Sorry, We’re Closed: Local photographer documents closed signs in Rhode Island

Student Perspective: One high school student’s view of the coronavirus

Right now the only thing on anyone’s mind is the newest strain of coronavirus. How it’s affecting our community, economy and other nations around the world has taken over every news station and permeated every home. While schools have been canceled, some businesses close, films and television have been put on hiatus and quarantines are being instated; it’s a lot to take in. Maybe the way the media and internet has framed the pandemic is also part of the problem, undermining the mostly high survival rate, favoring to talk about how contagious the virus is.

Being a senior in high school puts my peers and me in between two groups: the adults, and the young kids. While we aren’t fully fledged members of the community, still finishing up our secondary education, we are being affected on a different level than younger students. They are also out on a vacation of sorts and will eventually have to take online courses like us, but taking into context all the things the Class of 2020 could be missing that most senior classes have brings it into a different perspective. Not only are our regular studies being affected, but things from senior projects (or senior experience depending on what you do and where you go to school), proms, athletics, clubs and maybe even walking the stage at graduation are being straight up canceled or put into question. Many have made the parallel that the 2020 class was the first group of kids born in the wake of September 11th, and are now exiting our childhoods in the midst of a pandemic. The senior class that was affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 had a similar experience, having much of their school year and the experience of being in the 12th grade taken away.

While being home is admittedly fun — getting to relax, catch up on movies or shows, and sleep in is refreshing — most of us feel like we are going to be robbed of our proper send off from high school. Not to mention the quarantine has put a damper on social gatherings and outside interactions, but there are still some people who could care less about that and are still going out in large groups and treating this as a normal vacation (which is obviously a problem). The one hope we have to maybe get back some of the things that have already been canceled, is to just sit by, take the quarantine as a chance to cool down, look out for other members of our community, and to take our hygiene seriously.

While things will eventually go back to normal and this all will calm down, there are still a lot of challenges to face. Besides staying inside and keeping clean, schools are working out the kinks of an online curriculum and parents are scrambling to keep their young children calm while also making sure there are enough supplies available and precautions taken. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t the end of the world, but it obviously is not something to be taken lightly either. We just have to stick it out and keep our hands clean.

Jacob Iacobucci is a student at Bishop Hendricken High School, Class of 2020

Pet portraitist Scott Groome on weathering the coronavirus Scott Groome is a local Rhode Island artist. Originally from Woonsocket, Groome got his start at The Stadium Theatre as a set painter and scenic artist. After two years of gaining experience there, Groome applied for a position as a scenic artist in television and film. After working on a 20th Century Fox movie and a TV show for AMC TV, Groome decided that his passion lay with experimenting with color inside his studio and connecting through art with the people around him. He currently owns his own business and makes his living by painting pet portraits. Unfortunately, the recent coronavirus scare has impacted Groome, like many artists, in a very negative way.

Groome, who depends on income from his business to support his family, is suffering the repercussions of the current social and economic climate. He has graciously agreed to speak with Motif about his art and how it has been recently impacted. Amanda Grafe (Motif): Before I address how the coronavirus has affected you and your family, I would like to get to know a little bit more about you as an artist. When did you first discover you had a passion for art?

Scott Groome: Art has always been my way of expressing myself since I was young. I started with drawing characters at my grandparent’s to drawing graffiti in my sketchbook in my room. I was also raised in a musically talented family, which led to me playing music and studying what made the legends so great. I was inspired by landscape design and architecture as a teenager and had a knack for design from my parents, as they are very creative. I was accepted to some very good art colleges in California but wasn’t able to get the financial aid to go to school, so instead I left home at 18 and moved to Florida. I started bartending, which led to my passion for food and serving people. I lived there for three years, then moved back to RI. I decided what I wanted to do in life was to be with people and share my skills. I bought an RV and sat in there drawing portraits for people. It wasn’t until my boss at The Burrito Company restaurant in Woonsocket, RI, commissioned me to paint a fine art nude for the restaurant, that I was challenged for the first time to pick up a paint brush. The rest is history. That painting revealed to me my purpose, and I knew that I could make a living if I treated it like a business and “went to work painting.”

AG: Do you have any formal training in art or is it just something that comes naturally?

SG: While I did take a very short class in LA for oil painting techniques, I am 100% self-taught in what I do. I learned by doing and experimenting with the mediums.

AG: You mentioned you spent time in Los Angeles. What was that like and how did it help define what you do now?

