NewsVoices Behind Walls
College classrooms are opening up behind federal prison walls, sparking a massive shift in American higher education
NewsThe Insurance-Industrial Complex of Slavery
The Library of Virginia presents a virtual talk by Virginia Humanities HBCU Scholars Fellow Michelle Oliver, a financial genealogist, preservation strategist and public history researcher.
NewsWhat Tastes Like Home?
“What tastes like home?” That simple prompt at the 26th annual National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., got people talking and writing— sharing their own home-inspired foods. We asked attendees …
NewsRights to Nature
Some say a river is a resource to extract from. Others say a river is a living thing with its own rights.
NewsJosh Manning & Aslan “Ozzy” Freidline
Josh Manning is apprenticing Aslan “Ozzy” Freidline in how to source, harvest, process, and fire wild clay similar to that used by the first colonial potters.
NewsJazz and Civil Rights
The personal and professional lives of musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane cannot be divorced from the struggle for racial equality.
NewsHealing from the Holocaust
The caregivers who swooped in to help begin the healing process for Holocaust survivors.
NewsAnnouncing Virginia’s 2026 Great Reads From Great Places Selections
We are thrilled to announce the two books that will represent the Commonwealth of Virginia at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC, on August 22, 2026! The Center for …
NewsThe Pursuit of Happiness
What did Jefferson mean by “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”?
NewsCounting Plants
Little babies and potted plants: the stationary, the helpless… the hardest working beings in the room.
NewsAudacious Women
A new one-woman show tells the story of Virginia’s history through the eyes of ten audacious women.
NewsWe’re Hiring!
We’re seeking a Virginia Festival of the Book manager who will develop and deliver high quality literary programming to the Virginia Festival of the Book and other Festival lead-up initiatives including statewide events throughout the year, as well as the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
NewsAmerica the Beautiful
From Marian Anderson’s 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial to Marvin Gaye singing the National Anthem at the NBA Finals, the theme of patriotism can be heard throughout African American music. Benjamin Ross offers selections from this rich musical heritage.
