Events:

Bill Bartholomew

Bill Bartholomew is a musician, podcaster and talk radio host in Providence, RI. Twitter / IG @billbartholomew bill@RIpodcast.com

Bartholomewtown

Total Speculation: An entirely hypothetical and unverified look at 2022 RI lieutenant gubernatorial potentials

The Boston Globe’s Ed Fitzpatrick recently published his list of 2022 Rhode Island gubernatorial potentials, so naturally, I wanted to follow-up with a list of my own of who to watch for, even this early on, for the number two executive role in the state, Lieutenant Governor.   Totally speculative, and for … “fun”?  Here’s the […]

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News

Cupid’s Arrow: Left and right should join forces in disruption

As we enter the so-called season of love, politics in Rhode Island are producing a love story between unlikely partners, and they may not even realize that Cupid’s arrow hath struck Smith Hill. I have occasionally floated the notion that Rhode Island may be better off by, in a broad sense, temporarily abandoning the conventional […]

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Opinion

State of the State: How will RI reach Raimondo’s renewable energy goal?

In last week’s State of the State address, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced a goal to power the entire state with renewable energy by 2030.   Having spent much of her political career balancing the influence and systemic role of “traditional energy providers” with frequent calls for urgent action on climate change and other environmental […]

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Bartholomewtown

‘Tis the Season: Prominent RIers share what the season means to them

The holiday season evokes a wide range of reactions from southern New Englanders, from full-on participation in the spiritual elements of the season to engagement with shopping and other secular activities (lights, parties, Frosty, et al) to flat out rejection of the season as nonsense.    Family time generally is a consistent theme throughout the season, […]

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Bartholomewtown

Save Our City: Archives administrator makes history fun

A recent forum I attended got me thinking about the critical relationship between local media, collectors and preservationists in developing a broad and authentic understanding of a locale’s history. The discussion, part of Trinity Repertory Company’s Context and Conversation series, featured an array of prominent panelists and attendees in journalism, arts and politics and was intended […]

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Bartholomewtown

Local Superhero: Steve Ahlquist discusses journalism as an art form

During a recent interview, independent multimedia journalist (and Motif contributor) Steve Ahlquist and I talked about tapping into the art of journalism. The below is an excerpt that has been lightly edited for clarity. Bill Bartholomew (Motif): As independent multimedia journalists we often take a straight-up artist’s approach to the work.  Steve Ahlquist: That’s true. […]

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Bartholomewtown

His Tricks Are Treats: Quintuple-threat Ben DeCastro is king of diversifying

With Halloween approaching, I decided to add a bit of spook and mystery to my step, so I summoned the mighty content wizard known in this world as Ben DeCastro.   DeCastro has been seen and/or heard on just about every radio, television and new media platform in the southern New England market, has left a […]

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Bartholomewtown

Women in the Public Eye: Judged not by the content of her character, but by the color of her skirt

Media personalities of all stripes are subject to an interactive relationship with the general public, be it positive, negative or neutral. But for female-presenting television reporters, the experience can be especially trying, as NBC10’s Lindsay Iadeluca described during a recent interview. Our wide-ranging conversation pivoted into a discussion about the particular challenges that female-presenting news […]

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Bartholomewtown

History Lost: Raymond Two Hawks Watson discusses the true history of RI

Raymond Two Hawks Watson is an activist, educator, musician and community leader who is a leading voice in understanding southern New England Indigenous people’s history and culture.  During a recent interview, Watson and I discussed RI’s ‘warped’ historical timeline, which, when presented in most contemporary settings, often fails to recognize the size and scope of […]

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