News

(File photo)

Religion and spirituality power annual lecture series from new VCU hub

Feb. 16, 2026

The Center for the Study of Global Religions and Spiritualities encourages a broader understanding of world culture.

The panel discussion accompanies an ongoing exhibit at Cabell Library, “Voices of Change: Student Advocacy and Action from the Archives.” (Photo by Isiah Mejia, VCU Libraries)

‘Voices of Change: Stories from Alumni’ to highlight campus activism

Feb. 16, 2026

The Feb. 26 panel discussion accompanies an ongoing exhibit at James Branch Cabell Library on VCU’s history and legacy of student activism.

Cristina Stanciu, director of the Humanities Research Center at VCU, is a leader in Indigenous and multiethnic literary studies. (File photo)

Cristina Stanciu’s visiting professorship in France deepens VCU’s global humanities reach

Jan. 28, 2026

The director of the Humanities Research Center will spend a month at Université Bordeaux Montaigne.

Robert Gray, former chief of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, spoke at a welcome reception on Jan. 21 to kick off his residency at VCU. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Former Pamunkey Chief Robert Gray shares experience in new VCU residency

Jan. 23, 2026

Gray is the inaugural Indigenous Elder in Residence, part of the Humanities Research Center’s On Native Ground initiative.

VCU professor Devon Walker-Figueroa’s new poetry collection, “Lazarus Species,” features an assortment of forms, including ghazals, sonnet crowns, sestinas, villanelles and a pantoum, among others. (Contributed photo)

Devon Walker-Figueroa embraces the ‘odd bird’ that is ‘Lazarus Species,’ her new poetry collection

Nov. 18, 2025

Exploring modern themes, classic forms and wide-ranging inspirations, the VCU English professor creates a ‘network of conversations … all across time.’

IBé Crawley, who spent 30 years teaching K-12 in Virginia schools, is part of the African American doll and puppet makers community and the African American Craft Alliance, as well as various book arts collectives. She also founded the IBé Arts Institute. (Contributed image)

Meet-a-Ram: IBé Crawley still adding creative chapters to her life story

Nov. 14, 2025

A half-century since she started at VCU, she continues to blend education, art and community.

Split header: In her new book, VCU author Olivia Landry explores 21st-century films that put into focus the challenging reality of mothering. (Contributed images)

Olivia Landry’s new book explores motherhood through the lens of modern film

Nov. 12, 2025

In ‘Cinema of Crushing Motherhood,’ the VCU professor sees a new feminist sensibility.

From the onset of mass incarceration in the early 1970s to the 21st century, a new book, compiled and edited by David Coogan, brings together accounts from figures including political activist Assata Shakur, journalist Wilbert Rideau, and author and death row inmate Jarvis Jay Masters. (Contributed images)

Prison writing tells an American story of mass incarceration

Nov. 3, 2025

VCU author David Coogan’s new collection highlights perspective from behind bars.

Barbara Epler on stage, smiling in a black shirt

An Interview with Barbara Epler, Editor and Publisher of New Directions Publishing

Oct. 30, 2025

Prior to the Cabell First Novelist event, we sat down with the editor and publisher of "It Lasts Forever And Then It’s Over" to discuss her iconic career, how she chose to publish de Marcken’s work, and where to look for inspiration in a world that has come to devalue artists.

Students in a class focused on the poet John Milton visited historically significant sights related to the literature they were studying. Here, the group is in the Wren Library at Trinity College. (Contributed image)

VCU students follow in John Milton’s footsteps — literally

Oct. 24, 2025

Summer study abroad program from the Department of English embraces the life and times of the ‘Paradise Lost’ poet