Between Worlds with Sheila Isham: Resurrecting the American abstract expressionist at the Newport Art Museum

Isham, Sheila. Teth (#8 Creation Series). 1972. Acrylic spray on canvas. Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI. (Image courtesy of the Newport Art Museum.) Quite some time ago, I read a quip that the art of diplomacy...

Rhode's Clothes — Part 3: A Strut Down Memory Lane

As an international student a year into Rhode Island, yet still only a breath into America, I finally found a question that I might be able to answer – this is my continued exploration of: What...

Discover Providence's Hidden Gem: Siren Spirits in Olneyville

Tucked inside the historic Harrison Steam Complex in Providence's Olneyville neighborhood, Siren Spirits is redefining what a visit to a distillery can be. Equal parts neighborhood gathering place, cocktail destination, and craft spirits experience, this...

Crank Up The Music -- It Makes Me Hoppy

Music makes beer taste better? In 2016, Vrije University in Brussels, Belgium, conducted a study that showed scientific evidence that music has an impact on our taste of beer. This study concluded that lower audible...

Roots Report

Cold Chocolate. Okee dokee folks… Well, summer is here and for me, summer is HELL! A few years back I wrote a song about my disdain of Summer for the Empire Revue’s “Cool” show. Here are...

Small Habits That Can Lead to Big Financial Rewards

America, the focus of this issue, runs on wealth. So here’s how to get yourself some. It’s the perfect opportunity to launch a new column aimed at helping non-one-percenters with financial matters. Feel free to...

Liberty Trees Map

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Corralled at the Blood Farm: The rise of the uniquely American plasma industry

“Foreigner.” I find it a harsh word that I hate seeing applied to others. Yet applied to myself, it’s the only word that half conveys how baffling I find this country at times. I’d like...

On the Cover: William Schaff

In his final year at college, cover artist William Schaff truly learned what it was like to work in a studio. “I developed a course of study in general fine arts with one of my...

Next to Normal at Trinity Rep: Intensity shines

Rachael Warren as Diana. Photo by Mark Turek. The Next to Normal audience is exposed to waves of raw emotions drowning your soul and dampening your eyes. You may wish you had premedicated with any of...

Spoken Award Winner Writeups

Blaq Sav. Photos by Lillian MK Photography. Favorite Free Verse Spoken Word 2026 Ashley Hosa Sending out a big congrats to Ashley Hosa, who came to the Spoken Awards with a multitude of wonderful supporters (shoutout to Ryan!)....

Obituary: Julian Forgue

The founder of the long-standing hipster-ish West Side restaurant Julians hadn’t been involved directly with the restaurant in quite some time. But his legacy persisted. A larger-than-life personality, you never knew at what event Julian...

Obituary: Lisa Gourley

Renowned supporter of local music and arts Lisa Gourley (Sometimes Lisa Gourleyx) passed away on June 15. Reading reactions on social media, you can’t help but notice how often the words “nice,” “kind,” and “photography”...

Summer Solstice

This beautiful Solstice moment, June 21, 2026 brings the winds of change into our lives. The pivotal points among the planetary movers and shakers of the Zodiac find Gemini, with Uranus and Ceres, reaching across...

2026 Tattoo Awards Photos

By Olivia Lunger By Lillian MK Photography ...

2026 Tattoo Awards Winners

Favorite Color Tattoo Evan Olin, Powerline Tattoo Runner-up: Luis Bold, Unicorn Ink Favorite Black & Gray Ryan Dowden, Dark Ritual Runner-up: Luis Bold, Unicorn Ink Favorite Black & Gray with Color Steven McDonough, Secret Safe Tattoo Runner-up: Rachel WS, Rachel WS Fine Art...

2026 Spoken Awards Photos

By Lillian MK Photography By Olivia Lunger ...

Spoken Award Winners 2026

Photo by Lillian MK Photography. Favorite Free Verse Spoken Word Ashley HosaRunner-up: Jeff Daniellian Favorite Social Justice Spoken Word Erik AndradeRunner-up: Mx Asher Favorite Youth Poet Angel CruzRunner-up: (by one vote) Josselyn Wolf Favorite Poetry Event Apothica's Monthly Poetry NightRunner-up: Afroverse Favorite...

SUMMER THEATER PREVIEW: There’s no shortage of summertime fare at R.I. community theaters and professional playhouses 

Congratulations, you survived the record-breaking Blizzard of 2026. With the anticipated arrival of clear skies and warm temps, how will you be spending your well-earned, much-needed downtime this summer? If you’re adventurous, you could explore some of...

Godzilla: 70 Years of Fame, Misunderstandings, & Property Damage

Artwork by Bob Eggleton. Godzilla has been a cinematic icon for over 70 years. However, there are important themes around the monster that have gotten lost with international audiences. There is no gigantic monster that has had...

