“I have a lot of folks I check on. I just go by and knock on their door, and because now, we gotta think about not causing trouble for each other, I just let them yell from the other side of the door that they’re good, and then I go on to the next house.” […]
Art brings community together and promotes positive mental health, and we want to encourage community and creativity in this time of social distancing. We are asking visual artists, musicians, creative writers, actors, poets and artists of all kinds to submit their original content to our new virtual gallery! #MotifVirtualGallery is a compilation page that showcases […]
Reed McLaren has spent time researching how to make timeless clothing pieces last. Initially helpful in the curation of her exquisite natural material vintage collection, The House of Ama, she now focuses her efforts on exploring this subject matter to help others. McLaren shared some of her knowledge at the Rhode Island School of Design […]
Dear C & Dr. B, We were at the gym when my husband showed the front desk a photo he had on his phone of our very beautiful teenage daughter in a bikini. He said, “She thinks she is not pretty! I ask you: isn’t she pretty?” I was somewhat mortified. According to him, I […]
Anthony DiPietro is a prose poet from Rhode Island, who currently lives in Massachusetts and teaches prose poetry at Frequency Writers. His poetry prose has been accepted into multiple magazines. In a recent interview, we spoke about his methods of writing and poetry’s importance. Damont Combs (Motif): When did you fall in love with poetry? […]
This is the truest test of Rhode Island greatness: twice, in the span of three weeks, I have driven *all the way* from Providence to South County just to eat dinner at the recently opened Italian restaurant, Locanda. I’m blaming their Truffled Mushroom and Mascarpone Polenta, which calls to me like the gold calls to the […]
The Providence community has always prided itself on shopping small, and now — more than ever — is the time to do so. Hundreds of local restaurants, bars and venues have been critically affected by the measures we’ve been instructed to take due to COVID-19. Although the decision to close/suspend typical functions has been a […]
While we greet St. Patrick’s Day in Rhode Island this year with parades cancelled, restaurants and pubs closed, and gatherings discouraged on account of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re looking back to the time a Providence resident won a pub in Ireland. In 1997, Trevor O’Driscoll graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in history. […]
During October 1918, the Providence Public Library closed for three weeks on account of the influenza pandemic, known as the Spanish flu. That year, the outbreak claimed the lives of 941 Providence residents, and another 1,365 people across Rhode Island. In The Providence Journal, the city’s health superintendent suggested: “Keep at arm’s length from everybody,” […]
If you’re bored while stuck at home, and if recent events have not frightened you enough already, you may be brave enough to use this time to catch up on horror movies and learn something about how to avoid being the star of one yourself. This isn’t for those of you who feel like you […]