With Good Reason

George Hoffer (Virginia Commonwealth University), who has studied the American automotive industry for 40 years, explains why it’s in decline and may be vanishing before our very eyes. He also says in order to make up a shortfall of funds for public transportation we may soon be charged highway user fees—paying for each mile we [...]

US Highway 58 begins at the beaches of Hampton Roads and winds along the southern border of Virginia.  Author Joe Tennis (Virginia Highlands Community College) shares stories from this route, which travelers can follow from a statue of Poseidon, through the Great Dismal Swamp, past the original Lovers’ Leap, and all the way to the [...]

Poet Lucille Clifton is widely acclaimed for her powerful explorations of race, womanhood, and spirituality. This June she was honored by the Furious Flower Poetry Center (James Madison University), which brought together more than 40 teachers and scholars to examine the National Book Award-winner’s lifetime of contributions to American poetry. Also: Hilary Holladay (Virginia Foundation [...]

In 1862, poet Walt Whitman went to Fredericksburg, Virginia, searching for his brother George who had been wounded in a Civil War battle. Whitman was so moved by the carnage he found that he worked as a nurse for the rest of the war.   Mara Scanlon and Brady Earnhart (University of Mary Washington) say [...]