Urban Lit Fest ’17

One thing easy to love about Richmond is its rich, independent, literary life. There is a wide spectrum, from this neighborhood and all over, well-known and not so-well-known.

Tomorrow, help celebrate that at the Main Richmond Public Library downtown for Urban Lit Fest ’17. The Richmond Public Library will be hosting their second annual celebration of Richmond’s independent authors.

Meet 50 authors, find the latest, greatest locally grown urban fiction, poetry, and memoir. Enjoy readings, discussions, and find out how to “make it” as a self-published author.

Workshop Schedule:
http://4la.co/1CKXF4
10:30 Live Streaming Strategies for Authors
11:30 Self-Love and Walking in Your Purpose
12:30-1:00 Panel Discussion
1:00 Books are a Business
2:00 How to Turn Your Book into a Best Seller
3:00 The Poet Tree Workshop
4:00 What is Urban Fiction?
4:00 Introduction to Self-E

Workshops are free and open to the public. Registration not required but space is limited.

Put Schools First, Breaking Records and the Status Quo

While some Richmonders discuss how to deal wth the past, others are acting on its future.

The Richmond Crusade for Voters (a historic black civil rights group) gathered over 6,000 signatures on primary election day, which may be a new record for petitioning on one day! The signatures are for www.PutSchoolsFirst.org, a petition for a future voter referendum to make school modernization first priority in the City budget planning. It’s important to note that this is revenue-neutral and allows for proper adjustment with City Council’s input. For the petition language, please visit the website.

In addition, The Sierra Club Falls of the James, an (almost all white) environmental group, is supporting the www.putschoolsfirst.org petition/referendum campaign, adding that school modernization should include green building and solar energy (other Virginia localities like Charlottesville and Arlington are doing it, why not Richmond?).

Despite some of the projections in the local corporate media, this school modernization effort is not ‘against’ anyone, not Mayor Stoney, not his ‘Education Compact’. It is neutral other than stating that the status quo is unacceptable.
It’s worth noting the grassroots aspect of this and it comes after many previous grassroots movements, including from Oregon Hill’s Open High School.

Right now, the Richmond Crusade for Voters is reaching out to black churches across the City, and the Sierra Club is reaching out to like minded environmental organizations. Hopefully more progressive groups will reach across racial lines and join this very important school modernization effort. To paraphrase Dr. King again, If not now, when?