SG: I decided to move to LA when I was 26 to chase my west coast dreams. At the time, I was focused on studying wine and viniculture because I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant or wine bar. I managed a wine bar for the majority of my time there and rented a studio in Inglewood for some time, offering commissions over Facebook. My involvement with art was modeling for a portrait class and learning oil techniques. I tried to stay involved with art as much as possible. Of course, the real involvement was just living there and meeting all the unique people. You learn so much about yourself when you experience all walks of life. The last few months I was there, I was homeless, living out of my car. It was a very introspective and cathartic experience for me, and led to deepening my understanding of how I wanted to not limit myself to one area of art. Even though I ended up working on sets for the next three years, which was a great experience, it reminded me about what I had learned while homeless: there’s nothing better than to be in a studio, creating works of art that stem from developing deep connections with other people one on one.

AG: Why pets? Are there other subjects you paint or like to paint: people, landscapes?

SG: The joy that comes from experiencing people’s connection with their pets, and welcoming me to pay tribute to both their living and passed on animals, is what motivates me to do this. The relationship we have with our pets is unlike any other. I’ve had many dogs and cats — even birds, fish and guinea pigs growing up. It’s true that they are your best friends. To be honest, it wasn’t hard to see how fast the industry for dog lovers has grown in the past decade.

More and more products for dogs are popping up, and social media has made the relationships with our animals even more fun. I had to find a niche for what was going to keep me painting in my studio. I knew people would never stop loving their pets and this would be an immortal venture. It started with one gift, and word of mouth took over. But I don’t limit myself to only painting people’s pets. In fact, before I started with the pet portraits, I was mainly painting figures and portraits of people. I had done a few landscapes but I found that I best express myself through the energy of people. With nature being my number one inspiration, I do have a long overdue desire to paint landscapes and nature-focused paintings very soon. So we will see if I can work that in there.

AG: What’s your favorite or one that you use most often?

SG: My favorite medium to see in other works of art may be oil paint and chalk pastel. The medium that I have been working with for 8 years is acrylic paint, though.

AG: You mentioned that your business in pet portraiture is not just a hobby for you, but how you make your living. How has the coronavirus impacted your business and what have the consequences been for you and your family?

SG: Yes, so the business end of this involves going out and sharing my business cards in local pet shops, vets, groomers, training schools, and even coffee shops. The best approach to a business like this is to basically go door to door and introduce yourself. Not all people are connected via social media and I don’t want to limit myself. The recent pandemic has prevented me from being able to come in contact with people for one, and the other, those businesses cannot open, which becomes a double-edged sword. Art is a luxury for most people and will not be their priority when they are hungry or scared. We are quarantined at our studio, where my girlfriend is pregnant, and we are doing our part to limit the exposure to people, as to not be a carrier if ever unknowingly coming into contact with the virus in any way.

AG: If things continue as is, what do you think might happen to not only small businesses, but the artistic community? Will there be changes you will have to make, or is it too early to speculate?

SG: It’s scary for anyone who owns a small business. As of now, a lot of us are suffering and some are even closing down — mainly because they survive on walk-in customers. Artists rely on selling their art or having design jobs or murals. A lot of artists show their work in galleries and those are shutting down, too. The internet is about to be our greatest tool if it wasn’t already.

Although many businesses have a great online presence — like our neighbors Ape N’ Bird, who make hats from home and sell online — there is still a huge decrease in sales. We can only hope that we are forgiven for what we cannot rush to pay, including rent and bills. It isn’t clear on how this will play out, but history is a great teacher for preparing presently for the future. It is our only hope that we stay connected and keep our hearts open and take care of our neighbors and community however possible. I have other skills that I could employ if it came down to it. I personally think that if things got a lot worse and people were fending for themselves and bartering for rations, that I would not accept a painting of my dog for a few meals. Art is powerful, don’t get me wrong, but it will not feed my family. So I have to keep an open mind and a logical sense.

AG: How have friends, family, and even members of the public reacted to your situation? What does their support mean to you?

SG: I can’t point to this situation to be my own as it affects EVERYONE. I am among many of the affected. People have expressed nothing but comforting tones and are helping when possible, as are we. Our neighbors have included us in their thoughts when they run out to the market, etc. But they too are affected by the crisis. It doesn’t help that I sprained my ankle very badly this week and am using crutches to get around. My family has dropped off certain items that we need for the house when possible, and we are very grateful for that. My income is sure to come to a halt if this continues. My girlfriend is a remote article editor and is able to still work. With a baby on the way, we take this very seriously and are doing our best to stay positive. Any and all the support we receive is appreciated so much.

