When Donté Clark talks about poetry, his entire demeanor shifts. His cheekbones rise to reveal a knowing smile, and his whole body hums and bobs and bounces as he speaks. In these moments, it feels like he’s on the verge of breaking out into verse. Clark, an award-winning spoken-word poet from Richmond, hopes the passion he brings to his craft rubs off on his audience. Since April, he’s led bi-monthly poetry workshops for boys at John A. Davis Juvenile Hall…
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Do you think the Richmond Police Department should fill its 23 vacancies or eliminate those positions? “Based on my own personal experience, of course, I don’t know if I want all 23 filled. I feel like we could have a certain percentage filled and then possibly divert money toward more mental health…
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Do you use the public library system? “Definitely. My daughter loves to read, Susan (the librarian) is amazing, and we’ve got a little knitting group. We meet every Thursday and everyone’s learning together. My daughter really likes to knit, but she’ll only do it when she’s here.” (Keri Sullivan, pictured above) “Yes….
Lauren Ari proudly calls herself a Richmond artist. It’s where she has lived and sculpted and drawn for more than 20 years. It’s also where she finds support, among dozens of other artists who have made the same decision. “I always had that fantasy of, ‘Oh, one day I’ll move to the country and all my friends will move with me and we’ll have an artist commune and life will be great,’” she said. “And I thought to myself, ‘Who…
Two major murals representing scenes from Richmond’s past are getting a makeover. As part of the $4.1 million Richmond Art and Light Project, the “Past Perfect” and “Revisionist History of San Pablo Avenue” murals will get reconditioned by the original artist, John Wehrle. The Richmond Arts & Culture Commission had the murals painted on Interstate 80 underpasses intersecting two of the city’s major thoroughfares in the 1990s. “Past Perfect” on Macdonald Avenue depicts the arrival of a ghost trolley from…
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Do you agree that Richmond should be building more tiny homes for people now living in encampments? “Yes. We need to look for every possible solution for homeless people, regardless whether it is tiny homes or other buildings as well.” (Alison Moreno, librarian, pictured above) “Yes. I work in youth development and…