Category — Other Events

Thursday, January 28, 2010 | 8:30pm

The launch of the newest issue of Meridian—a semiannual literary journal from the University of Virginia—will be feted with a reading during which contributors from across the nation will converge at the Bridge PAI for an evening of poetry, fiction, a dramatic interpretation of a creative non-fiction by Lisa K. Buchanan and previously unpublished poems by Breece D’J Pancake.

The slate of readers includes Mike Antosia, Lisa K. Buchanan, Maranda C. Dennis, Matthew Hotham and Yael Shiner. The readers will be introduced by the Meridian editors, Jazzy Danziger, Kevin Allardice, Memory Peebles, Jasmine Bailey and Hannah Holtzman. Light refreshments will be provided.

Mike Antosia lives and writes in Rhode Island. His most recent story, “The Last King of China” appeared in The Massachusetts Review.

Fiction and essays by Lisa K. Buchanan have appeared in numerous literary journals including Fourth Genre, Mid-American Review, The Missouri Review, New Letters, and Quick Fiction. She lives in San Francisco.

Miranda C. Dennis attends the MFA Program for Poets and Writers at UMass-Amherst, where she teaches college writing and eats the local apples.

Matthew Hotham received his MFA from Syracuse University in 2007. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Third Coast, Stone Canoe, 32 Poems, Copper Nickel, anderbo, and Verse Daily, among others. His chapbook, Early Art, was published in 2006 by Turtle Ink Press. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Religious Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and works as poetry editor for the online journal Slush Pile.

Yael Shinar was born in California and now lives near Cambridge, Mass., where she is working towards a degree of master of divinity at Harvard University. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Mid-American Review, The Drunken Boat, Slush Pile, Beloit Poetry Journal, Third Coast, and other publications.

Breece D’J Pancake (1953-1979) was a native of West Virginia and studied creative writing at the University of Virginia. He published six short stories in his lifetime, mostly in The Atlantic, and was posthumously nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his book The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake.

Founded in 1998, Meridian has featured the works of numerous Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners and established writers, including Charles Wright, Rita Dove, Yusef Komunyakaa, Seamus Heaney, Ann Beattie, John Casey, George Garrett, Heather McHugh, Richard Bausch, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Cathy Song and Eric Pankey. However, as a magazine edited by young writers, the publication values nothing more than showcasing tomorrow’s talent, often publishing a new author’s first story or poem.

For information about Meridian, click here.

Closing Reception Friday, February 5, 6-8pm | Exhibition up through Friday, February 5, 2010

The American Festivals Project unearths the hidden, and at times bizarre, festivals and competitions of America’s small towns. Over the course of 13 months in 2008 and 2009, Charlottesville photographers Ross McDermott and Andrew Owen crisscrossed the country to attend events like the Machine Gun Shootout in Kentucky, the International Water Tasting Championships in West Virginia, the Rainbow Gathering in New Mexico, and the Middle of Nowhere Festival in Nebraska. They traveled more than 40,000 miles, often riding in a diesel truck powered by waste vegetable oil, and sleeping in a 1960s camper. The American Festivals Project was funded partially through a National Geographic Young Explorers Grant.

Sunday, July 5, 2009 | 8pm | $5

“Renminbi—the duo of Lisa Liu and SMV, joined by a string of guest drummers—has developed a solid local buzz based on a style that summons memories of Olympia, Washington’s riot-grrrl scene of the early ’90s: Some songs are tense and wiry; others, relaxed and synth-padded. But on its newly released single, “Portland,” Renminbi demonstrates a serious dose of low-key heavy that calls to mind much of what we all love about noise-pop combos like Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo.” – Time Out New York

Opening Reception Friday, May 1, 7-9pm | Exhibition up through May 30

This years 4th year Photography Exhibit at The Bridge will be a group showing of all graduating photography majors in the Studio Arts Program at UVA and the Annspaugh Fifth Year Fellow in Photography. Each student will include 2-3 works selected from their thesis project. The exhibiting students are Allison Harbin, Anna Kreyling, Ellie Frazier, David Schneider, Adam Barkley, Carter Ward, Alix Baycroft, James Scheuren (Fifth Year Fellow).

