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A mustard orange background with a painting of an older Black woman with a short haircut wearing glasses and long earrings. She is looking straight forward.
Creative Writing

From Circe to Octavia Butler, UVA Library Celebrates Women’s History Month 2026

For Women’s History Month this year, librarians at UVA recommend a variety of books written by women, ranging from science fiction to memoir to Greek myths. “Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia Butler” by Susana M. Morris (Amistad, 2025) In tracing the interior world of science fiction legend Octavia E. Butler through her writing, journals, archives, and interviews, Susana M. Morris generates a fascinating character study as well as a gripping story of struggle and persistence set against late-20th-century U.S. cultural history.

https://library.virginia.edu/news/2026/circe-octavia-butler-uva-library-celebrates-womens-history-month-2026

A photo of a mountain in front of a blue starry night sky. The moon is shown near the tip of the mountain. In white letters, "BANFF Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour" is titled to the left side of the image.
Film

Arts This Week: 11th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival

On Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 8, the Shenandoah National Park Trust will host the 11th annual Banff Mountain Film Festival at the Paramount Theater in downtown Charlottesville. For Arts this week, we spoke with Molly Strauchler. My name is Molly Strauchler. I’m the events and volunteer manager at Shenandoah National Park Trust, the official philanthropic partner of Shenandoah National Park, and we host the Banff film festival every year at the Paramount the Banff Film Festival is our largest annual fundraiser, and it is an epic cinematic experience over the course of three days. Each screening shows completely different films every night, and they’re all jam packed full of mountain culture and mountain adventure.

https://www.wtju.net/arts-this-week-11th-annual-banff-mountain-film-festival/

A man stands at a glass podium. He is wearing a colorful robe with patterned fabrics. As he is speaking, a screen next to him displays the title, "African Sufi Poetry" with a photo of an open book with writings inside.
Creative Writing

Q&A: What Inspires UVA’s Resident Sufi Poet?

Since 2008, the Library of Congress has hosted a “Conversations with African Poets and Writers Series,” bringing award-winning writers such as Chimamanda Adichie or Abdulrazak Gurnah from across the continent and diaspora to share their work. The latest guest is University of Virginia religious studies professor Oludamini Ogunnaike. A Nigerian American academic and poet, he published his poetry collection, “The Book of Clouds,” in 2024.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/qa-what-inspires-uvas-resident-sufi-poet

A muted background of a drawn beach scene. In front, 6 mannequins showcase different styles and colors of vintage beach swimwear from years past.
Art History

As Students Head to Spring Break, Beach Attire Has Dramatically Changed

This week, thousands of American college students will descend upon beaches across the country, donning swim trunks and bikinis for what has become an annual tradition: spring break. It’s no surprise that today’s swimwear is a far cry from styles of decades past, even if tankinis are making a comeback. UVA Today went to the University of Virginia’s Historic Clothing Collection to explore a century of swim fashion with the collection’s manager, Marcy Linton.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/students-head-spring-break-beach-attire-has-dramatically-changed

A close up photo of a hand using a paintbrush to paint a purple mural, and the title phrase "See Memory a film by Viviane Silvera" in white typed letters across the top.
Film

Arts This Week: "See Memory" at the Violet Crown

You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. For Arts This Week, we spoke with Viviane Silvera about her upcoming film See Memory. See Memory is premiering at the Violet Crown on the Downtown Mall this Wednesday, February 25 at 7pm as part of the Fralin Downtown Film Series.

https://www.wtju.net/arts-this-week-see-memory-at-the-violet-crown/

A background resembling an intricate wooden frame, with 4 pictures of cowboys in the 4 corners, and 1 picture of a cowgirl looking into the distance at the center of the frame. Above and below her picture states, "Ramona and the Holy Smokes."
Music

Zines, Light Sticks, and Live Music: Check Out These Upcoming Events at UVA Library

The University of Virginia Library has six locations, an array of cozy study spaces, millions of items available for checkout or browsing, and new resources arriving each day. And did you know we also offer events throughout the year ranging from exhibitions to concerts for UVA and the Charlottesville community? Join us at the Library this spring for craft workshops, writing and editing support, zine tutorials, and live music. All Library events are free. For a full listing of Library events, check out our public calendar.

