Five documentaries that will stay with you

Descendant  The United States outlawed international slave trade in 1808, but more than a half century later a ship called the Cotilda smuggled a group of enslaved Africans into Mobile, Alabama. The expedition was illegally chartered by a plantation owner named Timothy Meaher, who ordered the Cotilda be burned and sunk to hide all evidence […]

Myth busters

For such a small city, Charlottesville sure has an insane amount of celebrity connections. Ask any townie and you’ll hear so many conflicting tales it can be hard to sort fact from fiction. Take the late playwright Sam Shepard, who lived in Scottsville with Jessica Lange in the mid-’80s. Rumor has it he did his […]

Second chance

Nothing beats the feeling of scoring a sweet secondhand find. Whether you think of thrifting as an art, habit, hobby, or lifestyle, here are the best places to pop some tags. Rethreads Charlottesville: A multi-room boutique with eclectic apparel (and more!) for modern- and vintage-lovers, with size- and gender-inclusive options. Twice is Nice: You can […]

Epic metal

In an industry divided by art and craft, blacksmith Ellen Durkan is forging her own path. Durkan creates intricate, complex, wearable art, known as “forged fashion.”  She was drawn to blacksmithing while pursuing a master’s degree in fine arts at Towson University. No one in the program was a blacksmith, but that wasn’t a problem […]

Book looks

Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen cooking demo  March 18, 2pm | Virtual event When Meredith Pangrace decided to go vegan as a teenager, her grandmother made sure she was still included at family dinners. “She didn’t judge me, didn’t criticize,” writes Pangrace in her new community cookbook, Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen, “and she lovingly accommodated my […]

Modern magic

For a genre that’s supposed to blow past the boundaries of what’s imaginable, fantasy can be predictable. The genre historically suffers from a lack of diversity on all fronts, and features a plethora of common tropes rooted in racist and sexist ideologies. (And some fans like it that way: When the cast of Amazon’s “The […]

Moving tributes

The act of running can be solitary and isolating—a way to get the recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day and nothing more. “To be honest, I don’t like running,” says Derrick J. Waller. “I’m not sure if I will ever like running.” Surprisingly, Waller is a member of the local Prolyfyck Run Creww. Prolyfyck […]

Training days: Prepare now to ease pets out of quarantine

The coronavirus pandemic can be a frightening time. In this constant state of isolated vigilance, we worry about the health, safety, and prosperity of ourselves and others. But as the weeks drag into months, it is human nature to find silver linings. You may be honing your skills in the kitchen or learning a new […]

Safe at home: Pets can be a comfort during the coronavirus

As we continue practicing social distancing and self-isolation in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, many of us are at home and spending a lot more time with our pets. They can be a tremendous comfort in a time like this; I have yet to find an antidote as soothing as my dog’s peaceful obliviousness […]

The vision thing: What do cats and dogs actually see?

Centuries of domestic breeding have resulted in cats and dogs that come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. If you have a favorite breed, there’s a good chance that you like it to some degree because of the way it looks. But what do our pets see when they look back at […]