Stories,photos

134 results total, viewing 11 - 20

In these dark days, our R.I. heritage gives me ‘Hope’

Of my many sabbatical semesters throughout my six-decade career at the Rhode Island School of Design, my favorite journey was a mere nearby jaunt around Rhode Island, a trip of only a few hours. … more

Mike Fink | 12/3/23

What doesn’t matter, and what does

If I were to produce an accounting of my nearly nine decades, it would honestly consist mostly of trivia, mini-tragedies of my own shortcomings and idle goings, hardly worth further attention. I … more

Mike Fink | 11/6/23

Questioning and interpreting are lifelong ventures

Kids’ picture books present variations on the Torah tales, inviting each young scholar to test his/her imagination and let their innocent interpretive skills go to work while they play. … more

Mike Fink | 10/5/23

End of summer musings

We got down to our wee place in Middlebridge, in South Kingstown, a bit late this season, but I am making the most of these weeks before Labor Day. I seek out my neighborhood cohorts of summers … more

Mike Fink | 9/1/23

Be gentle in all your gardens

I have a winter garden here in Providence, plus a summer garden in, aptly, South County. What does that mean, “have”? Oh, I pay taxes on each property, and I have the yards, front … more

Mike Fink | 8/4/23

The many prospects of July, from patriotism to rebirth

Independence Day , birth of the nation, the republic, the democracy? A holiday with fireworks in the firmament and flags waving from poles proclaiming patriotism. If I were teaching a … more

Mike Fink | 7/7/23

My scissors memorialize a moment in time

No, not the brush or charcoal, nor the chisel and even no camera! I just use that ancient invention, the scissors. I may cut out one square from the funnies, or I trim an old photo snapshot to focus … more

Mike Fink | 6/1/23

Two May holidays that are near and dear to my heart

I had two uncles who fought for the four freedoms, and I think about them on Memorial Day. One of them, the younger, was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge and came home on crutches. The other, … more

Mike Fink | 5/4/23

A modern-day Pesach story

She used to greet me along the shore between the former Canonchet beach and the Dunes, where the ocean meets the river known as the Narrow, perhaps short for Narragansett. Of late, she sends me … more

Mike Fink | 4/2/23

Joyous Purim is entertaining … and more

In French, this month is spelled like the war divinity: “Mars.” In ancient, classical Greece, Athena is the goddess of wisdom ... and war! Now, Mordecai, the hero of … more

Mike Fink | 3/3/23