Babylon cover art; band photo; image credits: The Huntress and Holder of Hands At a recent record-release concert in Providence, Rhode Island, MorganEve Swain teased a nearly full house that her band The Huntress and Holder...
Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade. The party doesn't have to end after Halloween weekend. Keep the festivities going with a trip back to the Roaring Twenties when the North American tour of The Great Gatsby...
The 2026 Food Truck Awards are coming up soon – November 10, the day before Veteran’s Day. We’re excited to make it a true industry night – no food trucks will have to serve anything......
Artwork: AMOC by Ewa Romaszewicz in collaboration with Ambarish Karmalkar, PhD. For many of us, our most common run-ins with the scientific disciplines happen in two places: the classroom or a news headline. I think it’s...
What does it feel like to be in a room beaming with creative thinkers and artists? What does it look like when a group of motivational, dedicated, hard-working artists comes together? What creative forces can...
(New Harvest “It’s Party Time” poster; poster design: Britta Gustafson / New Harvest; photo credit: Sean Carlson) Photos by Ampersand Creative Co. From one former industrial site to another, New Harvest Coffee Roasters has expanded from humble...
L-R: President Patrick Canary and Secretary Chris Meringolo. Photo by Scott Barnett. Have you ever wanted to homebrew? Yes? I have great news! The RI Brewing Society is holding a “Learn to Homebrew Day.” The American...
When I sat down on a comfy couch at Big Nice Studio in Carrington, RI, for an interview with Space Cowboy Newt, one of the first things they told me was that they’re a rambler....
A new chapter for digital recording studio, The Proving Ground, has begun and owner and producer, Dylan Titus, is ready to celebrate two-and-a-half years of operation by putting together an event showcasing artists who have...
Okee dokee folks… Soon we should know whether this country is going to completely fall into fascism, erupt into civil war, or maintain democracy, as it should. A few weeks ago, Tom Morello presented the Power...
Swan Point Cemetery. Some of the eeriest places in RI are ready for you to check out, if you dare. As the first crisp, damp breaths of autumn begin to catch at the lungs and the trees...
Open: Rollers: A new sports bar has arrived in Providence as of June 12. Rollers hosts watch parties, serves a variety of diner-style food and drinks, and offers both private and semi-private party events. The spot...
1. Higher Education Facilities Bond Measure -- $275 million This bond would use $165 million to create an integrated health building at the URI campus, open to the public, which would also be used for labs...
For cover artist Mishki Thompson of Hopkinton, love helped her conquer a disability and embark on a journey of learning and practicing the art of beadworking, and passing on her Indigenous traditions to the next...
It’s 2003, Thursday afternoon, in a quiet little town called Eberndorf, in the deep south of Austria, surrounded by fields, trees, and medieval churches; 10-year-old me is in my parents’ living room, glued to the...
Photo by Cat Laine. The logistics, physical, and emotional demands of the production are mind-boggling – one actor spending 80 minutes morphing among 12 characters with unique accents and mannerisms while delivering lines almost non-stop and,...
Henry Nwaru in SAME DIFFERENCE at Wilbury Theatre Group. Photo by Erin X. Smithers. It’s 1993 in Providence. A gang leader from Harlem lands at his ex-girlfriend's apartment in the middle of the night — wounded,...
A reimagined production of the international, award-winning musical The Bodyguard will arrive at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), October 23 – 25, 2026, as part of the Theatre’s 2026/2027 *Encore Series. Based on the 1992...
All photos by Lillian MK Photo. RI Battle of the Bands had a smooth run this year, every performance dodging the monsoons that have plagued past iterations. The year started out with 16 highly accomplished, but...
Okee dokee folks… I mentioned this in my column a few months ago and now it is coming close to being (IS) a major issue. GASOLINE. Before the mango moron started his war of distraction...
We all know that women were the first to make beer, right? It was discovered by accident when grains were used to make other foods digestible. Dried grain was stored and used to make bread....
Haunted Attractions 1. Factory of Terror Terror experience for all ages, including a variety of imaginative themes and thorough design. 120 Pearl Street, Fall River, MA 774-415-0153 factoryofterror.com 2. Scary Acres Fall festivities with the main attraction - a three-part terror experience...