A new reading series | Sunday, February 15, 2009 | 7pm

A reading of poems both classic and local-grown. Get acquainted with some contemporary composers-of-verse; they’re all around Charlottesville. Each poet will read a poem they’ve written alongside one written by someone else. There will be quite a chorus of voices over the course of an hour or so. Tonight…Walt Whitman’s beard points to the lit gallery in Belmont. Readers include Joe Chapman, Julia Hansen, Russ Hicks, Jenny Johnson, Meredith Jordan, Paul Legault, Joanne Mosuela, Claire Skinner, Conor Wakeman, Corrie Williamson, Natasha Vaynblat, and Willie Lin.

Sunday, March 1, 2009 | 7pm

Poet John Casteen celebrates the release of his new book.

“The poems in this debut collection revolve around physical work, the Appalachian landscape, and family relationships. Casteen, for ten years a designer and builder of custom furniture, ranges from the farm to the shop floor, from the rivers of the Piedmont to the wooded shoulders of the Blue Ridge, and from the hyperattentiveness of childhood through the anxieties and joys of fatherhood.

John Casteen teaches at Sweet Briar College. He lives in Earlysville, Virginia. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, his poems have appeared in Ploughshares, the Georgia Review, the Iowa Review, Shenandoah, and other journals. He has contributed prose to Slate, VQR, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.” (University of Georgia Press)

Bus Painting from July 12-17 outside Carver Recreation Center
Bus Unveiling on Friday, July 18th at Pen and McIntire Parks, 11am-3pm.
Opening Reception on Friday August 1st, from 6-8pm at The Bridge

A team of artists and arts educators from the UVA School of Architecture, The Bridge PAI, and Piedmont Council of the Arts are collaborating on a unique public art project for Charlottesville Parks and Recreation. The PCA-coordinated artist team will repaint an everyday yellow school bus, transforming it into an exciting, kid-friendly vehicle that will be used to transport young people to Parks and Recreation programs throughout the year. Following an extensive design phase this spring, the Fun Bus project involves three main components: hands-on workshops with young people, collaborative bus painting, and a celebratory exhibition at the Bridge.

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Saturday, June 21 at 5pm

In conjunction with the annual Graves St. summer block party, the Bridge will be holding our own little cookout this Saturday evening, in honor of Danny Shea (former music booker for the recently-departed Satellite Ballroom, poster-maker extraordinaire, long-time Plan 9 employee and WTJU disc jockey, and cornerstone of the contemporary Charlottesville music community).

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  Wednesday, June 25 at 7pm

Charlottesville Photo Night is a casual monthly gathering of local photography enthusiasts; their meetings are open to the public, and they get together every month at The Bridge to discuss each other’s work. This month, special guest Richard Lord will present The Passionate Photographer, which is the opening session of workshops that he offers. He will discuss the relationship between personal and commercial work, illustrating his talk with photos from his archives.

Richard Lord is a corporate, editorial and stock photographer. Shooting in a photojournalistic style, his work is published extensively in annual reports, corporate identity advertisements, brochures and non-profit appeal posters. Working in this specialty since 1986, he has made photos in urban and rural US, Europe, and over 70 Third World countries. His work has been exhibited in 17 countries and the major art centers of the US. It is on permanent display in museums as well as private and corporate collections. He has been honored as one of “2000 Outstanding Artists and Designers of the 20th Century.” His clients include Pfizer, Chevron, Travel and Leisure and the United Nations.

Saturday, May 31st at 8 pm

This Saturday The Bridge will be hosting the release party for the long-awaited third issue of the acclaimed local zine Mildred Pierce, complete with live performances, food and drink, and people who want to meet you.

The opening will feature readings by local prose writer Tyler Magill, poet Jennifer Connor, fiction writer Leeyanne Moore, a puppet show by Sean Samoheyl, and headling writer Sandra Newman who will be visiting from New York. The event is free, although donations are welcome, and you should bring some bucks to buy a copy of the zine.

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