Tami Keaveny, Author at C-VILLE Weekly

In it together: Life under quarantine in our Italian sister city

Just weeks ago, Caterina Martini was celebrating the first birthday of her daughter, surrounded by friends and family at a large gathering. Hugs and kisses passed freely from person to person. Life changed quickly for Martini and her family on March 10, when the Italian government issued a national quarantine to fight the spread of […]

Tami Keaveny | March 12, 2020

Arts

Screw you: Comedian Lewis Black defies authority and rejects stupidity

When I reach politically enraged comedian Lewis Black by phone on an early February morning following the Iowa caucus, I expect he’ll be ready with one of his signature rants, and after a polite exchange of salutations, he does not disappoint. Black immediately unleashes a torrent of frustrations. Clearly he wants me to listen—which is […]

Tami Keaveny | February 26, 2020

Arts

Blooming with joy: Lewis Miller shares his life in flowers at TEDx Charlottesville

In this busy, challenging world, many of us have to be reminded to stop and smell the roses. To pause, take in the good, and relax in a moment of appreciation. Sure it’s a cliché, but for floral designer Lewis Miller it’s tangible and powerful. It’s a way of life and an art form. One […]

Tami Keaveny | November 6, 2019

Arts

Bigfoot sighting

“The Elvis Presley of taxidermy.” That’s what fans call Ken Walker, the star of the documentary Big Fur. Part conspiracy theory, part environmental commentary, and part obsession, this “love story” follows Walker’s personal and artistic journey as he sets out on a fact-finding mission in order to build, true to form and scale, a replica […]

Tami Keaveny | October 24, 2019

Arts

The 2019 VAFF offers a diverse lineup with over 150 films

Oscar buzz abounds among the spotlight films screening at the 32nd Annual Virginia Film Festival, from the opening night feature, Just Mercy, starring Michael B. Jordan, to writer-director Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story with Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda and Ray Liotta. VAFF Director and UVA Vice Provost for the Arts Jody Kielbasa […]

Tami Keaveny | September 25, 2019

Arts

ARTS Pick: Pat Alger

Behind the hits: Chart-topping songwriter Pat Alger says, “It never grows old hearing a great singer perform one of my songs.” Alger brought his skills to Nashville in the ‘80s, and made a name penning hits for others including Nanci Griffith and Garth Brooks. His songs have been performed by Peter, Paul and Mary, Dolly […]

Tami Keaveny | September 18, 2019

Arts

Grace by design: Walé Oyéjidé uses fashion to tell stories

“The way that a story is told is just as important as the story itself,” designer Walé Oyéjidé told a National Geographic Storytellers Summit audience in January. Oyéjidé, who’s also a director, writer, filmmaker, musician, and lawyer, tells stories by using fashion design to dispel stereotypes and biases. In his ongoing photography project “After Migration,” […]

Tami Keaveny | September 11, 2019

Arts

Learning curves: Bruce Holsinger crafts a timely work of fiction with The Gifted School

Charlottesville resident, author, UVA professor, and dad of two boys, Bruce Holsinger may want to add prognosticator to his CV. His new novel, The Gifted School, is about privilege, parenting, inequity, and the corrosive extremes that parents go to in order to ensure their kids’ educational advantage. The novel arrives in the aftermath of a […]

Tami Keaveny | July 2, 2019

Arts

ARTS Pick: Twenty One Pilots

Firmly entrenched: After huge success with 2015’s thematically cryptic Blurryface, Twenty One Pilots entered into a period of “going dark” for a year, which singer Tyler Joseph says was needed to bring authenticity back to the music and battle some unspecified personal demons. When the duo released its follow-up, Trench, in 2018, its fanbase, better […]

Tami Keaveny | June 5, 2019

Arts

Get lit: Global harmony starts with a fire for Burning Man’s Michael Mikel

Eight days in the desert under harsh conditions with no permanent infrastructure, including a stable water source, sounds like a test of the human spirit worthy of a cable channel reality show. At the annual Burning Man, a gathering that began on a San Francisco beach 32 years ago and is now set in Nevada’s […]

Tami Keaveny | April 10, 2019