AG: Artist (musicians, actors, visual artists) who also make a living through their art may also be feeling similar effects to what you are experiencing. What would be your message to them?

SG: I don’t know if I’m qualified to be giving advice, especially financially. For sure inspiration is always needed. The best thing for us all to do, is to not give up and to seek alternate ways to reach people. Strategize on what you can offer your clients. Go live on facebook and do a tutorial if you are an artist. Maybe do a little skit to bring awareness, or to make people laugh if you are an actor. Go live and play music online for donation.. I’ve always been a firm believer in not focusing on the problem, but focusing on the solution. Remember the renaissance period and how that came out of a devastation such as the Black Plague. It reminds me of the Phoenix, there will be rebirth out of this. Destruction brings construction.

In response to the coronavirus and in an attempt to support and unite our artistic community, Motif is hosting a virtual gallery on its Facebook page. Here artist and the general public can support one another. Scott Groome will be one of the many participants. To support Groome directly please visit fb.com/sgroomeart or donate directly to: https://paypal.me/sgroomeart?locale.x=en_US.

Watch It!: 20 films, shows, and novels to keep you paranoid while quarantined

Either by choice or not, we all will be spending a lot of time indoors. Even after lying in bed contemplating our mortality, raiding the fridge and fighting over toilet paper, our schedules will still be open enough for us to take a look at our infinitely expanding watchlist. Art imitates life and a lot of people will want to distract themselves from one viral outbreak with another. Here is a list of films, TV shows and novels that will make you feel uneasy the next time you sneeze. Just remember, the sun will come out tomorrow, the quarantine will end and wash your hands.

The Planet of The Apes Trilogy (2011, 2014, 2017) Directed by: Rupert Wyatt, Matt Reeves

Staring: Andy Serkis, James Franco, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Woody Harrelson

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action, Sci-fi, Drama, Dystopian

Runtime: 1 hour & 45 minutes, 2 hours & 10 minutes, 2 hours & 20 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%, 91%, 94%

IMDB: 7.6/10, 7.6/10, 7.4/10

The modern reboot of the classic science fiction franchise has a reputation as one of the best film trilogies in recent memory. This is thanks to its brilliant effects, fantastic story with complex themes regarding the morality of animal experimentation, the dehumanization of war and its well-developed and memorable cast of characters (which is very impressive considering most of them are apes). Without delving too deep into spoilers, the virus that is foreshadowed by the character in the first film seamlessly sets the stage for the post-apocalyptic setting of its two sequels. These films may also be the reason for my fear of monkeys…. And airports.

28 Days Later (2002) Directed by: Danny Boyle

Staring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns

Rating: R

Genre: Horror, Dystopian, Thriller

Runtime: 1 hour & 53 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

IMDB: 7.6/10

This acclaimed horror flick is partially credited for bringing the subgenre of horror to its peak in popularity. The direct cause of this universe’s outbreak is a virus that amplifies aggressive tendencies of the afflicted. Its complex themes along with some excellent cinematography, acting and atmosphere makes this a film that won’t just breed paranoia, but terror. If this film keeps you asking for more, than its sequel, 28 Weeks Later and its accompanying comic book series should also satisfy your taste for all things undead and unsettling. Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Directed by: Terry Gilliam

Staring: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt

Rating: R

Genre: Sci-fi, thriller

Runtime: 2 hours & 9 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

IMDB: 8/10

Adapting the story of the 1962 experimental French short film La Jetee, this post-apocalyptic story stars a post Die Hard Bruce Willis traveling back in time to find the cause of the virus that leads to humanity’s downfall. Along with this, he has his own personal motives, in making discoveries about his own past life experiences. Add in a pre Fight Club performance from Brad Pitt along with a fascinating story and well-composed scenes, and what more could someone want out of a sci-fi film? Maybe a 47- episode television reimagining on the Syfy network?

Outbreak (1995)

Directed by: Wolfgang Peterson

Staring: Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Patrick Dempsey, Cuba Gooding Jr.

