16 Blocks is a non-profit and independent free print and digital publication and creator of public artworks.

From DOWNTOWNS to Uptowns to neighborhoods to boroughs to districts, most of the best local culture gathers in roughly four city blocks, best experienced in walking, with all the sounds, sights, and smells, and most importantly people of all walks, gathering and in the movements of congregation.

16 Blocks symbolizes that metaphorical microcosm, mindful of the interconnectedness of neighbors and travelers from all walks of life, along with those who came before, allied in a shared community experience in documenting and celebrating our shared time and place.

Hart Fowler – Director/Publisher – 16 Blocks Magazine and Public Artworks

Our physical work spaces can positively impact how we think and feel, and this issue honors the creative gathering power that comes with inspired physical spaces like the Aurora Building where we make most of this magazine.

Throughout history, creative and productive people have worked differently and in different work environments than most other people. Low-rent, repurposed, and spacious downtown studios are historically fertile grounds for the creative that don’t mind the funky, and always desired for the few that have made sacrifices to get to choose where they work.

I’ve found the most prolific and steady creative work occurs over long hours in private and appointment-only places, tranquil, healthy, positive, mostly solitary, and with good light. I’ve also found myself being regularly inspired to look up by all the things that come with being surrounded by a bustling downtown Roanoke with peaceful parks and common areas scattered throughout.

The interior of the Aurora is an excellent remodel with attention to light and space. Once dilapidated, the glass storefront at the main entrance facing Campbell offers a prominent marquee covered entrance and remind of the days when downtown department stores were in fashion. The front and back glass lobby doors are locked for tenants and guests making for the kind of sanctum one looks for when the work is appointment-only and not for walk-ins.

The figure in the center of Rita’s “Aurora in Flight” is an aerialist flying down a ribbon as if descending from the sky and is inspired by Lynsey Grace Wyatt’s Cirqulation Aerial Arts & Acrobatics studio. Daylight pours through a glass wall on Luck Avenue down into the Cirqulation’s two story padded space where aerial acrobatics and exercises are performed. From the roof you can see fans turning in the skylight and the Ponce de Leon and hear United Methodist’s church bells, and bustling Fortunato crowds below with the downtown birds and trees with a view of the sun setting towards Grandin Village.

The building is remembered by long-time locals as Leggett’s, as did Stephanie Moon Reynolds when she came for an interview doing her Mayoral campaign. Current Mayor Joe Cobb came to the Aurora as well, and the Star City Punkcasters and Good Vibes Theresa Priest, and the Roanoke Cultural Endowment’s Shaleen Powell in the winter.

For this issue, I interviewed artist Joe Casso and street performer Jefferson Rose at the Aurora, and look towards interviews with developer John Garland (Aurora, Crafteria) and aerialists Lynsey Wyatt and others for the next print edition. The cozy confines of our studio have become an excellent spot for conducting interviews.

Before writing this I walked two blocks back to the Aurora from interviewing Emily Herr about her mural in-progress on Salem Ave, soon to be a gigantic public space full of potential for many things, and was again struck by seeing more inspiring progress downtown. Developers using a mindful eye towards the creative and artful, with remembrance towards the past, but occurring in-the-now in so many places throughout Roanoke. It’s good to be walking distance, and with ample parking, a healthy walk through downtown is one of the many joys of living in a thriving city.

Welcome to Issue #51, our 10th since reLaunching the print edition in 2023. We are grateful for the show of support from readers, supporters, and sponsors, without which this print edition would not exist. Enjoy, share with a friend, the mag is great for coffee tables and bookshelves, and become souvenirs of a time and place.

All of this is and more can be found on 16Blocks.org, in color and with motion pictures, audio and animation, but you don’t have to plug this in and there’s less distractions.

Best,

Hart@16blocks.org

Our recent explorations in Roanoke with our expansion to the city have proven uplifting as the continuing surge of arts vitality and participation in community building we expected to find here is alive and very well.

From the $1.6M regional investment in the new Wasena Skate Park, to the many city-funded arts initiatives, to the Old Southwest District producing a book celebrating neighborhood artists and greenspaces; 16 Blocks enclaves abound! and we’re excited for more expansive coverage in this booming region, and growing our team with the wealth of creative talent has already begun.

While working outside the original Blacksburg Blocks, we’re happy to report good news following up on the spookiness at Draper Block with the Stella Rose piano. The Blacksburg Public Arts Council has begun work on a Public Arts Policy in an effort to protect the town’s existing and future outdoor art projects. This follows up on the Blacksburg Arts Council’s recently very well-received “Where are You” large-sized utility box projects, which coupled with Rita Brame’s Local Jam Mural and Jon Murril’s Neon Owl, makes for one of the greatest years for Blacksburg public art in my memory.

We met Jon finishing Neon Owl last summer while we were prepping The Local Jam across the street, and continued the conversation in this issue featuring Murril’s collaborative mural work with international artists in two Roanoke spots. We are thankful for Roanoke Councilwoman Moon and Mayor-Elect Cobb, and Blacksburg Councilman Watson, for taking the time to participate in our POLITIC LOCAL section, and look forward to continuing that coverage in 2024.

