RISDMUSEUM . ORG
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Tome Time
“ I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman , ‘ Where ’ s the self-help section ?’ She said if she told me , it would defeat the purpose .” — George Carlin
Rose B . Simpson , Shard , 2021 Helen M . Danforth Acquisition Fund
Jeffrey Gibson , The Anthropophagic Effect , Garment no . 1 , 2019 Helen M . Danforth Acquisition Fund
RISDMUSEUM . ORG
SABRINA SCOLARI PHOTOGRAPHY
Bookstores — you know , the independents that you find hidden away off a main shopping thoroughfare — command a quiet reverence . It ’ s almost an unwritten commandment .
If you ’ ve ever vacationed in bucolic New England , you know that shopping is usually limited to small , local shops . Some feature the obligatory array of T-shirts , refrigerator magnets and assorted tchotchkes . Some contain actual or faux works of artisans and reflect price tags that would normally be scrutinized in 401 land . Amazingly , as if intoxicated with FOMO delirium , we surrender our credit cards unphased .
I , for one , have a limited “ cute ” capacity , meaning that after the first stop fawning over salt and pepper shakers resembling irreverent chicken caricatures , I check out ( mentally and physically ).
Usually , the first line of retreat is to a bench to bask in the local vitamin D and peoplewatch . But often when I wander off , I find a local independent bookstore . You know the type : somewhat reminiscent of Haight-Ashbury in the sixties , a mix of used and new , part head shop , part collectible curiosities and irreverent posters that graced many a dorm wall in their day .
Sadly , too often I return after a few years ’ hiatus to find an empty storefront . Score one for the chickens .
I was pleasantly surprised to learn through the good work of our editorial team that independent bookstores in Rhode Island are more numerous and successful than many would assume . In “ By the Book ,” we provide a look at more than twenty independent bookstores in the area , alive and well and waiting to be discovered .
Speaking of reverence , there is the sacred ground of college basketball gods when the PC Friars take to the Dave Gavitt Court in the Amica Mutual Pavilion . The faithful heed the call , through snow , rain and seasons that lose promise early . The seats are always full , the crowd loud and loyal , boisterous and bawdy .
Enter Kim English , a thirty-five-year-old head coach following a larger-than-life Ed Cooley who epitomized the “ local boy made good ” storyline . Pulitzer Prize winner and ProJo alum Mike Stanton takes a look at the newest coach and the newest hope for the Friartown faithful .
Which reminds me of a quote from when my daughter and I toured college campuses together so many years ago : “ If a college bookstore has more T-shirts than books , find another college .”
To the Rhode ahead . — J . J . P .
10 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JANUARY 2024