Rating: R

Genre: Thriller, Drama, Action

Runtime: 2 hours & 8 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

IMDB: 6.6/10

Based on the Richard Preston novel The Hot Zone, and taking a more accurate approach to a viral outbreak, in seeing a disease bearing ebola-like similarities being spread in scenes that make your skin crawl in how realistic the situations are. From a small town sickness outbreak to a possibly global pandemic, the stakes feel especially real right now. If Planet of the Apes made you scared of monkeys, then this one will make you a germaphobe … who’s also scared of monkeys. George A. Romero’s (Original) Living Dead Franchise (1968, 1978, 1985)

Directed by: George A. Romero

Staring: Duane Jones, Judith O`Dea, Scott Reiniger, Ken Foree, David Emge, Gaylen Ross, Richard Liberty, Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato

Rating: NR, R, R

Genre: Horror, Dystopian, Action

Runtime: 1 hour & 37 minutes, 2 hours & 36 minutes, 1 hour & 43 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%, 93%, 83%

IMDB: 7.9/10, 7.9/10, 7.2/10

The godfather of the modern zombie, horror master George A. Romero revolutionized horror with a small independent black and white film. From quotable dialogue to an ambiguous cause of the undead rising up to a memorable iconic ending, the film had it all. Needless to say, many were shocked when 10 years later, a sequel was released to a film that’s story didn’t even need one. The commentary and content of “Dawn of The Dead” are possibly even greater than that of its predecessor. Once again, a new decade arrives, and with it Romero “finishes” his trilogy. A more action- oriented and character- focused third film has made this the black sheep of the franchise, but its strong ending and memorable characters make this one a must-watch, too. With several remakes, and even three more follow-ups made by Romero in the 2000s, nothing comes close to the masterpieces the original three are.

Contagion (2011)

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Staring: Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Lawrence Fishburne, Bryan Cranston Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Sci-fi

Runtime: 1 hour & 46 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

IMDB: 6.7/10

This stands as a study of societal breakdown in the midst of a pandemic with some people strangely being immune and the severity of the virus baffling even the highest medical and government personnel. This is best described as a medical thriller more than anything else. If you have a nurse or doctor in the family, showing them this may influence them to work from home.

The Resident Evil Franchise (2002, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2016)

Directed by: Paul W. S. Anderson (2002, 2010, 2012, 2016), Alexander Witt (2004), Russell Mulcahy (2007)

Staring: Mila Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Maibus, Colin Salmon, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Li bingbing, Ruby Rose, William Levy

Rating: R

Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller

Runtime: 1 hour & 40 minutes, 1 hour & 38 minutes, 1 hour & 34 minutes, 1 hour & 40 minutes, 1 hour & 36 minutes, 1 hour & 47 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 36%, 20%, 24%, 22%, 29%, 37%

IMDB: 6.7/10, 6.2/10, 6.3/10, 5.8/10, 5.4/10, 5.5/10

If dumb action movies are your thing, than the big screen adaptaions of the Resident Evil video games are equatible to the Godfather (if Al Pachino were a Ukrainian supermodel). While the bar for video game movies is already low, with each successive sequel, this franchise just gets bigger and dumber. While other films on this list handle a viral outbreak in more nuanced ways, here it’s just a typical lab accident. Still there is some (albeit ironic) enjoyment to be had here.

Quarantine (2008)

Directed by: John Erick Dowdle

Staring: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernendez, Columbus Short

Rating: R

Genre: Thriller, Horror

Runtime: 1 hour & 29 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 56%

IMDB: 5.9/10

The American remake of Spanish film Rec. loses some of the original’s tension, but makes up for it in its found footage style and a lack of a properly composed film score. The lacking plot and character development is compensated by the production value, atmosphere and performances. While Rec. went onto have a franchise of three sequels, Quarantine would have a sequel of its own in 2011.

John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)

Directed by: John Carpenter

Staring: Kurt Russel, Keith David, Wilford Brimley, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, David Clennon

Rating: R

Genre: Horror, mystery, sci-fi, thriller

Runtime: 1 hour & 49 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 84%

IMDB: 8.1/10

It would be easy to assume a remake of a classic science fiction film that was already an adaptation of a novel wouldn’t turn out very well, but it’s arguable that John Carpenter’s The Thing surpasses both as a landmark in horror cinema. Because of great performances, a tense atmosphere and incredible practical effects, many put this in the upper echelon of horror movies. The pure paranoia and hysteria that grips the members of the small Antarctic outpost is absolutely bone chilling. While the film’s 2011 prequel doesn’t live up to expectations maybe the rumored remake will. It Comes At Night (2017)

Directed by: Trey Edward Shults

Staring: Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Riley Keough, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Rating: R

Genre: Horror, thriller

Runtime: 1 hour & 37 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

IMDB: 6.2/10

This is a secluded, post-apocalyptic story surrounding a family trying to survive in the wake of a virus that ravaged the planet. They struggle to take care of each other and another family seeking refuge while the mysterious virus looms closer. Brimming with atmosphere and great acting, the film succeeds in its ability to immerse the viewer into the world and make the story feel eerily realistic. There will definitely be some who see this film as slow moving and not for them, but if a patient viewer watches carefully, they will see just how well crafted the movie is.

