Poetry
What a pleasure and an honor to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, alongside community treasure Marta Martinez, in this issue of Motif magazine. Poetry is an integral part of any truly […]
The Impossibility of Satire: Trump-world is an inherent self-parody
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,...
MOTIF’S 2026 RI SPOKEN AWARDS
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. Want to see your favorite Rhode Island...
Music Awards 2026 Photos
By Lillian MK Photography By Olivia Lunger By Izzy Cooke ...
Motif's 2026 RI Music Awards Winners
The Music Awards went off without a hitch this year, and over the course of the evening more than 400 local music lovers dropped by to dance, listen, and cheer on fellow musicians. We'll have...
Ferns & Fiddleheads: The unfolding of Isa and Tess
It’s often said (well, I definitely say this), that some of the deepest conversations and connected moments can happen while one is sitting in a car. This is certainly true for the duo, band, sisterhood...
Civil War Re-Enactors Commemorate, Well…: We’re not exactly sure what
Image: Olivia Lunger. Local Civil War re-enactor Bill Sherman was having trouble recruiting young people into the hobby, so he hit on a novel idea that is perfectly suited to Gen Z. He immediately telephoned his...
Historic origins of A. Fool's Day
The Continental Congress, befooled. April Fool’s Day originated among the French a few years into the Revolutionary War. Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin had been pleading with them for any sort of assistance. The brand...
THE NEW RI BREWERY PASSPORT: What you want to know
If you have been a craft beer lover over this past decade, you may remember when the first Rhode Island Brewery Passport was released. It was changed to an app in 2020. Six years later,...
No Kings Rallies Mar 28: Find one near you
No Kings 3, Mar 28, 2026 No Kings – nokings.org – is a non-violent protest movement responding to the monarchy-like concentration of power in the hands of the president, to the exclusion of Congress and the...
Time to Boogie: Chalumeau Rocks The Parlour
After attending Chalumeau’s release party for their album BLUE at The Met in Pawtucket last August, I wrote that if you ever got the chance to see them perform live, you should jump on it....
“Fin”: CWTheaters in Lincoln Closed After 20 Years
On February 28, after 20 years of being a community staple for first dates, Super Tuesday regulars, and movie fanatics alike, CWTheaters (previously called CinemaWorld) was forced to shut its doors for good. The decline...
BTS with DMK: A conversation with Josh Kirk of HIP CAT
Last year, I had a blast and a half working on a fun commercial shoot. I landed the gig because the fella producing, Josh Kirk, asked around to find an actor to portray the client’s...
"baby" on the way
Photo: Jenn Lombari. @jennlombariphotography ssa lin has been making a local splash like a rockin’ rainstorm after a record-setting blizzard, since releasing her first single, “tallboys,” at the end of 2025. The feedback has been good,...
Stop, Rock and Roll: April 2026
Here are some hot new local tracks to finish melting the ice. The Hopeless Romantics – “Quiet Kind” The third and final single from The Hopeless Romantics’ upcoming debut album, “Quiet Kind” is also a reworked...
Roots Report
Okee dokee folks… PLEASE stop using AI. The more it knows, the more it grows. We are feeding a beast that will someday destroy us. AI is not your friend, though it may pretend to...
Map: Local Dispensaries
Graphic by Olivia Lunger. ...
The High Hiker's Guide to RI
Hey idiot, why are you and your friends getting high indoors? Don't you know? We have a planet, a whole, big planet filled with trees, rivers, and critters. The outside world doesn't have to start...
MEDICAL OR RECREATIONAL?
Medical marijuana was legalized in Rhode Island in January 2006, and by May 2022 even recreational sales became legal through state-licensed dispensaries and authorized retailers. Yet it still isn’t safe for medical users to come out of the closet....
ON THE COVER: Elliott Italiano
Cover artist Elliott Italiano of Jamestown is a self-made glass artist. As a young adult, Italiano's interests centered on fashion, inspiring thoughts of pursuing a degree in luxury marketing and design. He relates to his past...
News Analysis — What, Me Warry?: Iran is a long-lasting asymmetric fight with those who desire death
MAD Magazine cover, Feb 2016: Donald Trump and Alfred E. Neuman We fought a military war; our opponents fought a political one. We sought physical attrition; our opponents aimed for our psychological exhaustion. In the process...
