Cathren is a community collaborative artist who has been working with the Community Libraries of Providence and other non-profits since 2012, developing arts and literacy programs and creating public art installations. She has been an artist in residence at Hattie Ide Chaffee Home since 2023, implementing visual arts and health programs with seniors and dementia patients. Website: ArtHouseRI.com
Dear C, I caught my boyfriend masturbating when I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. He says he read online that it was good for his health and “keeps him young” if he does it daily. I am not sure how I feel about it. I don’t really want […]
On December 19, 1971, “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story,” aired. It was the TV pilot of a series that would span nine seasons, a saga that would tell the story of what was to become the most iconic extended family in American TV history, “The Waltons.” The show’s most memorable moment was the signature scene […]
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician in Flint, Michigan, first raised the alarm about lead in the water. Flint had switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the polluted local river in April 2014, immediately triggering widespread complaints of illness. City and state officials ignored reports and assured citizens that the water was safe. Dr. […]
Nineteen years ago, Marianne Kelly, a licensed cosmetologist, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The 18 months of rehabilitation were tough. She had to relearn such simple tasks as walking and feeding herself. But none of this was as troubling to her as the changes in her looks. She’d always been particular about her appearance, […]
Illness never just affects our bodies; our minds are sucked down into the spiraling vortex too. Moods seem to darken when a health crisis is brewing. In fact, one of the symptoms of a heart attack is “a sense of impending doom.” On the other hand, our minds can have a powerful impact on recovery. […]
Dear C, My 19 year old daughter isn’t really into school. She sees no reason for it and is attending only because I made it a condition of staying home rent free. Recently, through her online social media account, she met a 35-year-old man from across the country and after two months she thinks she […]
The heat is officially ON. We’ve moved past the fireworks of the 4th and are now nearing the Dog Days of summer. Weeks stretch into afternoons at the beach and pool parties in the backyard, and leapfrog through open hydrants on city streets. In Rhode Island we’ve already had our first official heat wave and […]
Dear C; I am an adjunct teacher at a university and a freelance artist. I know the other teachers at the school pretty well; we often take turns using the same classrooms and, out of need, share supply closets. One of the teachers, Todd, is also a freelance artist. Unbeknownst to me, he’d done work […]
When a nuclear bomb explodes, the damage it inflicts does not occur solely at the point of impact. Even more insidious are the shock waves and emanating fallout, which seep, cancer-like, into the surrounding soil and air, gradually poisoning and eroding the earth and sky for miles past the smoking crater. In Washington, DC, we […]
Dear C, I’m a musician in my late 40s, and my work requires a lot of travel. This makes it nearly impossible to have a normal social life. I was lucky to find Jen; we had great chemistry and good conversations. I explained my work situation on our first date, and she seemed to be […]