ON THE COVER
Kai Gietzen
For the cover of Motif’s Student Guide issue, illustrator Kai Gietzen drew a “monstrous crumpled up ball of notebook paper,” which, he says, “Represents all of the trials one encounters […]
September as Suicide Prevention Month
“988 isn’t just a number. It’s a promise: that no one has to go through a mental health crisis alone.” -988 Lifeline Supervisor Stephanie Clifford at 988 Day Event Horizon Healthcare Partners announced that there has...
Fact Check — Interpreting Kirk's shooter
Was Charlie Kirk Murdered for the Lulz? Media misses dark nihilism of on-line culture
Political violence is a bad thing from any perspective, but there is a long tradition of it. In the classic 1970 collection of over one hundred primary source documents American Violence, the earliest account is...
Every Brilliant Thing
Theater review
Burbage Theatre Co presents the heart-wrenching, hysterical, and life-affirming one-man show Every Brilliant Thing, by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, and directed by Angela Brazil. The production features Stephen Thorne in a monodrama the whole...
2025 Motif Food Truck & Drink Awards Favorites
The RI Food Truck & Drink Awards managed to dodge the rainclouds and have a beautiful night on Sunday. Below, you’ll find all the winners: Good Vibes, the new mobile bar truck with some former...
STEELYARD FORGES AN ARTFUL CHILDCARE PROGRAM
Free for instructors and students amid course expansion
You won’t see a 6-year-old wielding a blowtorch, but you will see youngsters making jewelry and working with clay at a newly launched childcare program at The Steel Yard (TSY) in on Sims Ave in...
PVD Flowers
One co-op's mission to combat cannabis capitalism
Written by a member of the PVD Flowers team, the nation’s first BIPOC, worker-owned, unionized dispensary. If I told you that the recreational cannabis industry is ruining weed, would you believe me? While legalization has certainly...
The African Alliance of Rhode Island
Reclaiming roots and reuniting diaspora communities through food
In the parking lot of Temple of Restoration church in Pawtucket, I was amazed to experience not just a pop-up farmers market (where I was able to procure some truly beautiful-looking corn, peaches, and green...
BEERS FOR THE BACK TO SCHOOL BLAHS
It’s that time of year. I feel the blahs. It’s as if my overall happiness is slowly being taken away each day leading to the end of summer. Crazy enough, I am not a student...
Chop, Chop Hurry in for good food that is giving back
The Culinary Hub of Providence - a restaurant with a mission
I am a foodie at heart. And, let’s not forget the stomach. Enjoying a meal with a friend or family member is one of my love languages. Food, for me, is sanity -- something I...
Roots Report
Okee dokee folks… I want to thank everyone who attended, performed, volunteered and donated to this year’s Rhode Island Folk Festival; it was an amazing day! If you missed it then mark your calendars for...
Ask a Witch
Acceptance is a pre-requisite for alchemy
In my readings lately, I’ve been sitting with a lot of people who are in deep, soul-level transitions. Many of us are shifting from one life to another within ourselves, and it’s not always clear...
Ants in the City
Memories of a spiritual ecology
This month Nayyab Naveed, a current MFA Student at RISD, has partnered with Dr. Jane to tell a story about her eco-spiritual encounters with ants while growing up in Pakistan. My Nana Abu was a friend...
ecoRI News Roundup
PROVIDENCE — Environmental groups are warning state officials that proposed cuts to Rhode Island’s energy efficiency programs will raise utility bills, spark inflation, and put residents out of work. RI’s energy efficiency programs offer residents a...
High Art at a High Price
The cost of living in the Creative Capital
It should be abundantly clear to anybody who has read my work over the last years of published pieces here at Motif: I love the city of Providence. Everything about it to me exudes quiet...
Is AI a Better Student Than Me?
Why students shouldn’t use AI
“Who Writes Better,” the campus roundtable flyer said, “Robots or Me?” It is the first week back on campus for many students, and flyers like this one are posted across school bulletins. As students begin...