The Happening (2008) Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Staring: Mark Whalberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez, Betty Buckley, M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: R

Genre: Drama, Thriller, Fantasy

Runtime: 1 hour & 50 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 18%

IMDB: 5/10

The infamous lowest point in director M. Night Shyamalan’s career (until The Last Airbender), is a bloated, half-baked drama with a shoddy script, awful acting and maybe the worst twist in film history. The main reason for watching it though is exactly that, the nonsensical twist and the stilted acting make this somewhat of a treat to sit through.

I Am Legend, The Last Man On Earth & Omega Man (2007, 1964, 1971) Directed by: Francis Lawrence- Ubaldo Ragona, Sidney Salkow- Boris Sagal

Staring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Willow Smith, Salli Richardson- , Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli- , Rosalind Cash, Anthony Zerbe, Eric Laneuville

Rating: PG-13, NR, PG

Genre: Thriller, Drama, Sci-fi

Runtime: 1 hour & 44 minutes, 1 hour & 28 minutes, 1 hour & 38 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 68%, 74%, 65%

IMDB: 7.2/10, 6.9/10, 6.5/10

Here are three very different takes on the same novel by (there is a fourth adaptation also from 2007 called I am Omega, which boasts a 3.3/10 on IMDB). Each has a different ending, characters, even reasons for the apocalypse in the first place. While The Last Man On Earth is an almost a beat for beat recreation of the novel, the other two have some critical differences. “Omega Man” is basically just a very loose adaptation, only keeping a few plot threads while going off the rails into a crazy dystopian romp. infamously has two different endings (no spoilers for what they depict). To choose, if you want accuracy, go for Last Man; for a bizarre time, pick Omega and for action; the 2007 I Am Legend. Honestly speaking, the book will always be the best. The Strain (2014-2017)

Channel: FX

Staring: Corey Stoll, Kevin Durand, David Bradley, Richard Sammel, Miguel Gomez, Natalie Brown, Ruta Gedmintas, Mia Maestro, Johnathan Hyde, Jack Kesy, Max Charles, Rupert Penry-Jones

Genre: Horror, Drama

Episode Number: 46

Rotten Tomatoes: 79%

IMDB: 7.3/10

Based on Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s horror trilogy, the series centers around a doctor investigating a plane landing. Among many casualties, a mysterious virus appears bearing similarities to vampirism. The doctor and his crew rise to the increasing challenge to fight off the vampires from overtaking New York, and possibly all of humankind.

Helix (2014-2015) Channel: SYFY

Staring: Billy Campbell, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kyra Zagorsky, Mark Ghanime, Matt Long

Genre: Horror

Episode Number: 26

Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

IMDB: 6.8/10

In this Syfy original, scientists from a disease prevention group are stationed in the arctic to conduct research on a reported viral outbreak. Genetic engineering has created a zombie-like virus that renders its victims inhuman. From terrifying discoveries to gripping twists, this series starts out with a lot of potential, but burns itself out after playing all its cards too early. Helix falters on its overambitious ideas, but still provides some entertainment.

Ash vs The Evil Dead (2015-2018) Channel: Starz

Staring: Bruce Campbell, Dana Delorenzo, Ray Santiago, Lucy Lawless, Jill Marie Jones, Ted Raimi

Genre: Horror, Comedy

Episode Number: 30

Rotten Tomatoes: 99%

IMDB: 8.5/10

Taking Sam Raimi’s beloved Evil Dead trilogy along with iconic hero Ash still being played by Bruce Campbell and spinning the series off into a pulse pounding, intense, meta-humor-filled hack and slash adventure is everything fans of the original movies could ever ask for. The biggest problem with the series is it was untimely canceled after its third season. Not groovy at all.

Fear The Walking Dead (2015) Channel: AMC

Staring: Alycia Debnam-Carey, Lennie james, Kim Dickens, Coleman Domingo, Frank Dillane, Danay Garcia, Ruben Blades, Cliff Curtis, Mercedes Mason

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Episode Number: 69

Rotten Tomatoes: 72%

IMDB: 6.9/10

Serving as a prequel to one of the biggest shows of the last decade, “Fear” makes its bearings in a fresher earlier stage of walker horror than depicted in the original series, but the looming threat of what is to come is ever present and growing with every episode. The show shares several themes with its sister series, like man’s savagery outclassing their undead counterparts, but in a way that isn’t used for shock value. It serves as a stepping stone to the world of “The Walking Dead.”

