No Shortcuts: ‘Ways Home: Stories’ by Karen Lee Boren

by Diane Josefowicz

Speaking with The Alembic after the publication of her first book, Girls in Peril (2006), the Providence writer Karen Lee Boren described adolescence “as a time when young people, often unwillingly, must recognize their separateness as individuals despite their intense connections to their friends.” In [...]

Home Is Where the Art Is: Go ‘Head, Fix You a Plate at AS220

by Carole Saltz

In the exhibition GO ‘HEAD, FIX YOU A PLATE, Jazzmen Lee-Johnson echoes and extends [the] concept [of home] by conjuring a spiritual geography…that binds the domestic, the external, and the ancestral. – Chris Roberts, from the guide to the exhibit, Go ‘Head, Fix You A [...]

Creating Space for Black Joy at This Year’s PVD Fest

by Christopher West

Recently, Downtown in Providence was converted to a festival showcasing the creative talents of the city. Or, as Joe Wilson, Jr. called PVD Fest a place of “radical joy.” Wilson, director of the Department of Art, Culture and Tourism, said the 10 year old event [...]

At PVD Fest, “Real Access Motivates Progress” Improves Accessibility for Wheelchair Users

by Andrea Gutierrez

Most days, Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence is a bustling transportation hub, packed with commuters waiting at designated stops around the perimeter of the square to catch their bus out of the vehicular commotion, but at PVD Fest it transformed into a strictly pedestrian affair. [...]

West African Flavors Flourish in Providence

by Emily Bruck

It’s just before 11 a.m. on Central Street, and the smell of spices is already seeping out of the door of Toyin African Restaurant. Inside, Toyin Bankole, a chef, moves between pots in the kitchen and the fridge, preparing fufu, egusi soup, and jollof rice [...]

In “Eternity,” Providence-born author David Plante Captures the Ache of New England

by Diane Josefowicz

At just over two hundred pages, Eternity, the latest novel by Providence-born writer David Plante, is hardly an overstuffed book, but the world it depicts brims with disquiet. Ted Beauchemin, the novel’s middle-aged protagonist, is someone for whom home is always just hoving into view [...]

What We All Need Now is More Big Nazo

by Dana Schneider

“Oh my god, one more. Look at that bird again.”   Erminio Pinque, the founder and artistic director of Big Nazo Labs, leans forward in his chair to snap a picture on his phone as Yuranian alien Deddiboht (pronounced data-bow) and The Providence Eye’s photography [...]

Ben Sisto Brings “The Museum of Who Let Who Let The Dogs Out Out” to PVD

by Emily Bruck

When most people hear the catchy chant and echoing barks of “Who Let The Dogs Out” they think of boom boxes, glow sticks, and an illuminated early-2000s dance floor. But for Ben Sisto, the song isn’t just a throwback — it’s a piece of art [...]

FringePVD 2025: A Glorious Celebration of Creative Freedom and Community Spirit

por Judith Clinton

There is an inscription carved into the dome of the Rhode Island State House that essentially says   “Think what you like and say what you think.” That sentiment is drawn from Tacitus, a Roman historian and senator who lived circa 56 – 120 AD, [...]

Wickenden Street Welcomes Rong Chic with Grand Opening Celebrating Spicy Sichuan Flavors and Unique Asian Desserts

por Amber Ma

Providence’s Fox Point neighborhood, home to many popular eateries like Pizza Marvin, Jahunger, and Aleppo Sweets has a new star: Rong Chic, which celebrated its grand opening on June 14, 2025. Rong Chic specializes in Sichuan (sometimes written as “Szechuan”) food, hailing from the southwestern [...]