RVA Litcrawl was birthed in a period of distraction. I was busy writing my book on somatics due in a few months and paused from tapping at the keyboard. Out of habit, I checked out Facebook. I learned that friends in Denver were taking part in a litcrawl. What fun!

A vision of book lovers intoxicated with words standing wobbly on the sidewalk, friends walking to their cars swooning from a passage, or scene or line from a reading captured me. I put out a call on Facebook. Richmond, being the city of writers that it is, responded.

With the help of fellow writers Meriah Crawford, Lenore Gay, and Patty Smith, Richmond will have its first ever litcrawl. Fifteen readings with over 75 writers at venues across the city will be gathering to celebrate writing!

My books and projects start with a compelling vision. A What If appears in mind and nudges into the foreground of my awareness. If it persists, I know I must act. That persistence is important. How else to sustain the months and years it can take to bring a vision to fruition? Gladly I yield to the force of the creative impulse. It brings much needed beauty and humility to a world too often raw and belligerent. It generates conversation and connection where there may otherwise be alienation and despair. A literate community is a community that recognizes the power of words as an opening, as an eternal spring of creativity.

RVA Litcrawl is one such project. Check out the link for more information.