounding blocks of Jackson Ward became a portal to the past, where the clang of steel, the scent of woodsmoke, and the hum of lively conversation set the scene for the Richmond Renaissance Faire’s fundraising kickoff. Organized by Virago Alley in collaboration with The Richmond Moon Market, the event aimed to build support for...
