Datebook
INDIE SCREEN
For the 10th year, the Afrikana Independent Film Festival is coming to the Richmond Arts District, highlighting cinematic works by people of color from around the world with a focus on elevating Black culture. From Sept. 18-21, a free exhibition at 1708 Gallery will show some of the top films screened at the festival over the past decade, plus a curated selection of new ones. Additional programming and exhibitions will take place at various local venues Sept. 5-Oct. 26. “We always try to add some texture,” says the festival’s founder, Enjoli Moon. “It’s something cinephiles can enjoy, but also people who want to come out and be a part of community. We’re creating a space for people to gather.” Ticket prices vary. For the full schedule, visit afrikanafilmfestival.org.
—D. Hunter Reardon
EXHIBITION GAME ON
Saluting video games as playable artforms, “Inner//Action: Games,” Sept. 26-Oct. 18, presents digital entertainment devised on-site at Art Works during a 48-hour period. It's hosted by local development community RVA Game Jams, a group that organizes several sessions per year in which designers receive a prompt for inspiration. The event is collaborative and creative, not competitive. “You end up with a lot of interesting and off-the-wall games,” says Valentina Hawes, chair of RVA Game Jams. “Especially trying to balance gameplay mechanics, fun, art style and all the problems that arise in such a short timeframe.” The prompt at Art Works is interaction, meaning games made for a wide audience. Hawes explains, “We are emphasizing simple and intuitive input, so think of games that use a webcam, steering wheel or only require one bu on to control.” Keep your quarters — play is free. artworksrva.com —Harry Kollatz Jr.
LOCAL TOUCH
The 43rd Street Festival of the Arts returns to the Forest Hill neighborhood on Sept. 13. In its 34th edition, the juried show will feature work from 75 local and regional artists, including hand-forged jewelry from Richmond-based metalsmith Shawn Noroian and po ery from Richmond’s Lee Hazelgrove, an artist who has been participating in the festival since its debut. Music will be provided by Americana group the Tin Can Fish Band, The Grateful Dads (who perform an array of jam band covers) and indie folk duo Haze & Dacey. Shop unique creations, dance to the live tunes and stop by the food trucks to fuel up. The festival runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and a portion of sales benefit CARITAS, a nonprofit that provides services for people experiencing homelessness or addiction. facebook.com/43rdstfestival Ma hew Sporn
2025 JAMES RIVER WRITERS / RICHMOND MAGAZINE
BEST SELF-PUBLISHED NOVEL WINNER
An Illuminated Life
BY COREY STEWART ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRIANA HERTZOG
EARLIER IN THE WEEK, BEFORE THE URGE TO REORGANIZE
THE KITCHEN AND PAINT THE CABINETS HAD TAKEN HOLD,
I’d started combing through the hundreds of documents stored on my laptop, looking for material that could be reworked into magazine articles and short stories. I felt certain I had pieces from my three months of work on a tourism project in Assisi that I could reuse, but I hadn’t been able to find much of the material. A er talking to Jenny and cleaning the insides of the cabinets with white vinegar, I le all the doors open so the shelves could dry and sat down at my computer. My plan was to search my documents by date to find everything I’d wri en during that time.
e tourism project had fallen into my lap when I was trying to recover from having my life go up in flames. My daughter, Mia, had been killed a year and a half earlier, and in the a ermath of her death, I’d discovered that my marriage was a total sham. I was paralyzed by grief and barely functioning when Porter—my former fiancé, whom I hadn’t seen or spoken to in three decades—saw
an article online about Mia’s death. She’d been killed by a bicycle courier in central London who’d run a red light and sent her flying. e accident had received an enormous amount of press and ignited a huge firestorm about cyclists’ rights and tra c laws.
A er reading about Mia’s death, Porter tracked down my number and called my house in London. And then he called back every day for weeks, patiently listening to me cry and telling me stories about his life in Italy. Eventually he invited me to fly down and visit him, thinking a change of scenery and some sunshine would do me good. I was half-starved and half-crazy with grief and barely functioning, but I flew to Rome. I stayed in Porter’s guest room for four months, and then finally, when I couldn’t put it off any longer, I flew back to England, confronted Crawford, hired a lawyer, packed my belongings, and fled to my uncle David’s home in Chapel Hill to lick my wounds and try to imagine a day when I might want to interact with the world again. An editor I’d worked with several times over the years emailed out of the blue while I was still trying to figure out my next step. She o ered me the chance to work on a three-month project in Assisi, Italy. e centerpiece was a new tourism initiative about the life of Saint Francis, but there were several side projects as well,
writing about various places across Umbria and Tuscany.