ON THE COVER: Mina Miki
Cover artist Mina Miki of Providence calls her baby blanket her longest friend. “His name is Blankie, but now he looks less like a blanket and more like a piece of tangled silk,” she says....
ecoRI News Roundup
McKee’s Budget Includes Rollbacks for State’s Renewable Energy Programs PROVIDENCE — Five years after lawmakers passed the state’s first firm climate mandates, the historic Act on Climate law is in danger of getting rolled back by...
Bridge Over Troubled Maintenance: The sudden closure of the Washington Bridge has caused immense damage for local businesses. However, a few have managed to profit.
The closure of the westbound section of the Washington Bridge that occurred in December of 2023 has inspired major grievances within the greater Providence metropolitan area. Traffic within the city limits has become unbearable, especially...
American Horror Story
Graphic by Eric Barao When the US Congress allowed the Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire on Dec. 31, 2025, they created a health insurance crisis that could have inspired a plot line for “American Horror...
Melt ICE: Ways to Join the Fight Against ICE
On January 30, 2026, an estimated 5,000 Rhode Islanders – including students and numerous local businesses – participated in a historic, nationwide strike in an effort to get the tyranny of Immigration and Customs Enforcement...
Roots Report
Okee dokee folks… “Art is fucking political. Always has been, always will be.” I looked for a source to attribute this to but there doesn’t seem to be a definitive person who said it. Doesn’t...
Lighting Isakov: Illuminating the music of Gregory Alan Isakov and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra
Gregory Alan Isakov and band, with support from the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra at PPAC on Thursday, January 29, 2026. Photo by Gregory Alan Isakov’s tour photographer, Kenzi Everitt, @kenzieveritt. As the house lights dimmed on...
BTS with DMK: The Kinnane Brothers
From left to right: Brendan, Charles, Peter, Wil, John, Daniel, Patrick Kinnane, and Jeffrey Azize. I am a hopeful romantic and a huge fan of romcoms. The films often have a woman in the lead navigating...
The Future of Flowers: A Garden of Paradise, Printed
I’ve never known much about growing flowers. The few gardens I’ve started in my life ended all too unceremoniously, in death. And I’ve never known much about 3-D printing, either. In fact, probably attributed to...
Blizzard Shatters All-Time Snowfall Record with 37.9 Inches at TF Green Airport: Surpasses Blizzard of 1978
Snow accumulation at TF Green Airport reached 37.9 inches, shattering the all-time record of 28.6 inches set during the legendary Blizzard of 1978. 07:01 pm EST - 2/23/2026TF Green AP, RI37.903:10 pm EST - 2/23/20261 SE...
Stuff to Do
The Court: Art in Play
September 24, 2025 - April 26, 2026The Flower, The Labor, and The Sea
September 27, 2025 - June 28, 2026
To Write a Poem: Poetry
To write a poem, they say, you must seek a beautiful moment, at least one a day, so I walk into some parking lot landscaping & hug a Japanese Maple—force […]
First Mercy and They Open Their Arms: Poetry
First Mercy I am holding in my hand an invisible poem. I can’t read it. I don’t know what it says. I want to make it visible. Want to […]
Meso-American Time Keeping
Strolling through The Find on 6 in Johnston, I came across a beautifully, intricately carved, circular, wooden plaque. It stared at me as I was staring at it, intrigued by […]
Extraordinary Rendition: Poetry
for Philip Levine When the CIA said, An extraordinary renditionhas been performed, I knew Lester Youngblowing his saxophone in that way he didwhen Billie Holiday was a few feet awaysmoking, singing “I […]
Ask a Witch October Forecast: Richness in her simplest forms
The Ten of Stones and the Father of Stones are our messengers for the month of October. Both of these cards speak to material wealth, whether it shows up as […]
From Letters to Lyrics: Kufa Castro finds home and builds community in RI’s Hispanic music scene
I had the pleasure of sitting down to meet with Leandro “Kufa” Castro at El Eden restaurant on Broad Street in PVD’s West End, where the aromas of hearty Dominican […]
Roots Report
Okee dokee folks… Oftentimes I receive press releases about an artist/band that I have never heard of. I click the links that lead me to websites and social media pages. […]
In Defense of Ogie’s: Why Providence needs places like this
Every city has that one neighborhood spot that feels like a little oasis — the place you can wander into and instantly run into friends, grab an affordable drink, and […]
Food truck award winners
Asian Influenced Cuisine Ming’s Asian Food Truck Italian Influenced Cuisine Bird’s Nest Italian Street Food Latin Influenced Cuisine Cultro BBQ South County Barbeque Burger / Slider Griddle Me This Sandwich […]