Outside chances: The environment is getting a healthy respite right now thanks to less human activity around the globe. Is it possible to get back out there with intention and a newfound respect? Two area authors consider the role of nature in our lives during Leah ‘n’ Lulu’s Virtual Picnic, an immersion in “environmental writing […]
It goes without saying that the coronavirus pandemic has altered life as usual, but for area creatives the show must go on. Taking the place of her scheduled book release appearances, local author Laura Lee Gulledge is hopping on Facebook Live to discuss The Dark Matter of Mona Starr, a YA graphic novel that explores […]
When Lisa Speidel joined the Sexual Assault Resource Agency in the early 1990s, she had no idea her work in sexual assault prevention would lead to a career in sex education. But one graduate program, one assistant professorship, and 27 years teaching women’s self-defense later, she’s become an advocate for sexual awareness as a path […]
As the branch manager for the Scottsville Library and a former young adult librarian at the Crozet Library, it’s safe to say local author M.K. England knows books. And when England set out to write a YA novel, it was important that the stories held personal resonance. “I just wanted fun [...]
After months of involvement with SURJ and Charlottesville Resistance Choir, author Adam Nemett saw the statue debate become a community catalyst during the events of August 11 and 12, 2017. “I have tremendous respect for the anti-racist and anti-fascist heroes that were out there on the streets [...]
When local author and teacher Jocelyn Johnson started receiving Twitter direct messages from literary giant Roxane Gay, she thought to herself, “Something good is going to happen.” Just like that, a series of emphatic pings announced her arrival into a rarefied sphere: Johnson’s story, “Control [...]
Author Erika Howsare first made acquaintance with Isabella Bird as an undergrad, while sifting through a reading assignment. Bird, a Victorian British traveler, had lived and written nearly a century and a half before Howsare sat studying; still, she felt akin to the historic figure, making [...]