Mary Alice Hostetter understood the power of words and stories very early on. Her new book, Plain: A Memoir of Mennonite Girlhood, chronicles her journey to define an authentic self amid a rigid religious upbringing in a Mennonite farm family. Over the course of the book, Hostetter leaves behind the fields and fences of her […]
Mary Alice Hostetter understood the power of words and stories very early on. Her new book, Plain: A Memoir of Mennonite Girlhood, chronicles her journey to define an authentic self amid a rigid religious upbringing in a Mennonite farm family. Over the course of the book, Hostetter leaves behind the fields and fences of her […]
In Sofia Samatar’s latest book, The White Mosque, the author and James Madison University professor weaves stories from her life together with histories of a group of Russian Mennonites who migrated to what is now Uzbekistan. Ak Metchet, which means “white mosque,” is the name of the Uzbek village that was settled by 19th-century Mennonites […]
A man catches a silver trout, which turns into a “glimmering girl with apple blossom in her hair” before fading away. Though he grows old searching for her, he will find where she has gone, pledges the narrator of William Butler Yeats’ ethereal 1897 poem “The Song of Wandering Aengus.” This yearning poem’s lyrics open […]
Writer and director Scott Cooper’s film of Louis Bayard’s novel The Pale Blue Eye is a reasonably engaging American Gothic mystery. It offers visually appealing historical fiction and, at just over two hours, doesn’t overstay its welcome. But with a mediocre script and lead performances that don’t equal its pictorial loveliness, the film only sporadically […]
To help you start the new year with a fresh look, we spoke to striking and unsung style heroes around town, and asked these questions: How would you describe your style? What inspires the way you dress, or the way you style your home or work space? What would you like people to know about […]
It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center opened its doors. It’s a milestone achievement that wouldn’t be possible without the steely determination of Executive Director Andrea Douglas, whose hard work has solidified the historic school firmly in the heart of Charlottesville. Under Douglas’ leadership, the JSAAHC […]
Stand-up comedian Brian Regan is known for his mirthful routines that tackle mundane, everyday events like how to cook Pop-Tarts, visits to the doctor, and the refrigerator’s meat drawer. Regan embodies his jokes with a big physicality that includes plenty of funny facial expressions, and fills the entire theater. The “comedian’s comedian” hosted his second […]
The Lua Project blends multiple music styles from different continents and centuries into one cohesive sound. Deeming themselves “cultural pollinators,” the band sings about contemporary themes of family, work, and loss, while drawing on elements of Son Mexicano, Appalachian song forms, Jewish and Eastern European tonalities, baroque melodies, and Scotch-Irish narrative storytelling. The performance accompanies […]
Enjoy a sophisticated afternoon at the opera with The Met Livein HD screening of Fedora. The Metropolitan Opera’s production of Umberto Giordano’s breathtaking drama is full of arresting arias, magnificent melodies, and charged confrontations. Soprano Sonya Yoncheva stars as Fedora, a 19th-century Russian princess who falls in love with her fiancé’s murderer. Maestro Marco Armiliato […]
Ian Rynecki Executive Chef: Easton Porter Group, eastonporter.com Culinary training: Hands-on, in restaurants Reward “When I began my career as a cook during freshman year of college, there were not many work options available in the evening except for restaurants. “My first job was in a Burlington, Vermont, sushi restaurant where the focus was on […]