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
Type the word “cleanse” into any search engine and splat! a glitzy array of advertisements will gush out of cyberspace with the force of an exploding soda bottle. A cleanse craze seems to sweep the country every spring, and there is no scarcity of celebrities to endorse them. It seems to make sense on an […]
I remember a class discussion in fifth grade. The teacher at our suburban middle school was talking about “poor people” and the challenges they faced. A kid from an affluent family raised his hand and interrupted. “My dad says poor people have what they deserve. If they worked harder, they wouldn’t be poor.” Most of […]
Dear C, I’m engaged to a really great guy. He was born in Taipei but learned English when he was very young and came to the US for college. His parents came for a visit to meet me last week. After eating at several good restaurants around town, we invited them to our apartment for […]
We are at a tricky crossroads in drug history. Along with opening the door to promising medical treatments, marijuana is poised to become the next legal recreational drug in Rhode Island. Therein the problem lies. Because of the relative safety of pot compared to pharmaceuticals, street drugs and alcohol (no deaths from its use have ever been recorded), […]
It is a mystery, an unsolved crime: The US demands more cash for medical care than any other country in the world, yet we rank a dismal 39 in overall health. We cannot manage to provide universal coverage for our citizens, which is an anomaly in the civilized financially ranking world. But no wonder — […]
Dear C; I am not sure if this is a problem, but it does worry me a lot. My boyfriend never gets jealous over me. Not even the tiniest bit. I have never cheated on him but other men sometimes flirt with me, right in front of him, and a couple times I flirted back […]
A reader recently told me of his upcoming plans to fly to the other side of the planet for a visit. His sister moved to Japan for work and generously offered to buy his ticket, but he was worried about catching the flu. He asked me how to protect himself. This is a timely question. […]
Dear C; My question is: How do you not feel completely inadequate as a wife and daughter-in-law when you have a Super Mother-In-Law? She’s an amazing cook — all from scratch — and she did everything around the house and was home for her kids in the day, then worked at night. My husband frequently […]
With spring, comes mud. But did you know that this deliciously squishy stuff that children love to play in and dogs love to track across the floor is also the base for a respected branch of natural medicine? According to ancient wisdom, the five fundamental building blocks of the universe are sky, air, fire, water […]
Dear C, I cheated on my girlfriend, Bev, about a year ago. Things weren’t that bad between us, but I was bored with the relationship and wasn’t sure I wanted to stay in it. When Bev found out, it really hurt her and I felt like crap. I never wanted to see the other girl […]