The Stand (1978) Written by: Stephen King

Page Count: 1,182

Genre: Dystopian, Horror, Fantasy

Adaptations: 1994 Television mini-series Choosing King’s seminal masterwork is a neverending debate. Would it be The Shining? It? Pet Sematary? “The Dark Tower” series? Many will argue it’s his vampire horror epic The Stand. The novel (and tv mini-series) depict survivors trying to climb up from the ashes of humanity that was nearly wiped out after a weaponized strain of influenza was unleashed. This award-nominated novel not only inspired the likes of bands Metallica and Anthrax but has kept the public interest for years, staying in publication as one of Kin’s most beloved works. Not only was there a 1994 television mini-series and a Marvel Comics published graphic novel series, but for years there have been rumors of either a feature film or new tv adaptation in the works.

“The Walking Dead” (2003-2019) Written by: Robert Kirkman

Number of Issues: 193

Adaptations: 2010 Television series, several novels and video game spinoffs

This game-changing comic book series created by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, is one of the best selling and critically praised comic books ever. Spawning a two television series, video games, books and basically any type of merchandise you can think of, this legendary series just wrapped up its run last year. With 193 issues (the consensus being that this is better paced and made than the repetitive nature of the tv series), this work has enough to keep you busy until the quarantine is up or the tv series ends, whichever comes first.

World War Z: An Oral History of The Zombie War (2006)

Written by: Max Brooks

Page Count: 354 pages

Adaptations: 2013 film adaptation, 2019 video game

Considered one of the definitive depictions of an apocalypse (especially one involving as so many seem to do), this book takes the word “world” very seriously having several points of view across the planet in the form of interviews collected by the United Nations. The novel goes beyond the accounts of the zombie uprising and viral spread of the disease into the implications of how it affects the social, economical, religious, political and environmental changes experienced by people worldwide.

“Y The Last Man” (2002-2008)

Written by: Brian K. Vaughn

Number of Issues: 60

Adaptations: Upcoming television series

The Vertigo series that has been put on a pedestal as a seminal work in the comic book industry, “Y The Last Man” is set in a world where an unknown virus has wiped out the entirety of the male population except for one man (and a monkey, once again monkeys and the apocalypse go together like facemasks and medical gloves). While the world descends into madness, he and his mother try to keep him from a series of antagonists trying to capture him. The series has won three Eisner awards and is the subject of an upcoming FX television series.

From In-Line to Online with Twenty Stories: PVD bookseller drives into an escalating pandemic PVD’s Twenty Stories curates a monthly selection of 20 books; photo credit: Twenty Stories

After converting a 30-year-old Chevy G20 van into the Twenty Stories bookmobile in 2017, Alexa Trembly and Emory Harkins drove around Los Angeles sweltering through summer highs, some days struggling to sell as many as three books. While relocating in 2018 to Rhode Island, where Harkins grew up, their van broke down in the desert of New Mexico. Several months into running a bookshop at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, in 2019 they faced a period with double rent after moving to the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence. Despite its hurdles, Twenty Stories has curated a monthly selection of 20 works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry.

“We carry, normally, one dystopic novel each month, but not in March,” said Trembly by phone as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic escalated. “Maybe it felt too real.”

Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Rhode Island on Tuesday, March 3, Trembly and Harkins began to implement precautions at their bookstore. Maintaining regular business hours, they wiped down their counters with sanitizer and asked customers to use contactless payments when possible. The following week, on Monday, March 9, Governor Gina Raimondo announced a state of emergency. Two days later, she discouraged events with more than 250 people. Trembly said she understood the warnings as a matter of large gatherings rather than about staying open.

“Business seemed to be the same as usual,” said Harkins, “maybe a little busier.” “People were coming in a lot, kind of saying, ‘Oh, I need to stock up on books. We don’t know what’s going to happen,’” said Trembly. “There was a lot more up in the air at that point.”

Inside Twenty Stories bookshop at 107 Ives St, PVD; photo credit: Twenty Stories

On Thursday, March 12, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza revoked entertainment licenses across the city, shuttering movie theaters and concert venues. When Twenty Stories opened the following morning, Trembly and Harkins were prepared to host an evening for Andrew Altschul’s novel The Gringa, published by Melville House Books earlier in the week. Within hours though, Harkins said, their assessment of the risks caused them to change plans.