Marco Mastropietro, a historian and Assisi native, was hired as my guide and driver for the duration of the project. He was a real character who became a good friend during the countless hours we spent together in the car. A lot of our adventures made their way into what eventually became my first book, so when the book was released, I mailed a copy to Marco at the tourism o ce. I hadn’t heard from him in ages, but as I was dragging Word documents into file folders and searching for material to reuse, WhatsApp rang with a video call.
“Marco!” I said when his face appeared on the screen.
“Come stai? I thought I’d hear from you months ago.”
“Bene, grazie. I get your book a long time ago, is true. Is nice, this book. I am happy for you.”
“Did you read it?” I asked, propping the phone against the lamp on my desk.
He shook his head. “I cannot read so much English. But I look for my name.”
I laughed. “Of course you did.”
“You are beautiful today. I like this color for you.”
I looked down at Porter’s faded Forten Hall sweatshirt.
“Yeah? Do you like the co ee I spilled on it?”
“Sei maldestra come sempre. How you say this, maldestra?”
“Clumsy. I’m clumsy as usual.”
“Clumsy.” He nodded. “Is a good word.” Marco held
up a finger, silencing me, then called out, “Ciao, Bruno!” He waved and nodded, listening for a minute, before returning his a ention to the screen. “Sorry. Was a friend of mine. I know everybody.”
“You should run for mayor.”
“No need,” Marco said, shaking a cigare e out of a pack. “I will be famous from your book.”
“I doubt that.”
“Do you miss me, darling?” he asked, lighting the cigare e and inhaling deeply.
“I actually do! I think of you o en.”
“Say this in Italian. Is nice to hear,” he said, then started coughing.
I waited for him to stop, then said, “Ti penso spesso.”
“I think of you, too,” he said. “But this is because I am curious about your life. at is not why you think of me.”
“Oh, really? Why do I think of you?”
“Because you love me,” he said, shrugging as he exhaled. “Don’t worry, is normal. You are woman, I am Marco, is normal you should love me.”
I laughed out loud. “I see your ego is still doing well.”
He coughed again, then shook his head. “I am not well.”
“I was talking about your enormous ego … Never mind. Maybe you wouldn’t cough if you didn’t smoke?”
“Is true, I am enormous, but how you know this? Who tell you?”
“Oh my God, Marco. Moving on.”
“Tell me, cara, how is Pedro? You are still together with him?”
“I don’t know anyone named Pedro.”
“ e man with the house where you stay.”
“Porter? He’s fine, he’s good.”
“You are married with him?”
I shook my head. “No. He lives next door.”
“Brava,” Marco said, smiling. “Is not right to marry with him when you love Marco. When do you come to Assisi?”
I rolled my eyes. “Actually, I do need to come over. I’m writing about the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva and I need some photos. Unless you want to take them for me?”
Marco shook his head. “Is not possible. I make photos always with this in the view.”
He held up his thumb and waggled it. “How you call this?”
“Your thumb.”
“My tum-ba.”
“Close enough. I’m thinking of coming in a few days. Do you want to grab a coffee
BRIANA HERTZOG
when I’m there?”
“We will have lunch together.”
“Great! It will be good to see you.”
“Is because I am beautiful like the Davide of Michelangelo.” He smiled. “Try to control yourself. Ciao, cara.”
“We have new neighbors,” Porter said, pulling up next to me on the long, cypress-lined driveway we shared a few hours later.
“Oh yeah?” I went around to the passenger door and freed Oliver, who was barking maniacally and trying to squeeze himself out of the half-opened window.
“ ey’re coming over later for a drink. I hope that’s okay.”
“Sure, whatever.” I shrugged. “You want to go for a walk? I was just heading out. I’ve been excavating the contents of my laptop and need a break.”
Porter nodded and turned off the car. He grabbed the leash from the back seat and clipped it to Ollie’s collar.
“How’d you meet the new neighbors?” I asked as we made our way down the drive. Oliver was zigzagging in front of us, dragging his leash behind him and investigating every tree trunk and shrub.
Porter said he’d been in the li le hardware store in the next village over when he’d stepped in to help two guys who were having a hard time explaining what they needed.
“Are they American?”
Oliver stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me. He glanced in the direction the rabbit had gone, then slowly began making his way toward us with his tail at half-mast.
