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Richmond Readers & Writers Newsletter No. 1

Welcome to the first RVA R+W newsletter!


Hey friends,

 

I'll be thrilled if this just lands in all of the right inboxes. (There should be an unsubscribe button at the bottom if it shouldn't be in yours). If this is all legible and coherent and the photos show up correctly, then that's just bonus points for me on this round.

 

By the way, hi! My name is Breelyn and I'm so glad you're here.

 

Anyway, this first newsletter is a bit of a test drive for a few things, including the very basics like even having a subscriber list (which is not a term that I ever expected to be using but here we are).

 

On an ongoing basis, it will surely evolve and as always, I'd love to hear your feedback on what worked and what didn't, so feel free to shoot me an email (rvareaders@gmail.com) if you have issues or ideas.

For today, we'll focus on what's coming in 2026!


Winter Book Club Titles

(So that you can go request them at the library in advance!)

January

  • I, Medusa by Ayana Gray

  • Hazelthorn by CG Drews

  • The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

  • All Systems Red by Martha Wells

February

  • Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

  • Knot My Type by Evie Mitchell

  • King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby

  • Ring Shout by P Djeli Clark

 

March

  • Red Rising by Pierce Brown

  • They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

  • The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

  • This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone


Looking Ahead


Upcoming:

  • Our first silent reading party is on the calendar for Sunday, January 11th from 4-6pm. RSVP is required so that we can be sure everyone has somewhere comfortable to sit. This event will be a pay-what-you-can bake sale to fundraise for our website costs and 50% of the proceeds will go to Solbird's January nonprofit.

  • The VA Festival of the Book is March 20th-22nd in Charlottesville and when the calendar of events comes out, we'll chat about some carpool options to attend some of it together!

  • We've been invited to host a table at the RVA PoetryFest this year! Mark your calendars for April 10th-11th and keep an eye out for more details. If you're interested in volunteering, let me know here.

  • Author Sarah Glenn Marsh will be joining us for a book club with the author in May when we read her romantic fantasy Our Rogue Fates. Name sound familiar to you? That's because she was introduced to us back in February by Fiona Fenn in her mini Q+A! How full circle is that?

  • Thanks to everyone who submitted their "best of 2025" reads on our stories, I'll share those in a list form sometime soon.


Ideas:

  • Our first RVA Readers Retreat was a success if you ask me, and I'm already looking forward to planning the next one. Rumblings of a RVA Writers Retreat have been on the wind and are likely to come to fruition later this year as well. Stay posted for more details!

  • Some of the books that we are reading over the next few months are relatively new releases and therefore a little bit more difficult to get ahold of at the library in a timely manner. We've been chatting about circulating a couple of physical copies amongst ourselves to allow more people to read before the club date. If you're interested in donating a book to this cause and already have a copy of one of those 12 books listed above, please reach out to me via email (rvareaders@gmail.com).

  • I am working on some reference lists for our local bookstores, places to read, coffee shops, and more! Eventually, I'll be accepting suggestions and photos as well.

  • I'm working on fundraiser ideas to support our group without bankrupting myself on website and software and whatnot. If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! In the meantime, we'll be fundraising for our website cost at the first silent reading party in January and you can also contribute toward the cost via Venmo (@rvareadersandwriters). I've started outlining the costs of running this group on our FAQ page for curious folks considering a group of their own and members wondering how they can support our effort to bring people together who have nothing in common but a love of words.


Get Involved:

  • I'm so happy to have you here and hope to meet you soon if we haven't already. I'd suggest filling out our members form, checking out our social media group chats, and reading more about our community on our website. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions via email or IG message or Google Voice at ‪(804) 604-1273‬.

 

Alright, I promised not to write a whole blog post here, so I'll leave it at that. If you didn't already, check out our $25 Fountain Bookstore giftcard giveaway on our Instagram, share it with some friends, and have a lovely and safe holiday season.


Much love to all,

Breelyn

Looking Back


Charlottesville-based author Emily Thiede released THIS VICIOUS GRACE, her debut romantic fantasy novel, in 2022. The sequel, THIS CURSED LIGHT, is now available, and she's working on something new. There are a few clues in her interview for those wondering what her next project will be.


 Virginia author Rebecca Danzenbaker released SOULMATCH, her debut YA dystopian romance in July, and she just announced the title of her next project: PREDESTINED. Read about her past careers, current passions, and more, in her Q+A.


RVA Readers Retreat 2025

Our first readers retreat weekend was a blast (if you ask me).

 

From huge bean bags next to the fireplace to couches on the patio with the gorgeous view of the water, the options for reading locations were endless.

 

We played games, watched The Book Club movie, ate meals together, and checked out Resist Booksellers on our way home.

 

I am already looking forward to the next one!



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