And ROCK ON! to Star City Punkcasters Tara and Savannah for coming to our studio to chat about the status of a revered music venue, and Theresa Priest of Good Vibes Shop on the THC sharing community. Robyn Lowery was one of many other talented writers reading at The Star City Poets Society inaugural Open Mic at Big Lick Brewery to a standing room only crowd, rare in my poetry jam experiences. The small book just published about the Old Southwest district led us to both community activist and vice-mayor elect Terry McGuire and local painter Elaine Fleck, all welcoming with their time and sharing their work with us and you.

You can check the long-form interviews and others at 16blocks.org, our Youtube Channel (16BlocksVideo), and I’m happy to announce we’re launching a Spotify channel as another home as we continue producing long-form digital work.

Join us, have a seat. There’s a lot going on. Stay awhile, we’ve time. Good to put down the cellular and read on the larger pages, and the art looks better at a magazine’s 10” by 13” than a pocket phone’s 3” by 3.

Best,

Hart@16blocks.org

Dear Reader, old friend or new? Passing through? How do you do?

Join us, have a seat. There’s a lot going on. Stay awhile, we’ve time. Good to put down the cellular and read on the larger pages, and the art looks better at a magazine’s 10” by 13” than a pocket phone’s 3” by 3”.

It certainly got Spooky on the Draper Block in Blacksburg with the destruction of Stella Rose Outdoor Piano during the production of this issue. Decorating the piano was one of our first public art volunteer efforts, and had met with excellent reception. Noticing the piano’s absence, receiving an email that the she was “damaged during construction”, taking off Rita’s artwork at Cemetery lot, presenting at Town Council questioning what happened: that all occurred in a few days time.

Seeing a cherished thing smashed and going to a place that is officially nicknamed Cemetery Lot well before her expiration date is an act I witnessed that I have trouble understanding the motive. We have documented the entire process on 16blocks.org if you’d like a deeper dive. I don’t know if even M Night Shyamalan would have seen this ending coming.

The show, of course, never stopped, and we encourage you to engage in your own community. Being an active citizen in a field where you are smart and passionate is a cathartic experience. Local communities thrive on the activity of the local population, and being involved in a project is surely more satisfying than criticizing from the bleachers.

Our mailbox is always open for feedback, story ideas, and inquiries on how to become a Creative Contributor, apply for an internship, or don’t know what to do but want to participate in our local print gathering spot in the Blocks and Beyond.

hart@16blocks.org

Dear Reader, old friend, passing through? how’s the festival?
This copy is best read outdoors and in the shade.
This is a Steppin Out Festival Guide, coupled with some fresh photos and Zickafoose’s P-Funk painting to bless the shows.
Many thanks to Virginia is for Lovers, Downtown Blackburg Inc, and all of our sponsors that help make these pages possible.
-hf

Dear Reader, old friend, passing through? New to the Blocks? Glad you could join us, have a seat. Stay awhile, we’ve time.

If you’re reading this near the Draper Block in downtown Blacksburg, there’s probably construction sounds all around as there’s a lot going on in downtown Blacksburg, and we are Over the Moon to not only have a Front-Row seat and Backstage-Pass, but also an active participant with 16 Blocks producing Rita Brame’s The Local Jam Mural. (see page 20)

Roanoke Artist John Murrill’s Neon Owl perched up in June. Independently-Produced mural by Coffeeholics owners Lily and Al Murad, they brought Roanoke’s young Appalachian Mural Master Murrill with an exquisite stroke on the Block that needs a vigilant presence when things get booze-rowdy with the undergraduates.

Add to that the Town’s Improvement’s that include an outdoor stage and Edison Lights we’re all witnessing a masterful Art-Trifecta in the center of Town, DIY style except with more resources, and the momentum hints at a local cultural renaissance at hand.

Our mailbox is always open for feedback, story ideas, and inquiries on how to become a Creative Contributor, apply for an internship, or don’t know what to do but want to participate in our local gathering spot in the Blocks and Beyond.

hart@16blocks.org

HF also contributes poetry to the print issues.

With the Second Wind Stronger than the First

Relish
with a grin
and chomping at the Wit,

Call the second wind
Can we get a snare HIT!

Coiling strong poise, relieving restraint
there’s the Flow a Comin, on time, never late.

Woo Woot! goes the crowd sound
I’ll Spin the Wheels
and take another
16 bars around

seeming out of nowhere, Conjured in sound,

The Spooky Good Magic, patience of a muse though always there
Here comes the second wind, Be Ware!

Arrow on the bow, got a Bunch in the Quiver
With a barrow full of Rhymes; I’m a Giver
and with a Beat I Feel the Heat
in a Supernatural Shiver

Tuning en-Door-Feen Dialing in the Electro-Spleen

Wet Hiss and first fire crack
getting warmed up now,
tempting, and tending,
a verbal furnace in sound,

Approaching 16 Bars with more in the tank

Unleash & Release
the Second Wind
Now Time
to break
Rank

That wasn’t the meal,
but a healthy appetizer,
Takin 32 bars
Is the true Equalizer.
Woo Woot Take another
Don’t mind if I do

I’m Sober High Flyin Kid,gonna see it thru
Don’t leave your seat though or you’ll miss ACT II

Work as an Independent Journalist

The interest of editors of from larger-sized publications on the subject of a peak of video game culture led to a flurry of published articles on the subject as an independent journalist.

Artists have used Grand Theft Auto V as a canvas for years. Now, protesters are doing the same.

more to come…

See some of my recently published pieces gathered at my portfolio page:https://clearvoice.com/cv/hartfowler