“ warted again, huh, buddy?” Porter said, reaching down to scratch Oliver’s ears when he rejoined us. “Should I be mad that he listens to you but not me?”
“It’s all in the tone. Are the neighbors living here fulltime? Are they retired? When did they buy the house? Do they speak any Italian?”
“We talked about nails.”
“I be er head back and take a shower,” I said, glancing at my watch. “Want me to make olive tapenade? I got some bread this morning.”
“ at would be great. I’ve got a decent Tuscan red. If we like them, we’ll move on to something be er. I just invited them for drinks, so they won’t be here long.”
PORTER AND I WENT TO BED AROUND THREE O’CLOCK THIS MORNING, AFTER THE FOUR OF US KILLED SIX BOTTLES OF WINE, INCLUDING THREE BOTTLES OF VERY NICE BAROLO.
“One. e other is Australian. ey told me they’d just bought a house nearby and are renovating it and can’t get the plumber or the electrician to call back.”
“Sounds familiar.”
“ at’s what I said. It turns out the house they bought is Villa Rosmarino. ey moved in last weekend while we were in Turin, which is why we missed it.”
“No way! I love that place. But boy, it really needs an overhaul. Are they nice? What are their names?”
“Dean is the American and Darren is the Australian. Or maybe vice-versa? Crap. Anyway, they’re coming at five, just for a quick drink.”
Porter whistled at Oliver, who had taken o across the field a er a rabbit. Oliver ignored him.
“Oliver, come!” I shouted.
ose turned out to be famous last words.
Porter and I went to bed around three o’clock this morning, a er the four of us killed six bottles of wine, including three bo les of very nice Barolo. Porter made omelets with fresh herbs— complete with showy pan-flipping and several rounds of applause—around midnight, after we’d polished off the tapenade and bread, plus a bowl of pasta with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella that was le over from lunch and the almond cookies I’d made a few days earlier.
It was a er two when we walked Dean and Darren— Double D, as we were calling them—home across the field using Porter’s megawatt flashlight. Oliver was surprisingly spry, given the amount of table scraps he’d been fed over the course of the evening, but as soon as we got back to Porter’s house, he curled up on the couch and fell asleep. Porter and I cleaned up the kitchen, crawled upstairs, brushed our teeth, and fell into Porter’s bed. He was snoring before his head even hit the pillow.
I intended to stay in bed until at least noon, but just before eight, my eyes flew open. I was lying very still, hoping I could trick myself into falling back asleep, when Porter suddenly sat up and chucked a pillow at the window.
Regional students have ample opportunities to train for high-growth industries
By Laura Anders Lee Illustration by Katie Pelikan
MAC BEATON says the smartest decision he ever made was not going straight to college a er he graduated from high school.
“I couldn’t afford it and didn’t want to at the time,” says the director of workforce and career development at Henrico County Public Schools.
Instead, Beaton joined the Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s apprenticeship program and worked while earning credits toward an associate degree. With money in his pocket, he was able to enroll at Virginia Tech and earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering.
Today, Beaton is teaching students that they, too, can choose a different path by learning a skilled trade, such as carpentry, masonry, HVAC and plumbing, dra ing, computer-aided design, and more.
“I’ve spent my career trying to change the narrative about life a er high school,” Beaton says. “We ask students what they’re doing next year, and they automatically say they’re going to college because they think it’s the correct answer. But there are so many other opportunities out there where you can make good money with benefits and without the student loans.”
TO BE CONTINUED...
