By Lillian MK Photography By Olivia Lunger ...
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...
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,...
A few months ago, cover artist Grechel Rosado of Providence felt like she was burning out. Creating a piece of art every month, while juggling a full-time job, was becoming hard to sustain. Then, she came across The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. “The book shows how to build a relationship with creativity,” Rosado explains, […]
Tuesday April 15th6 – 10pmMyrtle, East PVD For the third time in a row, this April the Spoken Awards return with categories embracing storytelling, poetry, spoken word, and stand-up comedy. The names below were nominated by local organizations and people who book performers in these various disciplines around Rhode Island. The live celebration, including performances […]
Attleboro Community Theatre (ACT) presents The People vs. Frankenstein by Nicola Cuti and Kevin M. Glover. Things aren’t always what they seem, and the truth is about to be put on trial. The legendary creature stands accused, but is he truly a monster, or a victim of fear and misunderstanding? As the courtroom drama unfolds, […]
So here we are again people, inexplicably at the beginning of yet another Trump presidency. I hoped we wouldn’t have to endure another four years of the deranged and inexplicable, but these are the cards we’ve been dealt. Good is bad, bad is good, and no one knows which way up or down is anymore. […]
I wasn’t 21 yet, but somehow my friends and I snuck into Foxwoods to hit the casino. Shocked they let us in without checking IDs, we laughed for a bit before taking everything in. One 21-year-old friend started gambling with his alcohol intake, putting some chips into a bucket and walking near a slot machine […]
Cindy Holt, an EAS certified Master Beekeeper has always been a fan of insects. A large part of her childhood was spent checking flowers and under rocks, in hopes of finding a creature. She considered getting a degree in Entomology, but focused on raising a family. An advertisement for an annual class taught by the […]
When I tuned into the energy of this month and began pulling cards, I started to feel a playful lightness swirling around my chest, throat, and third eye. There’s a heavy anchoring that tends to happen in winter, a grounding that can be both nourishing and hard as we ready ourselves to survive another dark […]
Redefining the standards of modern theater, the highly acclaimed & Juliet is presented by the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) for a limited time. Deliberately altering the fate in one of the best works in history, Director Luke Sheppard has masterfully outdone himself with this remade narration of Juliet’s life had she chosen a different path from […]
I met Michelle Perez downtown for coffee at Bolt. I was looking forward to getting together because I had been poking around her website and discovered that she is an amazing artist. Imagine my delight when our time over coffee ended up being just as charming as looking at online images of her work in […]
The seas are wicked now like the thoughts in a crazy man’s mind. Soon the baby will sleep again so soft and innocent. In time the little one will grow, and learn to be furious at the ways of the world. But with maturity life will calm again. The child is simple and very impressionable. […]
