Heart of grass: Celebrating banjos in bluegrass might be too conventional for Béla Fleck, who’s spent his career breaking musical barriers, from classical to pop, once winning Grammys for both country and jazz in the same year. But the banjo player comes full circle on his latest album, My Bluegrass Heart, a reference to Chick […]
Between the stripes: In his most recent book, Spanish poet Fernando Valverde turns his eye to the United States. Valverde’s America “deconstructs the legacy of empire,” as he explores the country he’s called home since 2014. The former foreign correspondent for El País, now a visiting professor at UVA, unflinchingly tackles legacies of greed and […]
True blood: After a year of outdoor and virtual productions, Blackfriars Playhouse roars back to life with Macbeth at the center of its fall season. Shakespeare’s renowned drama dives into the dark underbelly of politics, war, and ambition, plus a coven of meddling witches whose incantations have caused centuries of thespians to consider the play […]
McAuliffe and Youngkin take debate stage Gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin butted heads in the 2021 election’s first debate last week. McAuliffe, a longtime Democrat insider who served as governor of Virginia from 2014-2018, stood by his record, while former private equity boss Youngkin styled himself as a businessman who knows how […]
By Brielle Entzminger and Ben Hitchcock Three weeks ago, Charlottesville City Manager Chip Boyles announced that he had decided to fire Police Chief RaShall Brackney. The city will open a national search for the next chief of police, though community members and city councilors alike feel the reasons for Brackney’s dismissal remain murky. And for […]
By Kristin O’Donoghue Usually, the strip of pavement outside the Bodo’s on the Corner is reserved for parked cars. Last Friday, that space was filled with bright green turf, spiky potted ferns, students in lawn chairs, and a three-foot tall Connect Four game. The set-up was created by UVA’s Student Planners Association to celebrate Park(ing) […]
Navigating the corn-ers: There’s no better way to kick off the spooky season than by getting disoriented in five acres of corn. Test your navigational skills (and sanity) with a walk through the Blue Ridge Mountain Maze, and when you reach the other side, fall-themed activities await, from a pumpkin patch and petting zoo to […]
Lasting laughs: Funny lady of NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!,” Paula Poundstone earned her chops in the OG comedy clubs of ’80s L.A. before landing TV appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Poundstone came into her own as a trailblazing political comic in 1993 when she […]
Heavy meta: Do you struggle to avoid touching the art in museums? Welcome to MetamorphIX Art Fair, a hands-on experience, where you can get down and dirty. Paint murals, sculpt, and participate in performances alongside more than 40 visual artists while enjoying live music from Swan Song, Bristol of New York, and more. Your ticket […]
Richmond Lee statue goes down Workers removed Richmond’s gigantic statue of Robert E. Lee last week, following years of advocacy from activists, politicians, and lawyers. The 21-foot-tall, five-ton casting, the largest Confederate statue in the U.S., was cut in two and sent to an undisclosed location. Its stone plinth still stands, covered in graffiti from […]