Programs and schools for furthering education
ADULT EDUCATION
Avere University Part-time undergraduate, $1,200 per semester. Master’s, cost varies by program. Evening classes for accelerated undergraduate or graduate degrees in business, education, criminal justice, applied data analytics and nursing. Online classes available. 434-791-5600 or averett.edu
Bluefield University $410 per online undergraduate credit hour; 16 majors available. $495-$800 per graduate credit hour depending on program. 800-872-0175 or bluefield.edu
Brightpoint Community College $169.30 per credit hour (in-state). Online associate’s degrees in a variety of disciplines. Teacher recertification courses available. 800 Charter Colony Parkway, Midlothian, 804-796-4000; 13101 Route 1, Chester, 804-796-4000 or brightpoint.edu
Community College Workforce Alliance
Workplace training courses in the greater Richmond region as a partnership between Brightpoint and Reynolds community colleges. Multiple training and meeting facilities, 804-523-2292 or ccwatraining.org
Lifelong Learning Institute Academic and fitness classes for ages 50 and older. $150 membership per year; additional fee for fitness courses. 13801 Westfield Road, 804-378-2527 or llichesterfield.org
Mary Baldwin University, MBU Online $460 per online undergraduate credit hour. O ers online undergraduate and graduate degrees, and certificates in 43 majors and programs: business, criminal justice, education, psychology, social work, Master of Business Administration, Master of Healthcare Administration, nursing to registered nurse and more. online.marybaldwin.edu
Old Dominion University, ODUGlobal $268 per online undergraduate credit hour (in-state); $486-$649 per online graduate credit hour (in-state). 176 online degrees and certificates in business, education, engineering, health/social sciences, nursing and technology. Transfer agreements with Reynolds and Brightpoint. 800-968-2638 or online.odu.edu
Reynolds Community College $172.40 per credit hour; visit website for details. Parham Road campus, 1651 E. Parham Road; Downtown campus, 700 E. Jackson St.; Goochland campus, 1851 Dickinson Road; The Kitchens at Reynolds, 2500 Nine Mile Road; 804-371-3000 or reynolds.edu
Union Presbyterian Seminary $500 per semester hour. Graduate programs in biblical and theological studies, ministry, and Christian education. 3401 Brook Road, 800-229-2990 or upsem.edu
University of Richmond, Robins School of Business Executive education and noncredit professional development programs to nurture leadership talent. MBA program, part-time, fully accredited graduate program for working professionals. 102 UR Drive, 804-289-8550 or robins.richmond.edu
University of Richmond, School of Professional and Continuing Studies Degree program tuition starts at $598 per semester hour. Other course fees vary by program. Evening undergraduate and master’s degrees in education, liberal arts, information systems, human resources management and more, plus professional development and training programs. Also o ers the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. 490 Westhampton Way, 804-289-8133 or spcs.richmond.edu
Virginia Commonwealth University Cost varies by program. More than 100 graduate and professional degree and certificate programs o ered on campus and online; call 804-828-6916 or visit graduate.admissions.vcu.edu for a full list and application information. VCU Continuing and Professional Education o ers noncredit, credit and CEU opportunities. 804-828-1322 or ocpe.vcu.edu
Virginia State University $429 per credit hour for part-time, in-state undergraduate students; $629 for for part-time, in-state graduate students. 41 undergraduate programs and 20 graduate programs o ered. 1 Hayden Drive, Petersburg, 804-524-5000 or vsu.edu
Virginia Union University, VUU Global Online graduate degrees and undergraduate, graduate and professional certificate programs. 1500 N. Lombardy St., 804-257-5600 or vuu.edu
Visual Arts Center of Richmond A longstanding community arts center that o ers more than 1,500 youth and adult art classes in 12 mediums, including drawing, painting, creative writing, clay, photography, digital arts, glass, fiber, metals and jewelry, and more. 1812 W. Main St., 804-353-0094 or visarts.org
VMFA Studio School Classes for ages 18 and older in creative writing, drawing, printmaking, painting, pottery, design, photography and yoga. 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., 804-340-1405 or vmfa.museum/studio-school
PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing O ers a Bachelor of Science in nursing taken in-person and online. Registered nurse to bachelor’s program available. 8550 Magellan Parkway, Suite 1100, 804-627-5300 or bsmcon.edu
Bryant & Stra on College Degree and diploma programs in business, nursing, medical assisting, hospitality, human resources, technology and more. Now at a new location: 101 Gateway Centre Parkway, N. Chesterfield, 888-593-5192 or bryantstratton.edu
Eastern Virginia Career College The new Innsbrook campus o ers degree, diploma and certificate programs in health care fields. EVCC will be accredited to o er bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in late 2025. 4900 Cox Road, Suite 200, Glen Allen, 804-373-2200 or evcc.edu
ECPI Degree and diploma programs in technology, business, criminal justice, health science, nursing and culinary arts. Technology, Business & Culinary Arts, 11104 W. Broad St., Glen Allen, 804-934-0100; Nursing & Health Science, 2809 Emerywood Parkway, Suite 400, 804-417-4742 or ecpi.edu
Lotus Professional College State-certified training in acupuncture, therapeutic massage and esthetics. 8935 Patterson Ave., 804-290-0980 or lotus.edu
South University Programs in health care, public health, criminal justice, business, psychology and more. 2151 Old Brick Road, Glen Allen, 804-727-6800 or southuniversity.edu R
Updated August 2025. To suggest an update to this listing, please email listupdate@richmag.com, subject line: School chart update.