Cover artist Nilton Cárdenas of Cranston refuses to stand still. “I am constantly moving, and creating art,” he says in an interview at Sharks Peruvian Cuisine on Broad Street in Central Falls. And when he’s not...
Photos by the author. Magda León is more than a multidisciplinary artist; she is an immigrant woman who uses art to explore her identity, her roots, and her connection to community. When I asked her how...
Photo by Scott Lapham. For the Rhode Island artist, educator and muralist, creativity has become a way to open doors, strengthen community and help others discover possibilities within themselves. For Nilton Cárdenas, giving back does not begin...
Every Hispanic Heritage Month, we are given an opportunity to look back.We celebrate the pioneers who came before us, the traditions they preserved, the institutions they built, and the sacrifices they made so generations that...
Photo by Dave Cantelli. Ever rummaged through your spouse’s sweater drawer expecting to find argyles, yet instead stumbling across a secret fetish so utterly demented that it immediately sent you bolting toward a new life? Deftly...
Rachael Warren as Clare. Photo by Mark Turek. If there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, The Getaway Driver at Trinity Repertory Company is it. The world premiere of the two-person play...
Photo by Jesse Dufault. Hark, spectators of the realm! If thy soul doth hunger for a "reverent irreverence" turning a 77-seat black box into a roaring arena of wretched romance, get thee to the Burbage Theatre...
RI Music Hall of Fame plaque honoring Rudy Cheeks/The Fabulous Motels/The Young Adults. (Photo: Michael Bilow) Much has already been written on the passing Sep 18 at age 76 of Bruce McCrae, who used the stage name...
Over the last few weeks, as communities across New England witnessed a meteor shower and a rare aurora borealis, one more auspicious event was overhead – swarms of ants took flight – and covered the sky (as well as vehicles, porches, and sidewalks). While state agencies were alerted and complaints exploded on social media, the […]
We here at Motif have some sad news to report: The eight-legged arachnid who stood (crawled) careful guard over the patrons of Warwick Library has finally curled into her final resting place. Beezus passed away peacefully at the ripe age of 20 in her spacious cage. She enjoyed metaphorical romps in the park with her […]
When kids leave home, it is a significant transition not only for the ones who are going – but also for the ones left behind. Since I have seen several kids and grandkids head off to college or begin other adventures, I wanted to explore what It is like when someone who has been part […]
Writing is a deeply personal act. It’s not passive. At the same time, writing does not exist in a vacuum. Even fiction draws from shared experiences, pop culture, and literary influences. Long story short – no act of writing is completely original. I say this as a professional writer. While tough to admit – even […]
Bobby Forand: I never had a career path in mind. I guess I’ve never been all that organized. I didn’t plan ahead, even though I always told myself I should. This led to me haphazardly half-assing my way through whatever happened while hoping things would work out well enough or go away. I don’t suggest […]
The power of imagining depends upon something distinct from me. – Rene Descartes There is nothing more magic and beautiful than lines forming across paper. It’s all there is. It’s all there ever was. – Charles Bukowski In a small room, a woman sits at an even smaller desk. There is nothing except a bed, […]
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Rhode Island is part of a network of 125 OLLIs that span all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They exist because of the philanthropy of Bernard Osher; knowing a little bit about Osher provides a good basis for understanding the lifelong learning philosophy […]
Okee dokee folks … Before I do anything, I want to send a shout-out and a BIG THANK YOU to all who attended, performed at – and helped run the Rhode Island Folk Festival this year. I will just name a few here – Beth Barron, Allysen Callery, Anthony Loffredio, Jen Long, Dave Carney, Jaimie […]
I’m not old, but I’m also not young. I look 18 sometimes but feel 62. I’m 31. For half my life, I didn’t have a phone. I never thought I would need one. I grew up on a farm. We’d run through the swamps and fields and orchards. I don’t have proof because no photos […]
Students take on many different lenses. After I graduated, I found this to be true in life. Sitting in class, students can become consumed by questions: Does my professor like me? Does the person I sit next to enjoy my company? These intrusive thoughts, aimed at validating our identity, bleed beyond the classroom into interactions […]
