Adieu, and Be Well ... Broad Street is now closed.

Adieu, and Be Well … Broad Street is now closed.

One last time, and forever, we thank all of our contributors, our readers, our boards, and our editorial staff over the last almost-decade. We had a great run and published so much of which we are deeply proud. We started laying plans in 2011 with a dream and a shoestring...
“You Want Me to Be Happy About Dying” — an essay by Ramona Grigg.

“You Want Me to Be Happy About Dying” — an essay by Ramona Grigg.

Reflections on life, afterlife, and the reality of the dark, dark passage. “Nothing in my life will be erased after I die.” Photo by the author. To most of you out there, I’m old. I’m so old, odds are I’ll probably die soon. You can think on that for a few seconds and move...
“The Politics of Art, 2020”: Our interview with Alexandra Blum, mixed-media artist.

“The Politics of Art, 2020”: Our interview with Alexandra Blum, mixed-media artist.

A pandemic and other global breakdowns inspire a visual journal of diverse styles and influences. “I think for me what is interesting about this series of work is the diversity of voices within myself.” “Vitriol.” Editors’ Note: Alexandra (Ali) Blum is a California-based artist who draws on influences from around the...
Taking Down the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia: On Civil War monuments, graffiti art, and protest. Photos by John Moser. 

Taking Down the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia: On Civil War monuments, graffiti art, and protest. Photos by John Moser. 

 The BLM movement is writ large on the Civil War monuments of the Confederacy’s former capital. And now some controversial statues are being removed. “We Just Want Justice,” protesters and graffiti at the base of the Robert E. Lee statue. Broad Street’s home is in Richmond, Virginia, where Jefferson Davis once presided...
From the COVID Journals of Lise Haines.

From the COVID Journals of Lise Haines.

On learning that she should sacrifice herself for the good of the public. pikrepo.com On the television this morning, an idea was floated with great sincerity. I could sacrifice myself for the public good. If anyone had to get sick or starve or die from a lack of oxygen, I was...
Latest entries
Colonial Williamsburg, History and Unreality

Colonial Williamsburg, History and Unreality

by Matthew Phipps Recently I paid a visit to Colonial Williamsburg, the former seat of state and colonial government that sits, in its current form—partially preserved, partially reconstructed, peopled by re-enactors in bulky period dress—halfway down the Virginia Peninsula, between the tidal flows of the James and York Rivers. While I had never been to...
The Elusive Authenticity of the Artist

The Elusive Authenticity of the Artist

You’ve probably heard the Picasso quote: “We all know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand.” An article by Drew Calvert, published online by AGNI Magazine, explores the notion that art is a lie by looking at the role of the artist, and the potential...
A Tree Falls

A Tree Falls

Greg Weatherford is a vital staff member of Broad Street Magazine. He is a founding advisor of Broad Street as well as the Director of Student Media at the Student Media Center at VCU—out of which Broad Street is produced. His essay “A Tree Falls” was originally published in Henrico Monthly, and won an award...
Staging Theater on Broad Street in Richmond

Staging Theater on Broad Street in Richmond

Broad Street magazine’s namesake “has been the center of Richmond since its creation,” according to the blog Mapping American History, which also notes that “the structural diversity [of Richmond], especially found on Broad Street, was a result of the constant adaptation of the city and its need to acclimate to the changing times.” After Fire...
"David Foster Wallace and the Nature of Fact" by Josh Roiland

“David Foster Wallace and the Nature of Fact” by Josh Roiland

This week Broad Street recommends Josh Roiland‘s Fall 2013 article “David Foster Wallace and the Nature of Fact,” which originally appeared in Literary Journalism Studies and was recently made available by the good people at Longreads. In the article, Roiland investigates accusations about Wallace’s literary journalism, including allegations of “embellishments” and invented dialogue. Roiland reminds us...