Culture

Unforgettable Events Across Virginia to Celebrate Independence Day 2025

With such a rich history, it’s no wonder that Virginia knows how to party like it’s 1776. These events across the state invite you to let your freedom ring this Fourth of July. July Fourth Celebration • Galax A display of American pride and small-town charm in downtown Galax. VisitGalax.com Fourth of July in Colonial […]

by Gracie Hayden

Virginia’s Best Sunflower Festivals

The flowers are coming out for these beautiful festivals around the state. July is prime sunflower season at Sinkland Farms in Christiansburg. Over three weekends from July 14-30, enjoy their third annual Sunflower Festival where more than eight acres of sunflowers are in full bloom and perfect for picking. The festival also […]

by Konstantin Rega

The Big Screen

Drive-in movies are back. The nostalgia of drive-in movie theaters may be a thing of the past to some, but several spots in Virginia still steward this historical experience for modern audiences. Central Drive-In in Norton is the longest running drive-in theater in Virginia, opening for 70 consecutive seasons since 1952. Marion’s […]

by Staff

Kevin Powers Interview

We discuss this award-winning author’s latest book and more. The latest from Richmond author and National Book Award finalist Kevin Powers, A Line in the Sand (Little Brown, May 2023) opens with Arman Bajalan, an Iraqi interpreter, who discovers a body on a Norfolk beach. He narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, and […]

by Konstantin Rega

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Spacek and Fisk star in Sam & Kate. In Sam & Kate, UVA alum, actress, and musician Schuyler Fisk teams with six-time Academy Award-nominee Sissy Spacek—who also happens to be her mother. The multigenerational rom-com heats up when the mother-daughter pair meet father-son co-stars Dustin and Jake Hoffman. As […]

by Staff

Finding Her Roots

How Barbara Kingsolver stumbled on her Appalachian heritage. Mike Belleme/The New York Times/Redux Among her 17 bestselling books, Barbara Kingsolver’s ninth—The Poisonwood Bible—became both a Pulitzer Prize nominee and Oprah Book Club pick. So it was no surprise when her latest set bookstores buzzing. “It just flew off the shelves,” […]

by Konstantin Rega

Polly Stewart Interview

This Virginia author wants you to get lost in her novel about a missing girl. The Good Ones by Polly Stewart. Harper. pp.304. $30. (For sale on June 6) Konstantin Rega: When did you start writing? Polly Stewart: I remember telling my mom that I wanted to be […]

by Konstantin Rega

Polo Party

At matches around the state, polo is just getting started. “There’s nothing better than a Sunday afternoon of polo,” says Lou Lopez, who coaches the University of Virginia polo teams in Charlottesville. Best of all, you don’t need to be a member of the horsey set to get in on the action. Spectators […]

by Cathy Herbert

Is Reincarnation Possible?

In a Netflix series, UVA’s Dr. Jim Tucker says he has thousands of reasons to believe. (photo by Lincoln Barbour) In a spine-tingling scene from the Netflix documentary series, Surviving Death, a small boy points to a photograph of a playground in Brooklyn, a place he’s never been. “My mom took […]

by Kinsey Gidick

Jeannette Walls

In her new novel, the Glass Castle author explores home and history: “With Virginia, it’s a love affair.” In the movie version of her 2005 memoir, The Glass Castle, Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts play her nomadic parents while Brie Larson stars as Walls herself. The theater run spurred the book to an […]

by Constance Costas

Celebrating Ella

10 songs made memorable by the queen of jazz. It would be hard to find someone who doesn’t like Ella Fitzgerald. Though you may not be “into” jazz, you’ve certainly heard her voice—on the radio or maybe even in a Laurel and Hardy film. Like Sinatra, Fitzgerald came to fame during the ’40s […]

by Konstantin Rega

Virginia’s Young Entrepreneurs

These business-minded students are making waves, in and out of the classroom. (Bill Tiernan via The Virginian-Pilot) Four years ago, when Erica Sullivan Feggeler learned that her mother had been diagnosed with skin cancer, the Virginia Tech (VT) senior panicked. Then she decided to do something about it. Feggeler began brainstorming, rallying some […]