Summer Fun Map

Tie-dye by Spun Laundry. BEACHES Atlantic Beach Park: Family beach, amusements, kiddy rides, snack bars, antique 1915 carousel, batting cages, bumper boats, go-carts, mini golf, game room, waterslides, gift shop, beachware and an ocean-view cocktail lounge. 321...

OEight at Track 15

Photos by Lillian Karboski. Every time you listen to a song, there is always something more than the words or catchy melody. On Friday, May 1, right in the heart of downtown Providence, an extraordinary group...

Roots Report

Okee dokee folks… Rising costs of everything is what’s on my mind this month. It really should be on everyone’s mind. The main things I will talk about here are gasoline and concert tickets. One...

Wild Rock Dove: The new Ravi Shavi record and its want to “Misbehave”

Photo: Christopher Mongeau. Ravi Shavi, a band that has been around since 2011 and started as a moniker for Rafay Rashid’s music project, has evolved and become more rooted in its creative approach and performance, as...

Why ask Can You Go Home?

“Can I go to X?” is the question 2 Feet 2 Bucks has answered with “Yes” dozens of times, where X = place worth going out of your way to, to take a walk, short...

“Our Weapons Are Cameras”: A Conversation With a RI Deportation Defense Line Organizer

We sat down a few months ago with one of the organizers of RI’s Deportation Defense Line. The Defense Line’s origins are organic and multifaceted. No one person is in charge of it. No one...

2026 Music Award Winner Writeups

Artist of the Year: Favorite Song: Favorite Music Video: NOVA ONE; "chlorine" by NOVA ONE; "chlorine" - NOVA ONE (Dir. Frankie Ferrari)  nova one: “nova won!” Providence’s own nova one won (!!) four 2026 Motif Music Awards: “artist...

The Wait Is Over … Disney’s The Lion King returns to the Providence Performing Arts Center 

Photo by Matthew Murphy. The North American tour of Disney’s The Lion King last played the Providence Performing Arts Center in 2017. After nearly ten years, The Lion King is back astounding Providence for a limited...

MEASURE FOR MEASURE: What Would You Wouldn’t Do?

“Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). This is the core theme behind William Shakespeare's darkest comedy, Measure for Measure, one of Shakespeare’s most exciting, underperformed and underappreciated plays, currently presented by Burbage...

Town Hall Unites Community: Everyone hates an AI data center

Smithfield, RI: A town known for its forests, trails, ponds, and well, wealth. An unlikely location for a potential AI-Data Center, one may think. Yet, this rural community, despite data center construction being illegal under...

Stuff to Do


Haunted Happenings: 2025 Halloween Events in Providence

Are you already listening to All Too Well Taylor’s Version (or perhaps having a Taylor album marathon) in preparation for The Life of a Showgirl? Wearing your cozy knit cardigans and red scarves, even though it’s blistering hot weather outside that’s hardly suitable for this fall season? Are you counting down the days ‘till the […]

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The Rhode Island Artist Community Helps Two Local Youth Organizations Raise Their Voices!

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in August, Nick-a-Nees hosted the parking lot show dubbed, “Raise A Voice!” This community fundraiser for Youth Pride, Inc. (YPI), and New Urban Arts (NUA), featured the Papermoon Jazz Band, Mark Cutler, Pip and Paul, High Planes, The Whelks, Steve Donovan, Gary Cummings, Bob Mac and Austin Andrews, and the […]

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A Night You’d Die to Forget: A new dinner experience 

Dining with the Dead is an interactive dinner at The Tavern on Main. It gives people the chance to explore the supernatural in one of the most haunted buildings in the region, with two experienced investigators, while enjoying a good meal. Thomas D’Agostino and Arlene Nicholson have been hosting the event since 2007. Before that, […]

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ATTACK OF THE PIPE CLEANER CREATURES!: Pawtucket teen uses chenille stems to make monsters

For teenager Elliot Langston of Pawtucket, using pipe cleaners to craft characters from monster movies, games, and anime is painstaking work – in both definitions of the term. The 15-year-old spends hours fashioning figures that are as detailed as they are accurate. But working with these implements can be painful.  “The metal will poke you […]

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Monsters, Magic, and Memory: Inside Errick Nunnally’s preternatural world

There used to be an old, elevated train system in Boston, spanning from the Roxbury area to downtown. Dark and dirty, it wasn’t exactly glamorous, but beneath it sat a storefront displaying boxes of cheap books. It was here that you could find a young Errick Nunnally rifling through boxes of torn-cover books being sold […]

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Providence’s Evil Eye: One author’s mission to revive Edgar Allen Poe

“Almighty God!-no,no! They heard!-they suspected!-they knew!-they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die!-and now-again!-hark!  Louder!  Louder! Louder! LOUDER!” “Villains!”  […]

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