Take your pick

By Chris Martin With serious supply shortages and shipping delays slowing everything down, holiday cooking staples from bacon to flour to peppercorns and more have suddenly become hard to come by. But fear not—the humble squash is here to save the day. More than just funky fall porch decor, the squash is an often-overlooked veggie […]

Sweet cycle

By Carrie Meslar A jar of honey seems like a simple thing. One ingredient, most often drizzled or spooned out in those hazy first hours of the day. Yet, to bring that honey to the table is an involved year-long process that offers little rest for those who decide to take up the challenge. For […]

Easy as local, fresh-baked pie

By Chris Martin With the holidays fast approaching, bakeries are sifting through 50-pound bags of flour faster than you can open a can of cranberry sauce, and pie is cooling around every corner. Local pie maker and young entrepreneur Megan Adams is facing down another holiday baking season. Adams sells sumptuous apple hand pies, mini […]

Pick: When the Rain Stops Falling

Climate stage: Andrew Bovell’s When the Rain Stops Falling is an intimate play with a vast setting. It’s 2039, and a catastrophic flood is coming that will end all life on Earth. Interweaving stories from four generations across two continents, the play showcases the lasting impacts of climate change and the damaging legacy left behind […]

Pick: Fran Lebowitz

Tales of the city: Social commentator and cultural satirist Fran Lebowitz has an impressive resume of books, essays, and films. Her New Yorker flair won her a spot on Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed Hall of Fame list, and she’s the subject of Martin Scorsese’s recent Emmy-nominated, limited documentary series “Pretend It’s a City.” Lebowitz appears […]

Pick: Chatham Rabbits

Together in song: Drawing on the rich and diverse Southern musical traditions, North Carolina string band Chatham Rabbits constructs its modern folk with clawhammer banjo, effortless harmonies, and a deep appreciation for the past. The husband-and-wife duo’s name pays homage to a string band from over 100 years ago, and the couple’s guitar and Gibson […]

In brief: GOP map rejected, city spokesman resigns

Virginia Supreme Court rejects GOP mapmaker nominees Virginia’s redistricting process continues to lurch forward. Last year, voters approved the Democrats’ legislation creating a new, bipartisan committee to draw the districts for state and federal elections. That committee, however, met for two months and then collapsed, unable to overcome its partisan differences. The state’s redistricting process […]

Painting the town red

By Kristin O’Donoghue “When I was a young man…I’d get so wrapped up in elections,” says state Senator Creigh Deeds, who represents Charlottesville and some surrounding rural areas. “But an election is not an event, it’s part of a process. The work continues after the election.”  Still, it was a consequential election: For the last […]

Pick: Amanda

Movie night: Ty Cooper’s latest film is deeply personal. The Charlottesville-based award-winning director drew on his and his family’s own experiences with cancer when writing Amanda, a story about love, trauma, relationships, and more. As she prepares to submit her art for curation, Amanda confronts losses that she has avoided since childhood, when the disease […]

Pick: Kadencia

Island tunes: With a boisterous brass section and massive percussion, Afro-Puerto Rican ensemble Kadencia’s rhythmic sounds are a lively celebration of the Caribbean island’s culture. Playing original songs in the traditional styles of bomba and plena, the band seeks to preserve and share Puerto Rico’s native musical expression. And a splash of spirited salsa will […]