Apprehensions and Anticipations
Graduate student life
September 3rd began the fall semester at University of Rhode Island. For new graduate students, this day was long anticipated. It was the first time they sat in a classroom with their peers to discuss...
The Golden Ticket for College Students
Unlock ways your college card can save you money
You may not realize it, but your college ID can get you way more than just access to the campus library or gym. If there is anything college students understand, it is that ramen and mac...
Ode to the Libraries
An experience money can’t buy
I recently came across an article published in Forbes magazine in 2018, in which author Panos Mourdoukoutas declared that if Amazon replaced the public library it would save the taxpayers a huge amount of money....
Trump vs Universities
A very different academic year
As a recently graduated student, I knew this was an important topic to cover. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” has put in motion a change to the college experience that students so rightly deserve. For example,...
Are Those Bagel Bites Vegan?
College food in a health-conscious era
From the east to the west, north to the south, cuisine all over the world varies from town to town. When you're young, the choices you're given are basic and simple. As we get older,...
Rhody Rhody Rhody!
A rundown of RI’s college mascots
I’d like to start this article with a big “welcome (or welcome back)” to anyone who will be spending the school year in this hidden gem of a state. There is a lot to explore...
Not Too Late for the GED
Finishing high school as an adult
For many, autumn is a reminder of returning to school. For thousands of people throughout the country and in Rhode Island, “back to school” evokes the memory of not getting their high school diploma –...
ON THE COVER
Kai Gietzen
For the cover of Motif’s Student Guide issue, illustrator Kai Gietzen drew a “monstrous crumpled up ball of notebook paper,” which, he says, “Represents all of the trials one encounters throughout the school year.”. Standing...
Here’s why HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) should be on your September “Must See” List
After playing extended engagements in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD will kick off the second year of its national tour at the Providence Performing Arts Center, with performances...
Harvey
Believe in the pooka!
There’s something subtly magical about stepping into The Arctic Playhouse, a venue that feels more like a living room shared by close friends rather than a theater. With oven-baked cookies, coffee or cocktail in hand,...
Stuff to Do
Bobby Anspach: Everything is Change
June 21 - September 28Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Harmony of Line and Color
July 12 - December 31Liz Collins
July 19, 2025 - January 1, 2026You Are Here
July 26 - September 20Rhode Island College 2-D Faculty Exhibition.
August 28 - September 19
September as Suicide Prevention Month
“988 isn’t just a number. It’s a promise: that no one has to go through a mental health crisis alone.” -988 Lifeline Supervisor Stephanie Clifford at 988 Day Event Horizon […]
Fact Check — Interpreting Kirk’s shooter
Was Charlie Kirk Murdered for the Lulz? Media misses dark nihilism of on-line culture
Political violence is a bad thing from any perspective, but there is a long tradition of it. In the classic 1970 collection of over one hundred primary source documents American […]
Every Brilliant Thing
Theater review
Burbage Theatre Co presents the heart-wrenching, hysterical, and life-affirming one-man show Every Brilliant Thing, by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, and directed by Angela Brazil. The production features Stephen Thorne […]
4th Annual Fall Festival in the Jewelry District
Vendors, shopping, music by Rory and the Blues Hounds, food, and face-painting. Fall fall fall.
Stop Making Sense
Restored and high-resed Jonathan Demme documentary about local band made good, The Talking Heads.
Cranston Fall Festival
Food trucks and vendors! Woohoo.
Ocean State Oyster Festival
11th annual bivalve-loving festival makes its way back to PVD, with dozens of farmers, plus drinks, music, and other foodstuffs.
The Big Event
A belly laugh night of comedy to support The Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk.
Tom Comitta reading Patchwork
Tom Comitta returns with a novella that is at once a picaresque quest for a stolen snuffbox and a marvel of literary découpage, equal parts love story, old-fashioned thriller, and […]
Jesus “Aguaje” Ramos & the Buena Vista Orchestra
Cuban trombonist, composer, arranger, and musical director.