In his newest book, UVA religious studies professor Charles Marsh explores the ways in which his Christian upbringing affected his mental health. For years he suffered from panic attacks and depression, but “we did not do therapy—my family, my particular evangelical coterie,” he writes. With vulnerability and humor, Marsh explains how he finally sought mental health treatment.
When he picked up the phone, University of Virginia English professor and author Bruce Holsinger expected to hear his publicist’s voice. Instead, he heard the instantly recognizable voice of Oprah Winfrey. “Your publicist is not calling you. She set you up, Bruce. I’m calling about ‘Culpability,’ and I want to choose it as my summer read for 2025,” Winfrey said in their phone conversation she recorded and posted to Instagram.
For Disability Pride Month 2025 — marking the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — Carla Arton, Keith Weimer, Erin Dickey, Christine Ruotolo, and Bethany Mickel from the UVA Library are proud to spotlight a selection of works that have made the journey from page to screen, offering powerful representations of disability in both written and visual forms. This year’s theme — “adaptation” — invites us to reflect on how stories of disability are told, retold, and transformed when moving from text to film.
For those of us looking for engaging and entertaining books to pack (or download) for a summer trip, it should come as no surprise that some of the best recommendations are available within the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Here is a list of what some of your faculty and staff colleagues from the A&S community are reading for pleasure this summer.
Celebrated every June, Pride Month is a time of celebration and authenticity, as well as a reflection on those who made progress for Queer people possible. Though the month will soon be over, it is never too late to celebrate the Queer community and all who are a part of it. A great way to do so is to engage with identities — and literature — that are often politicized and censored.
Professors across the country have noticed a troubling trend: College students are reading less than ever, and a recent study found many students enter college with challenges completing an entire book. The reasons why are complex. The rise of digital entertainment and the isolation of the pandemic have played a role, and studies show that 9- and 13-year-olds are reading for pleasure at historically low rates, which could contribute to the decline in college reading habits.
A literary agent was on the phone with Amy Griffin. She wanted the University of Virginia alumna to pen a volume on women in business. That made sense. After earning a volleyball scholarship and progressing to team captain, she graduated from Virginia in 1998 and charged into a marketing and investing career. In 2002, she married John Griffin, another successful Wahoo. “I think that’s the only reason he married me, because I went to UVA,” she teased.
The extra daylight hours summer brings also mean more time for reading. Whether you’re spending the season by the beach, lounging at a pool or holed up inside with the AC blasting, summer’s more relaxed pace invites you to crack open a book and immerse yourself in a new world.
You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. At New Dominion bookshop, photographer and filmmaker Michael O. Snyder will host a book talk where he will speak about his new book, Alleghania. This event takes place Saturday, June 28 from 7pm to 8pm. For Arts This Week, we chatted with Michael Snyder.
When University of Virginia fourth-year student Tyler Ruvolo takes a break, he escapes into a fantasy world of his own making. Ruvolo, an economics and commerce major from Long Island, New York, sees economic theory and business practicality as a perfect marriage. “Economics provides the theoretical framework, it provides a baseline in an imagined world,” Ruvolo said. “Then commerce gives the tools to actually make it real. It gives you the ability to communicate your vision.”
Publishing house Valparaíso Editions’ newest poetry publication, “Herbarium” was written by Elizabeth Mirabal, third-year Spanish Ph.D student at the University. Originally from Havana, Cuba, Mirabal wrote “Herbarium” as a 205 page collection of free verse poems about the flora of Cuba.
When University of Virginia fourth-year student Molly Rathbun propped open the doors to Nau Hall on a rainy February morning, she wasn’t sure who would brave the weather for the event she created. By day’s end, Rathbun’s Deaf Literature Festival had welcomed more than 80 attendees, featured six authors in the Deaf community and hosted an open mic session.