by Kinsey Gidick

200 Years of Stories

The Library of Virginia holds our community history. (Courtesy of the Library of Virginia) What started as a storage place for law books used by the Virginia General Assembly in 1823 has become a destination for historic records, ancestral discoveries, and even church cookbooks. “We collect what I’ll call ‘community history,’” says […]

by Konstantin Rega

Play It Again, Lizzo

How Madison came by that crystal flute. Shawn Miller Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress. Note: Privacy and publicity rights for individuals depicted may apply. In a bold tweet, Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, shared James Madison’s priceless crystal flute and issued a tempting invitation: “@lizzo we would love for you to come […]

by Konstantin Rega

Meagan Jennett Interview

Hailing from Crozet, this debut author gives a twist to the crime novel. (Headshot by Mike Kropf) You Know Her by Meagan Jennett. MCD. pp. 368. $28 Konstantin Rega: What made you want to be a writer? Meagan Jennett: I’ve been writing stories since I could hold a pencil. I’ve […]

by Konstantin Rega

The Weeds by Katy Simpson Smith

Two botanists discover themselves in the world of weeds. The Weeds by Katy Simpson Smith. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 320. $27. Can you identify a dandelion? Probably. But do you know the name’s origins? Dents de lion, French for: teeth of lion. Katy Simpson Smith’s new novel holds these little […]

by Konstantin Rega

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts

For 50 years, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts has nurtured the world’s most promising artists. Sera Petras Enter the property known as Mt. San Angelo, just outside of Amherst, and a sign near the cattle guard reads “Cows and Cars Share the Road.” As you hairpin up the hill, your […]

by sarah sargent

Beginner’s Guide to Stacey Kent

Now living in Virginia, this singular jazz singer’s smooth tunes amaze and inspire. I was not always a jazz junky. I actually came to it rather reluctantly. Many people, I think, consider it to be a bunch of pianists improvising crazily and forget that musicians like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra are very much part […]

by Konstantin Rega

Playing with Landscapes

We interview artist Suzanna Fields about her newest exhibit at the Quirk Gallery in Charlottesville. Stacey Evans “Constant Anomalies” runs until April 16 and shows an artist playing with organic and artificial landscapes. Taking inspiration from Rockfish Gap and the Blue Ridge in general, she makes beautifully strange art that is almost hallucinogenic. It’s […]

by Konstantin Rega

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Events

June 24, 2025

Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace

Carlyle House Historic Park

June 24, 2025

Exposure: In Bloom, Return to Seoul (2022)

Institute for Contemporary Art

June 24, 2025

Waitress at Virginia Repertory Theatre

Virginia Repertory Theatre

The U.S. DOE Labeled These Virginia Schools Outstanding

Eight Virginia schools received the National Blue Ribbon 2024 award for their high performances. The Exemplary High Performing Schools are Spring Hill Elementary in McLean, Green Run Collegiate in Virginia Beach, Bethel Manor Elementary in Hampton, and St. Andrew the Apostle School in Clifton. The Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are Central Academy Middle […]

by Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves

UVA Claims Top Spots Among Public Universities

The University of Virginia has climbed to No. 4 among public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Colleges rankings, advancing one position from last year. The university maintained its No. 24 overall ranking, tying with Emory and Georgetown universities. UVA’s commitment to accessibility and student success stands out in several key metrics. […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Small Town, Big History: The Stories of Abingdon

Long before the first European settlers ventured into the American wilderness, the Delaware and Catawba tribes tracked a buffalo trace through the Shenandoah Mountains. Abingdon—once known as Wolf Hills—emerged along this trail, today’s Route 11. Frequented by westward expansionists on the Great Valley Road, Main Street grew. Today, the city of 8,336 residents hugs Route […]

by Michael C. Upton

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Unforgettable Events Across Virginia to Celebrate Independence Day 2025

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Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace

Exposure: In Bloom, Return to Seoul (2022)

Waitress at Virginia Repertory Theatre

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The U.S. DOE Labeled These Virginia Schools Outstanding

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Culture

Unforgettable Events Across Virginia to Celebrate Independence Day 2025

Current Issue

Events

Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace

Exposure: In Bloom, Return to Seoul (2022)

Waitress at Virginia Repertory Theatre

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Most Popular

The U.S. DOE Labeled These Virginia Schools Outstanding

UVA Claims Top Spots Among Public Universities

Small Town, Big History: The Stories of Abingdon

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weekly newsletter: VL Today

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