Weinstein Author Series Talk Features Russ Ford’s Moving Portrait of Death Row Inmates |
The Library hosts the next Carole Weinstein Author Series talk on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. Authors Russ Ford, a retired chaplain, and Todd C. Peppers, the Henry H. and Trudye H. Fowler Professor of Public Affairs at Roanoke College and a visiting professor of law at Washington and Lee University, discuss their book, Crossing the River Styx: The Memoir of a Death Row Chaplain.
As the head chaplain on Virginia’s death row for 18 years, Ford raged against the inequities of the death penalty—now outlawed in Virginia—while ministering to the men condemned to die in the 1980s and 1990s. He spent years forging close bonds with the condemned and developing a nuanced understanding of their crimes, their early struggles and their challenges behind bars. His unusual ministry makes this memoir a unique and compelling read, a moving and unflinching portrait of Virginia’s death row inmates. A book signing will follow this free talk.
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Get Your Tickets Now for the Virginia Literary Awards! |
Join us for the Virginia Literary Awards Celebration, the commonwealth’s premier event for honoring Virginia writers and their contributions to literature, on Saturday, Oct. 14.
Awards will be presented to the winners in the fiction, nonfiction and poetry categories; the People’s Choice Awards for fiction and nonfiction; and Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award. In addition, the Library will present honorary Patron of Letters degrees to best-selling author David Baldacci and his wife, Michelle Baldacci, a passionate literacy advocate; renowned poet and educator Nikki Giovanni; and award-winning children’s author Meg Medina.
The awards ceremony, dinner and a silent auction raise support for the Library’s preservation, education and research initiatives. Hosted by award-winning author Adriana Trigiani, the Virginia Literary Awards are presented by Dominion Energy and supported by Carole and Marcus Weinstein. |
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Join Our Celebration of Volunteer Transcribers |
Join us for the annual Transcribe-a-versary Celebration of our crowdsourcing programs, featuring guest speakers, archivists and newly digitized records for transcription. Guided by Library staff members, volunteers will transcribe handwritten pages from cemetery records and other collections by reading the text and typing it into digital form. Boxed lunches will be provided.
This free event honors the ongoing contributions of volunteers and provides the opportunity to give feedback to our team. Whether you’ve volunteered with the Library for years or are new to transcribing, we’d love to see you on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
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Delve into Virginia’s Constitutional History with Author Brent Tarter |
Bring your lunch for a free noontime talk on Wednesday, Sept. 20 as historian Brent Tarter discusses his book Constitutional History of Virginia, which offers unique insights into the state’s political and legal past. The only modern comprehensive constitutional history of any state legislature, this work covers over 300 years of the commonwealth’s legislative policy, revealing its backstory from colony to statehood. |
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LVA On the Go Visits Massanutten, Martinsville and Chesterfield in September |
The Library of Virginia continues its statewide tour in September with LVA On the Go! As part of our yearlong 200th anniversary celebration, our custom-built vehicle is bringing some of the Library’s vast resources, staff expertise and programming to every corner of the commonwealth. |
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StoryCorp’s One Small Step Visits the Library in October |
StoryCorps’ One Small Step, a national effort to bring our country together one conversation at a time, is currently focusing on Richmond and will record conversations at the Library of Virginia Oct. 2–6, 2023.
The program, which pairs strangers with opposing political views to get to know each other as people, is looking for individuals in the Richmond metro area who would like to participate in 50-minute conversations about their lives. |
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| DID YOU KNOW?
The Library Published the First Issue of Virginia Cavalcade in 1951 |
Virginia Cavalcade, the Library’s former quarterly illustrated magazine about the state’s history and culture, first appeared in June 1951 and was published until 2002. The Library’s publication program, which began in 1905, produced a variety of historic documents, bibliographies, archival finding aids, periodicals, monographs and reference works such as the ongoing Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Since 2008, the Library has published the membership magazine Broadside.
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