Humanities Feature Bureau Spring 2006
A Production of VFH Radio
Archives:
March 2006
Suwabi African Ballet (March 3)
When you think of a night at the ballet, your first thoughts might be of long-legged, leotard-clad dancers piroetting on their pointed toes to familiar orchestral strains. But when the Suwabi African Ballet takes the stage in a rumble of traditional rhythms, chances are your toes will be moving too.
Festival of the Book (March 10)
The 12th annual Virginia Festival of the Book takes over Charlottesville for five days starting March 22nd. This year, festival planners have decided to capitalize on the special affinity Virginians have for history.
Baldacci on Literacy (March 17)
The Virginia Festival of the Book starts this Thursday in Charlottesville. Writers and readers will flood the city, among them, best-selling author David Baldacci. Baldacci was born, bred, educated, and still lives in Virginia. After 11 novels, Mr. Baldacci certainly doesn’t HAVE to write any more; but the books keep coming. When you ask why he keeps writing, Baldacci says it's because he still has something to say.
Swapping Stories (March 24)
Northern Virginia schoolchildren, and their parents are among those benefiting from a new teaching technique called "Swapping Stories." Parents and their kids swapped roles and told each other's stories, in an effort to improve how the students communicate: both in writing and listening.
Developing Around History (March 31)
The housing market in Virginia booms on, as developers continue to transform old farms into new communities. Old African American graveyards dot the state of Virginia, often unmarked and un-maintained. When these graveyards are bought by real estate developers, it creates an opportunity to recognize the land's past in its future.
April 2006
Women of Change (April 7)
Think of "Activism" and some of the first images that come to mind might be protests and angry chants. Dr. Theresa Burriss looks at the concept of activism in a different light. Her book "Woman of Change, Woman of Courage" will be out next year. In it, she examines the role of women and revolutions in today's appalachia.
Greek Orthodox Easter (April 14)
This year Greek Orthodox Easter falls on April 23rd. For Greeks in Virginia , this is the holiest of day of the year and a time to celebrate with traditional foods. Reporter Nancy King gets a preview of the traditional fare in a busy Albemarle County kitchen
Danville - Remebering Division (April 21)
Histories of the civil rights movement focus on the big events -- Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech," and Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her bus seat. Places like Danville , Virginia are mostly overlooked. But, as Nancy Marshall Genzer reports, a new exhibit at the University of Virginia is bringing Danville 's role in the civil rights movement to light.
The Inaugural Virginia Forum (April 28)
The inaugural Virginia Forum – the first ever comprehensive conference on Virginia history – was organized and hosted recently by Shenandoah University. Around 250 scholars of Virginia history from all over the country got together in Winchester to discuss the past of a state poised to commemorate the 400th anniversary of its first European settlement.
May 2006
Literacy Training (May 5)
About a dozen Virginia educators and social workers now have some new skills for reaching out to low-income parents who struggle to read, yet want their children to be comfortable with books. As Nancy Marshall Genzer reports, a national program called Motheread is opening up new possibilities for teaching children....and their parents.
VQR Wins Big (May 12)
Think Tony’s, Academy Awards, Emmies, Pulitzer Prize - It doesn’t get any bigger, glitzier, or more important in the fiercely competitive world of Magazine publishing than the Ellie awards – given annually by the American Society of Magazine Editors. And this year the Virginia Quarterly Review, the University of Virginias almost century-old literary journal, was up for six. Martha Woodroof reports.
Anne Spencer's Muse (May 19)
For 70 years, poet Anne Spencer lived, wrote, entertained, and gardened at 1313 Pierce Street in Lynchburg . Her home is the heart and soul of the recently designated Pierce Street Renaissance Historic District. Reporter nancy King recently took a walk in her garden.
Learning Gaelic in Community (May 26)
As the world grows smaller, most everyone ends up picking up some understanding of another language. Much of the appeal of learning a new language is exploring its culture and communing with others. Sondra Woodward travels to Mechanicsville, Virginia where people from all over the Eastern Seaboard have come together to practice speaking an ancient but often overlooked language.
