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Breaking Barriers: Providence’s pioneer in death influence
Photos by Jay Davani. Death Café. The name itself evokes a visceral response in each of us. From the moment we are born, we have a sense of what this unknowable event means, and as we grow, the...
View ArticleBloodsucking Friends: The other vampires of Rhode Island
On a frigid winter night in 1892, the villagers of Exeter exhumed the corpse of Mercy Brown. Her cheeks blushed, her lips still red – Mercy’s body was desecrated in the name of a centuries-old...
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Conscious Consumerism
The excitement of an endless array of deals around the holidays drives many of us, myself included, to go card-swiping crazy. The Kindle you were going to get your cousin for Christmas is 80% off on...
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Get Out of the House!: What’s worth leaving home for this time of year
Winter – when the sun is down by 4:30pm and most things, including my motivation, start to shrivel. Last year, after a bad bout of seasonal affective disorder, I came to terms with the fact that...
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12 Days of Christmas Specials
The best part of the holiday season is tradition. Many families plan activities year in and year out, which is something most people look forward to (minus the jaded teenagers). Holiday movies are a...
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How to Stay Cozy
I’ve been using a heating pad in the winter months for years. It doesn’t matter if my back is hurting or not. I’ve always found the warmth of the heating pad incredibly comforting, especially when...
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Hits, Crits, and Fails: What the $h!t, Hasbro?!
At the risk of never getting a cushy writing gig for Hasbro, what the actual sh**, Hasbro?! For those who didn’t hear, Hasbro laid off somewhere around a thousand people, almost all, if not all, of...
View ArticleMusings about Making New Friends as a Senior: Or, who wants to hang out with...
For the past 70 years, I projected that my golden years were a long way off. But was I wrong? Today, people drive past me yelling stuff like “Move over you old blankety-blank-blank!” And believe me,...
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Sanctified: Discovering self through movement
It’s 7 o’clock on a gloomy Monday morning and my alarm starts to sing its annoying Grammy snubbed tune called “Get your a$$ up.” Eye fortunately pressed its proverbial Kryptonite aka “the Snooze...
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Coffee with The Independent Man
Photo courtesy of the author. Taped 2:30 PM Wednesday, December 13, 2023. John Kotula (Motif): Excuse me, Independent Man… uh, I’m John Kotula. I brought you a latte. Independent Man: Well thank you....
View ArticleLearning to Fight Loneliness
It’s Friday night. I’m sitting on my couch watching every episode of The Office for the third time this year. I look at my cell phone – no calls, no texts. I look at my social media – no comments, no...
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Jailbreak Your Life: Tips for breaking free from your smartphone
Illustration by Gina Lerman. Does your mobile device have your attention gripped in a chokehold? Are you sputtering, attempting to breathe the air of the real world? Perhaps that’s why you picked up...
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Anti-Robot, Pro-People: Anti-Robot Club provides an opportunity for creatives...
Anti-Robot Club (ARC) is a community that is constantly looking to expand and provide new opportunities for creatives to display their talents and reach a wider audience. Their tagline states they are...
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Hits, Crits, and Fails: Sudden Loss
We live in very uncertain times, where a person who was always right there, laughing and cheering on your next dice roll is suddenly, painfully absent. Having characters die in a D&D game happens,...
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Black in Rhode Island Map: Points of interest for Black History Month and beyond
Find the corresponding numbered icons below for an approximate location of the place of interest to you. Historic SitesDetailsAddress1. Sissieretta Jones PlaqueHistorical plaque honoring the great...
View ArticleDate-tastrophy: The disastrous dates of an empath
Content warning: Includes discussion of sexual assault When it comes to dating, I hate meeting people in public. I’m that girl who reaches for my drink and accidentally flings it across the room,...
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A Primer on Desire
Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash If you’ve ever driven down Allens Avenue in Providence, you’ve probably noticed the sprawling parking lot and imposing cement walls of Club Desire Gentleman’s Club....
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Hits, Crits, and Fails: Digital vs. Tabletop
Of the questionable good things to come out of the pandemic was the meteoric rise of D&D as a way to connect with your friends and still have fun. Zoom calls and Discord allowed people to run and...
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Spring Planting Guide: Adapted from the URI Cooperative Extension’s Planting...
To start seeds indoors this spring, you will need small pots or containers filled with seed-starting mix or potting soil. With either soil, be sure to make sure the mix doesn’t become too saturated...
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Two Feet, Two Bucks*: Exploring scenic RI via bus
Photo from visitbarrington.com. Most of the bad things people say about RIPTA are true except when they say RIPTA is poorly managed or dangerous. For the money it spends, RI actually excels at putting...
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Two Feet, Two Bucks*: Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium
Map by Andy Nosal. Suppose your world shrank to only places you could walk to with the assistance of public transit. After despairing over this newfound limitation, you would eventually explore this...
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2023 Bartenders Ball
The event took place on Monday, July 10, 2023 at R1 Indoor Karting. first we’d like to say a bunch of thank yous to the people that made the night so wonderful: to our hosts, birthday girl Windsong...
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Rhythm & Roots: 26 years and still one of the best fests
Emmylou Harris Despite RI being the smallest state in the nation, do not be fooled. When it comes to a down-home Labor Day party, Rhode Islanders definitely know how to party. With tickets selling...
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PPAC’s Cool Summer Nights
Yachtley Crew (Photo courtesy of the band) Beach tunes, island music, yacht rock — whatever you call it, there’s a unique sound to summertime music. This summer, there’s no need to leave the city to...
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Storied Newport Jazz Fest Thrives in the City by the Bay
Sun Ra Arkestra (Photo by Ben Houdijk) Many things have changed during the 70 years since the Newport Jazz Festival began. The great grandfather of outdoor festivals first happened on July 17, 1954 at...
