House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman by Marion Orr

by Diane Josefowicz

For someone who was, by all accounts, quiet and reserved, Charles Coles Diggs, Jr. — Michigan’s first Black member of Congress, founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, and icon of the Civil Rights era — lived a remarkably dramatic life of stratospheric highs followed by [...]

Something For Everyone Over The Holidays

by Margaret Rizzuto

Holiday meals have become a little more complex and that’s before we even get to the seating arrangements! You might have a vegan daughter, a gluten-free sister-in-law, or a friend who’s “mostly plant-based but eats fish sometimes.” Before you panic about what to serve, let’s [...]

ProvPort Community Benefits Fund Distribution Remains in Contention Almost Three Years Since Inception

by Eric Halvarson

Three years after a city tax agreement dedicated at least $120,000 annually to a community benefits fund for projects in South Providence and Washington Park, residents are struggling to follow the money. Neighborhoods near the Port of Providence are calling for a more transparent and [...]

Finding His Voice: The Creative Journey of Hugo Pierre Martin

by Judith Clinton

Rhode Island is home to a wealth of talented actors, including French–American actor and bilingual voiceover artist Hugo Pierre Martin, newly transplanted by way of California. Before starting a new creative pursuit in Providence—namely, his audio series The Diaries of Netovivius the Vampire — he has [...]

Four Providence Churches Launch Audacious Plan to Combat Homelessness by Providing Winter Warming Centers

by Steve Ahlquist

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on Steve Ahlquist’s Substack on November 06. Reprinted with permission. November 8, 2022: A corrections, with apologies: The Housing Department wanted to clarify that these churches are operating “warming centers,” not “warming shelters.” The difference is both semantic and legal. [...]

Pre-Kindergarten Lottery Fails to Meet Need in Providence

by Andrea Gutierrez

It’s two months into the school year and Dina Quezada’s 4-year–old daughter is finally getting used to waking up an hour earlier. She knows many of the children in her class and is familiar with the routines from last year, when she was a 3-year–old [...]

PiANTA: Where Plants Steal the Show

by Margaret Rizzuto

As someone who’s been a vegetarian for decades, I’ve had my fair share of plant-based meals, some okay, some very good even. But every so often, a restaurant reminds me that vegetables can absolutely steal the show. That’s what happened at PiANTA, a vegan restaurant [...]

Providence’s New Urban Trail Section Will Connect Washington Secondary, Woonasquatucket Paths

by Eric Halvarson

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published by ecoRI. Republished with permission. Highway traffic flows just below the new shared-use paths built in Federal Hill between Tobey and Waverly streets. Cyclists and pedestrians are enjoying their new separate lane, but should they be concerned about the [...]

ProvPort Master Planning Continues with Port Sustainability Fund Primed to Support Environmental Projects

by Eric Halvarson

At the end of this year Providence will begin distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to sustainability projects in South Providence neighborhoods afflicted by the contamination by industrial facilities in the Port of Providence. Community groups are hopeful the funds will support their fight against [...]

Now Go: The Insistent Story of “Little Neck” by Darcie Dennigan

by Diane Josefowicz

Little Neck by Providence’s Darcie Dennigan is the book that Gertrude Stein would have written, if only she’d had a side hustle in death. Told in spooky retrospect by a knowing teen who works at a gravestone-cutting shop, the novel begins with a four-sentence revelation [...]