What is the DTM?
I created the DTM in 2012 as a “blog” and Facebook page about Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall, an architecturally unique reimagining of downtown Main Street that was built in the 1970s. The pedestrian mall languished for many years, was nearly a failure, then enjoyed a renaissance in the 1990s. Since then it has been a city centerpiece for culture and controversy - and was ground zero for the deadly Unite the Right rally in August 2017. People were always using “DTM” as a local shorthand for the mall.
Today, while the coverage has expanded beyond the Downtown Mall and the platforms have changed, the independent-minded reporting, analysis, and commentary you’ll find here remain the same.
I’ve been a writer and editor in some form or another most of my life and was a staff writer for The Hook for nearly a decade. My fiction has also appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Shenandoah, and other literary journals. You can find out more about me here.
Thanks for stopping by!
— David McNair
“Good stuff from what seems to be the best news source in Charlottesville.” — Rick Tetzeli, editor-at-large, Fast Company Magazine.
“What the DTM brings to local news—besides McNair’s institutional knowledge—is a zestier writing style than more established media.” - C-Ville Weekly
Social media
Visit on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, Post, Substack Notes, Threads, and Mastodon.
Submissions
The DTM welcomes story submissions, opinion pieces, artwork, and essays.
Contact
thedtmnewsletter@gmail.com
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People