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Roots Report
Rhythm and Roots Festival. (Photo: Seth Jacobson) Okee dokee folks…’tis the season once again. The season of heat and oppressive humidity. I know that most of you folks out there like it, but not me....
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Summer Suds with Views
Outdoor dining at The Beach House courtesy of the eatery. I am usually advising you on what beers to drink, aren’t I? Now, I am advising you on where to go to enjoy one. There are a lot of local spots...
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Is New England Ready to Beat the Heat?: The past, present, and future of AC...
Photo by Jason Eppink. In April 2024, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their temperature predictions for this coming summer. Currently, there is a 50-60% chance that...
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Strutting in the Sun: Summer fashion in Rhode Island
Ahh yes, summer in Rhode Island. Providence, specifically. The city that is home to Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design is unsurprisingly a fashionable one. The feeling of art and...
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Why Leave?: Stay local and tour RI
Narragansett Beach Everything has become way too expensive lately, including travel. Beside the cost, airports are a hassle and the potential of flight cancellations or getting stuck at an airport...
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Save the Bay: Dive into protecting Narragansett Bay
Eelgrass, the primary seagrass found in Narragansett Bay. (Photo courtesy of Save the Bay) I am the type of person who is constantly looking for an adventure. So, in the summer of 2022, I decided to...
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Two Feet, Two Bucks: Summer fun by bus
Suppose your world shrank to only places you could walk to with the assistance of public transit. After despairing over this newfound limitation, you would eventually explore this contained world and...
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Peace and Plenty of It
Tucked inland and surrounded by the city of Providence, the Peace and Plenty Community Garden lives up to its name. While it is a sanctuary for the peace-seekers, it is also a pollinator corridor that...
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Ocean State of the Arts: Art communities past, present, and future in East...
Dinner Table (detail), by Jungil Hong. (Photo: Gina Lerman) On a gloomy Sunday in late May, lovers of art had not just one – but two – reasons to leave their cozy homes and head to East Providence....
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Summer Happenings
Waterfire (Illustration: Sophie Foulkes) WATERFIRE Various Dates Apr – NovA fixture of Rhode Island summers, WaterFire presents a series of lightings in downtown PVD along the Providence River. For...
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Two Feet, Two Bucks: Miles and miles of beach to walk in northern Portsmouth
Suppose your world shrank to only places you could walk to with the assistance of public transit. After despairing over this newfound limitation, you would eventually explore this contained world and...
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Dog Days of Summer
As summer quickly approaches, excitement grows: beach and adventure weather is upon us, and the good vibes brought along with the sun are soon to be in full swing. Humans are not the only group...
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Two Feet, Two Bucks: Melville Park
So far, Two Feet, Two Bucks has introduced a very accessible Audubon wildlife sanctuary, as well as a walk through a park to a lifeguarded beach and miles of adventure along bay shores. Yet, we have...
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Cape Verdean History: The 49th Annual Cape Verdean Independence Festival
Rhode Island is home to one of the largest populations of Cape Verdean Americans in the country. An estimated 18,000 Cape Verdeans call the Ocean State home, a population second only to Massachusetts,...
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ROMANCE IN RI: A Review of Riss M. Nelson’s A Love Like the Sun
The debut adult romance novel A Love Like the Sun, by Providence writer Riss M. Nelson, is the quintessential social media love story. Released on June 11, the novel deals with relationships in the...
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Two Feet, Two Bucks: Pawtuxet Village
Next time a visitor to Providence with less than a day to spare wants to see as much as they can of Rhode Island in one little outof-town trip, send them on this Two Feet Two Bucks excursion to...
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Modern Watering Holes: The Herds at Open Mics, Part 2
Hello everyone, I’m David Attleborough, and welcome to Modern Watering Holes. A column where, each week, we explore the culture, habits, and environment of the various herds of people that gather in...
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Two Feet, Two Bucks: Just take me to the beach, Uncle RIPTA!
Two Feet Two Bucks loves places where a scenic walk from the bus stop is a feature, not a bug, and takes pride in field-checking every excursion before publishing. But in hot weather the question is...
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A Beautiful Noise Live at Providence Performing Arts Center
Okee dokee folks … I am VERY tempted to start off my review with the refrain, “So Good, So Good,” heard many times throughout the jukebox musical, A Beautiful Noise, but I am not that corny, or am I?...
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Two Feet, Two Bucks: Osamequin Nature Preserve/ Walker Farm kayaks
City dwellers with occasional need for a convenient-yet-genuine dose of nature take note: Nineteen minutes from Fox Point, door-to-door, RIPTA #60 brings you to Osamequin Nature Preserve, 42 acres of...
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2 Feet, 2 Bucks: Take me to fall foliage, uncle RIPTA
Gazing at trees as they change color is a mainstay of New England sightseeing for residents and visitors. Few of us need to go far from home to enjoy the season. It’s impossible to list all the places...
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Creating an Understanding of the Richness and Diversity of Aging
For years, media managers have clung to the erroneous notion that advertising sales are primarily driven by millennials, holding the mistaken belief that older consumers on fixed incomes are less...
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Two Feet, Two Bucks: Colt State Park and environs
There’s nothing hidden about the gem that is Colt State Park – or is there? Thousands enjoy spectacular vistas through their windshields, attend picnics, fly kites, fish, or just relax overlooking the...
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It Pays to Walk
It may seem that walking is merely obsolete transportation, superseded by faster, drier, effortless means. But never indulging in a good walk may be a fate more sad than never knowing the joy of a...
View ArticleThe Power of Clothing
As a self-proclaimed fashionista, I can confirm that not many things on this planet beat the feeling you get when you construct a killer outfit. Putting on an outfit that you feel confident and...
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