More

Motif Dispatch: Profiles in Distribution

The people who deliver Motif are innovative artists, writers, gifted actors and musicians in their own right. Ever wonder, Who are these couriers of arts and culture? We can’t profile the full dozen drivers in this space. In addition to these profiles, we want to thank Dave Messere, James Brien, Wayne Stolcz, Lola Blu, Jon […]

Read More

Shirley Prisco: Motif Astrologer

Shirley Prisco is the Sun Sign columnist for Motif Magazine. She is a professional astrologer certified by the National Council of Geo-Cosmic Research, an international organization devoted to astrology education. In addition, she is a member of The International Society for Astrological Research and the Association for Astrological Networking. We recently sat down for a […]

Read More

Fosters Shady Acres Diner: 50’s nostalgia in a down-home apocalyptic cafe

Shady Acres Diner on Danielson Pike in Foster, Rhode Island, has been a long-time staple with fun, nostalgic ambiance. Offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner to locals and travelers alike, everyone is family here! “We survived COVID, having bought the diner from the original owners just a few months before COVID hit,” says proprietor Desi Wolf. […]

Read More

Beatnik Beginnings: From the streets to the scene

Jim Vickers started Motif Magazine in 2004. He started Motif to give voice to marginalized groups of underrepresented Rhode Islanders. Vickers agreed to write an article for our special 20th anniversary edition. This is his story. In the beginning, there was the NewPaper and Nice Paper. It was a friendly rivalry between Rhode Island-based alternative […]

Read More

5,000 Words of Summer: Forget the movies! These books are sure to cool you down…or heat you up

Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher: Though I don’t indulge in romance often (except when I need a palette cleanser between heavier books), I couldn’t put down Love Redesigned. Asher’s novel follows Julian Lopez and Dahlia Muñoz, two locals from the small town of Lake Wisteria, who share a complicated past. While their families are close, […]

Read More

Unsung Scholar: Presidential hopeful to speak at civil rights documentary screening in Newport

For political enthusiasts looking for fact-based rationalism in our hyper-polarized political climate, this film represents a breath of fresh air on the horizon. At the intersection of sanity and racial intellectualism, the documentary Dr. Ira Raid Haverford College’s Unsung Scholar and Activist comes to Newport this month. The documentary was screened this spring at the […]

Read More

Hottest Authors of the Summer: Three Local Authors Share their Beach Reads

VICTORIA DALPE: Alone in the woods, some of us find solace. In that solace, some of us find fear – afraid of what lurks in the shadows or what lurks within? Victoria Dalpe is a Rhode Island horror writer. She delves into the complexities of our tortured nature in her book series “Selene Shade: Resurrectionist […]

Read More

Rhody Read: Stacey Love: My Lessons on Love, Life, Loss by Stacey Caputi Liakos

Stray Love is RI native Stacey Caputi Liakos’ compelling and candid memoir in which she recounts her decade-long relationship with Ray-Ray, a charismatic bad-boy and drug hustler, and wrestles with her realization that life – and the pull of the heart – is not always within her control. In a conversational tone akin to swapping […]

Read More

2024 Motif Food Truck Awards: Voting Ends August 1. Event on Sunday, August 11.

To vote for the 2024 Food Truck Awards, click here. Rhode Island’s food truck scene goes to show how beloved these mobile food carriers really are. These annual awards aim to gather the food truck community in a space that celebrates them while also trying to encapsulate the love and joy the food truck festivals […]

Read More