“We have a wide age range of customers who come to our events,” said Harkins, “and we just felt a responsibility to not have those people interact with each other.”

“That’s been a really big hurdle and struggle,” said Trembly, “not just for businesses, but for everyone right now.”

After discussing with Altschul, visiting from Fort Collins, Colorado, and moderator Darcie Dennigan, a resident of Providence, Twenty Stories announced the event would take place online instead. Altschul drove to Providence from Worcester, Massachusetts, following a cancelled talk at the College of the Holy Cross, and participated in an Instagram Live video stream with Trembly and Harkins in an otherwise empty bookstore. Dennigan joined from home.

“We usually meet the authors we have events with, and we either shake hands or hug,” said Harkins. “It was strange because we were bumping elbows and keeping distance even while we were putting on this event together.”

Twenty Stories breaks out its original bookmobile in front of Knead Doughnuts in March 2019; photo credit: Sean Carlson

In July 2018, Belletrist, an online book club run by actress Emma Roberts and producer Karah Preiss, welcomed Trembly and Harkins for an Instagram Live chat from their van. The video stream featuring Altschul and Dennigan was the first to be run by Twenty Stories. Citing Instagram’s analytics, Trembly said 250 people watched the conversation within 24 hours, five times greater than what she considers a good in-store turnout. Declining to share numbers, Harkins said the corresponding book sales were lower than what they would have expected if the evening had taken place in person and they’re working on ways to encourage purchases around future virtual events.

“It was kind of like a making-lemonade-out-of-lemons situation,” said Trembly.

Foot traffic at the bookstore remained steady on Saturday, March 14, as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Rhode Island jumped from 14 to 20. Harkins said customers were looking for “quarantine books” as the necessity of social distancing set in. Two hours after opening the following morning, Trembly and Harkins made the choice to close their bookstore indefinitely. They donated a portion of the weekend’s sales to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank to assist children and families facing a time of food insecurity.

“Social media has always been a starting point for our store,” said Trembly about the relative ease of adapting their business to the Internet. “I know some retail stores, brick and mortar, don’t have online shops immediately, and I think that will definitely be a harder transition.”

After locking up, Trembly and Harkins expanded their online shop to include not only their current monthly curation, but also an array of children’s books, cookbooks and other works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. They’re in the process of updating their listing of art books and adding to the titles in stock. They’ve dropped off a few custom orders at front doors around Providence, but otherwise Harkins said he has been back and forth between the bookshop and local post offices. Anybody who places an order can ask for a dance move posted to Instagram Stories. Harkins said he and Trembly struggled for days with how to do a “dinosaur dance,” as a customer requested alongside Too Much: How Victorian Constraints Still Bind Women Today by Rachel Vorona Cote. Trembly said she and Harkins are also investing time in Palm Leaf, an online periodical they created in 2017. Hosted on the Twenty Stories website, the initiative features a range of literary interviews and contributed writing.

“We’re optimistic people and we’re staying pretty optimistic,” said Trembly, “but the longer it goes on, this anxiety builds a little bit.”

In December 2019, Twenty Stories hired two part-time booksellers, the first staff besides the co- founders. They haven’t worked since the bookstore shut. To cope with the crisis, Trembly and Harkins said they might assess the low-interest federal disaster loans approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“We’re anticipating at least a 50% reduction in sales as long as our shop on Ives Street remains closed,” said Harkins.

One week after closing their storefront, Trembly and Harkins emailed the Twenty Stories mailing list to encourage support by shopping online, placing special orders, attending virtual events, purchasing a gift card or even writing a review. They said they remain in touch with neighbors, other booksellers, and local restaurants, retailers and small businesses as they confront an incomparable experience, recognizing how many friends and colleagues are caught too.

“The amazing thing about Providence is all of the small businesses really do care about each other, like even more than ever,” said Trembly. “I don’t think people see it as much as being competitors as much as being a community.”

When Trembly and Harkins settled on Exquisite Mariposa by Fiona Alison Duncan as their most recent fiction book-club selection, they anticipated sitting with customers on Sunday, March 29 for a late- morning gathering accompanied by a spread of baklava from Aleppo Sweets, a Syrian bakery and cafe next door. Instead, they replaced the in-person discussion of Duncan’s novel, which The Los Angeles Review of Books called “a quest for the Real in the age of Instagram,” and made plans for future events, using online video conferencing hosted by Zoom.

