It's pretty easy to focus on Don Harrison's shaggy mane and laser-focused attention on the glaringly obvious foibles of Richmond's CenterStage project and forget that he's an award-winning writer with a long track record with some of Richmond's better publications.
Like Style Weekly, for instance.
That's where Harrison starts work full-time on Monday, as the new arts and entertainment editor for the city's long-lived weekly. (I almost called them an "alternative weekly," can you believe it?)
Harrison, a Style contributor, also has served as contributing editor of the bimonthly lifestyle magazine Virginia Living, associate editor of the former regional arts publication 64 Magazine and helped launch the former Soul of Virginia magazine. He’s contributed to Parade Magazine, AOL-Digital Cities , C-Ville Weekly, the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot.
In July Harrison completed a two-year project as chief researcher and writer for “Virginia Rocks! The History of Rockabilly in the Commonwealth,” a 2-CD set and museum exhibit produced in conjunction with the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum at Ferrum College...
In accepting this position with Style, Harrison will retire from his participation in SaveRichmond.com, a six-year-old blog that received the 2005 Laurence E. Richardson Freedom of Information Award from the Virginia Coalition for Open Government.
Much to the relief of Brad Armstrong, I'm sure.
Once again, Style goes for the unexpected, the dark horse -- and I mean that with plenty of admiration. Don's got a solid background, and a good eye for angles. And as Richmond grapples with some big arts issues -- admissions taxes, a CAPS program gone astray, a Cultural Action Plan, and (yes) a new performing arts space opening during a recession -- I'm confident that Don and Style will play hard, play fair and make a lot of people squirm.
That's what good journalists do.
Congratulations, Don.