https://library.virginia.edu/news/2026/zines-light-sticks-and-live-music-check-out-these-upcoming-events-uva-library?mtm_campaign=em&mtm_kwd=sub

A grid of 5 group photos of the men's acapella group traveling around Mexico, posing in group pictures together, and walking in the streets. The 6th photo is an image of flag of Mexico.
Music

The Virginia Gentlemen Take on Mexico

The University of Virginia’s oldest collegiate a capella group, the Virginia Gentlemen, traveled to Mexico for five days in January, introducing their music to new audiences. Recognizable in their navy blazers and UVA bow ties, the group regularly engages in cultural exchanges with performances on Grounds and outside of Virginia. In San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, they headlined a performance with the Chorale San Miguel and sang at Centro Educativo Naciones Unidas, an international school.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/virginia-gentlemen-take-mexico

A young woman in an orange sweater and blue hair wrap sits at a table while practicing needlepoint.
Visual Art

Q&A: How Does this Artist Explore South Sudanese Grief Through Her Craft?

When she’s not creating new pathways for University of Virginia students to train abroad, Awar Biong is writing poetry and creating embroidery at the New City Arts Initiative in downtown Charlottesville, where she is the fall artist-in-residence. Alongside her full-time role as a coordinator for global health training at UVA’s Center for Global Health Equity, her research residency includes organizing a series of events that examine past and present conflicts in the Sudans and hosting a mending circle for refugee women in Charlottesville.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/qa-how-does-artist-explore-south-sudanese-grief-through-her-craft

A long white paper with abstract black ink designs, displayed on a white wall.
Visual Art

'Spirits of the Forest': Anthropology Students Mount UVA Exhibition of Papua New Guinea Art

The idea for the art exhibition first occurred to professor Lise Dobrin in December 2024, after she received an email message from a French anthropologist in Papua New Guinea. Dobrin met Nicolas Garnier, who has lived and worked in the Pacific island nation for over 30 years, during her research trips there. Now Garnier was emailing Dobrin to let her know about a collection of drawings that his villager friends were making. Something special was going on, Dobrin recalled Garnier writing, and he wanted her help sharing these vividly drawn scrolls of artwork with the world.

https://as.virginia.edu/news/spirits-forest-anthropology-students-mount-uva-exhibition-papua-new-guinea-art

The front of an industrial urban building with a wall made of windows. A rusted sign hangs above the door and wooden tables and chairs are placed in the front.
Visual Art

The Bardo Invites Charlottesville to Step Into the In-Between

The bardo, a newly opened gallery-café nestled Downtown, took its first step into Charlottesville’s arts scene and welcomed visitors seeking an afternoon of calm reflection Jan. 31 during its grand opening. The space bridges the line between art and community as its patrons can enjoy coffee, baked goods and carefully curated artwork all at once as they peruse the brightly lit two-story establishment.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2026/02/the-bardo-invites-charlottesville-to-step-into-the-in-between?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

A grid of 6 images, most close up scans of cursive-written love letters, one a photo of a book page with the title "White Fire," and one a sketch of a woman's face. All images have a orange and blue filter over them.
Creative Writing

Deep in UVA’s Vault, Romance Survives

The vault and the stacks at the University of Virginia’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library hold romantic accoutrements that put chocolate-covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne to shame. In celebration of Valentine’s Day, UVA Today took a look at love letters, lithographs, poetry and first edition books, among other items, that document love that was sometimes hidden.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/deep-uvas-vault-romance-survives

A dark floral wallpaper design as the background, and an ornately framed text that states, "Second Street Gallery Presents the Anticipated Gallery Rally Speakeasy." It is supposed to resemble a framed piece of art hung on a wall.
Visual Art

Arts This Week: Second Street Gallery Fundraiser

On Saturday, February 21, join Second Street Gallery for their annual Gallery Rally fundraiser event with a roaring 20s twist. For Arts This Week, we spoke with CM Turner from the gallery. My name is CM Turner. I work with Second Street Gallery downtown, right off the downtown mall on Water Street at the corner of second and water, and we are gearing up for one of our largest fundraising events and one of the most exciting events on our programming calendar throughout the year, which is our annual Gallery Rally.

https://www.wtju.net/arts-this-week-second-street-gallery-fundraiser/