Photo by Lillian Karboski. 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 Producer...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
This is the story of visiting Providence’s newest Rotisserie and Bistro, Thermia, and being so intrigued by its menu and feeling so welcomed by the staff, that I went twice in one week! To give...
Check out extensive listings for every show we could find this season. But some are bigger or just fundamentally represent summer in our eclectic, hyperactive, tiny-yet-overachieving state. Here’s a selection of special events to keep...
“Industry wants us to believe the sky will fall if there’s reform," said Council President Rachel Miller. "But for working families, the sky is already falling..." Council President Rachel Miller (Ward 13) “In front of you is...
The eggplant piece featured on the cover of Motif is the first completed work in Chenlu Hou’s Garden series, making it a perfect fit for this issue’s theme of Summer. A low-fire terracotta sculpture, airbrushed and...
[See prior update: motifri.com/iran-war-update-01] The Iran war cannot continue as it is for much longer, and this is a result of simple math. Time is running out for energy and food supply US Consumer Price Index for All...
Voting is now closed -- Join us to see who was selected Wednesday, May 276 – 10pmMyrtle, East Providence Join us for the 4th annual Motif Spoken Awards! We are excited to be returning to Myrtle to celebrate RI’s spoken word...
Ann Morrison and Marcus Phillips in the National Tour of KIMBERLY AKIMBO. Photo by Joan Marcus KIMBERLY AKIMBO is a musical with a lot of heart, a lot of wit, and a lot of rave reviews...
Processed with VSCO with 6 preset When Steve DelMonico (vocals/guitar) approached John Faraone (drums) with an impossibly unique band name, there was no way of knowing that 10 years later they’d be sitting at Nolan’s with...
Photo: Dave Rezendes. John Faraone: a man of many bands, many instruments, and one poetic voice. While John wouldn’t call himself a poet, I certainly believe that his lyrics are simply stanzas waiting to be printed....
Photo by James Brooks. Okee dokee folks… I have referenced the Jethro Tull song, “Too Old to Rock & Roll, Too Young to Die,” A few times in my 22 years of writing for Motif, and...
(Photo credit: Keith J.G. McCurdy, from the cover art of Vudu Sister’s Adynata; photograph of the art installation LO SGUARDO - Humanitas - Physis by sculptor Igor Mitoraj at the Neopolis Archaeological Park of Siracusa...
Mount Pleasant. Elmhurst. The Valley Arts District. These are all neighborhoods whose offerings I thought I knew well, having worked in and around Providence over the last few years. But you can certainly miss a...
Buddy Mott. Once upon a time, if you wanted a tattoo, one of the things you could do was traipse to Newport from any of the four corners of the world and get yourself a tattoo...
The actual declaration of Independence was first proclaimed to the people of Newport from this building in July 1776. (Photo by Maureen O'Gorman) It doesn't take long for a person new to Rhode Island to find...
The RI Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced a major initiative to repair potholes caused by a harsh winter. A new Pothole Service Requests Dashboard site on the web – https://www.dot.ri.gov/travel/potholes.php – allows the public to...
The tattoo artist who goes by Mish, of Fall River, MA, created this month’s cover. “I got the nickname when I was younger, and it just kinda stuck,” she says. Also, it stirs a little...
On the “Weekend Update” satirical news segment on Saturday Night Live. anchor Colin Jost displayed a snapshot of an unhinged rant laced with profanity in the form of a Donald Trump post to Truth Social,...
VOTING OPEN NOW! VOTE HERE Wednesday, May 276 - 10pmMyrtle, East Providence Join us for the 4th annual Motif Spoken Awards! We are excited to be returning to Myrtle to celebrate RI’s spoken word community. The live celebration,...
Okee dokee folks… It’s that time of year once again when the robins return and the buds start appearing on the trees. It’s also when the spectacle of Shen Yun holds its annual performances at The Providence Performing Arts Center. Now I am not here to talk about the Shen Yun show, and I am […]
Rhode Island’s first dispensary and Providence’s only one celebrates a rebrand inspired by local heritage, community values, and a deep commitment to patient care. PROVIDENCE, RI – Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center, Rhode Island’s first cannabis dispensary, proudly unveils its rebrand, reflecting its deep roots in the state’s history and its vision for the future. […]
Want to know what’s better than watching a movie while high? Reading a book. Not really, but let’s pretend. Whether you’re looking to get a little trippy by diving into a strange world, immerse yourself in something thought-provoking, or let memories of a “simpler time” (did that ever exist?) wash over you, here are some […]
Outside the walls of Fête Music Hall in Pawtucket, it was a rainy, brutal, Monday night. Yet, nice and safe within its doors, over 400 artists and music enthusiasts meandered about, waiting for the start the 2025 RI Music Awards, presented by Motif. On March 24 from 6:30 to 10pm, the cavernous Fête Music Hall […]
For the cannabis cover, East Providence skateboard artist Jeff Wheeler used bright, neon colors. “I wanted a black light poster, something people look at when they’re stoned,” he says. Taking center stage in the illustration is the quahog, our Ocean State’s official shellfish. The hard-shelled clam takes a toke and a nearby frog and squirrel […]
The national tour of SOME LIKE IT HOT is coming to the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) in less than two weeks! Performances start on Tuesday, April 22 and continue through Sunday, April 27, 2025. SOME LIKE IT HOT is based on the 1959 film starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The original […]
Chem De La Wilson (Sativa Dominant Hybrid) Grower: Mammoth Purchased from: Mother Earth Wellness Genetics: Wilson × Chem De La Chem Method: Live Rosin Concentrate: Dabbed using PuffCo Peak Pro. Flower: Vaporized using Storz & Bickel MIGHTY+ Smell: Like an explosion in a 3-Michelin-star kitchen. Fermented melon, sour lemon-lime, frozen bananas, and a hint of… […]
Jeff Church was born to play Hamlet. As lead in a retelling of the Shakesperean tragedy at Gamm Theatre, Church is physically and emotionally nimble, leaping and swashbuckling about the three-tiered stage to deliver iconic lines – “To be or not to be,” “To thine own self be true,” “To die, to sleep, perchance to […]
The Arctic Playhouse presents “Picnic” by William Inge and directed by Karen Besson. In 1953, when the play premiered on Broadway, Picnic won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. Picnic explores themes of love, family, sexuality, repression, rites of passage, disappointment, and the complexities of human […]
The Community Players proudly present Merrily We Roll Along. The production follows three friends— Frank, Charley, and Mary— in reverse chronology, from the 1970s to the 1950s. In 1976, Franklin Shepard is a wealthy Hollywood producer, and as the story moves backwards in time the audience learns of his meteoric rise from penniless dreamer to […]