“Everyone always hates on social media,” said Trembly, “but in this context it’s really cool to see how it could keep that community — kind of hold that community space now.”

While its bookstore (107 Ives St, PVD) is closed, Twenty Stories can be found online at twentystoriesla.com, on Instagram at @twentystoriesla, and on Twitter at @twentystoriesla.

Shop Safely

Local grocery stores are setting aside some of their hours of operation to be used exclusively for those most vulnerable to COVID-19 — seniors and those with underlying medical conditions. These hours are the first in the day after the stores have been cleaned so that these vulnerable populations can be in the safest possible environment. Remember the importance of hand-washing and social distancing while shopping, and commit to shopping normally rather than hoarding. And also consider ordering from Pat’s Pastured, Robin Hollow Farm, Sweet and Salty Farm, Walrus and Carpenter Oysters, and Wishing Stone Farm, who have banded together to offer food delivery, or visit local farm stands.

Clements Market: 7 – 8am

Dave’s: 7 – 8am, large locations; 8 – 9am, small locations

Dollar General: 6 – 7:30am

Jerry’s Market: 7 – 8am

Richmond Farms Fresh Market: 7:30 – 8am

Save-A-Lot: 8 – 9am

Shaw’s: 7 – 9am, Tue and Thu

Stop & Shop: 6 – 7:30am

Target: 7 – 8am

Whole Foods: 8 – 9am

Bored in the House and in the House Bored

Not even a pandemic on unfathomable scale can stop Motif from bringing you the very best in entertainment. Running out of things to do while you’re quarantined? We made a video to help. fb.com/132300650182666/posts/2837746499638054/?vh=e&d=n Car Hopping: Dine-in restaurants grapple with turning to takeout

At this point, your favorite restaurant has done one of two things. Either they’ve closed for the foreseeable future, or they’ve gone to curbside/takeout/delivery. Among those offering takeout, some are working to leverage inventory they built up or had in reserve, and you can expect them to stop offering takeout in the next few weeks when they run out of supplies. Others are making a pointed effort to keep as many of their workers employed as possible with sustainable takeout options – but still, going from dine-in to takeout means using a skeleton staff.

Off the record, we heard from quite a few operations that are seeing slower business than usual, even when measured against typical recent takeout business. With the economic uncertainty spreading at least as quickly as germs and the supermarkets getting a heavy work-out, many who might have typically eaten out are conserving either their funds or their exposure and cooking at home – but there may be enough activity during this bridge period to keep some of our favorite food shops alive. Here’s what a few of the eateries we talked to told us:

Sicilia’s Pizza, which normally does a brisk takeout and delivery trade with a more modest dine-in base is continuing takeout at their Federal Hill location:

“Things have been steady, but slower than usual,” said the manager on duty. “The biggest surprise is we have a lot of people who don’t know we’re still doing takeout. We’ve gotten so many calls just asking if we’re still open. I think once the word gets out, we’ll get back close to normal.”

GPub and the Rooftop G, which also manage Sarto restaurant in downtown PVD, have ceased operations for the duration of the quarantine:

“We took the steps on the Monday prior to the mandate, focusing on our employees, artists and partners and their safety. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to lay off the majority of our really hard working employees. Right now, we’re mostly thinking forward about how we can bring everyone back. When we do reopen, whenever that may be, how can we get the tourism and hospitality industry and live music up and successful again. We had to cancel 45 events in March and the beginning of April. I’m still going a week at a time – it’s a day-by-day situation. I’m thinking about the summer now, and it’s definitely going to take a while for our industry to recover. Sports is also what the GPub is known for, and without any sports, if we can bring something back we’ll be focusing on our other community activities – like retro video games and our comedy night that launched right before all this started.

“It’s going to be hard, but one silver lining: I love to see so many people out there buying gift cards and supporting their local businesses as they can. It can’t compare to being open for business, but there is a spirit of us all being in this together that’s reassuring.” – Brendan Chipley Roane, director of marketing and communications

Mike Delehanty, one of the owners of Providence’s Union Station, Barnaby’s Public House and What Cheer? Tavern, all known for their food but primarily for their libations, said it was a very difficult decision to close up shop temporarily at each location. What Cheer? is really, first, a neighborhood bar. Barnaby’s has a top-tier chef they felt wouldn’t make sense working on just a few takeout orders a night, and both Barnaby’s and Union Station, while they have substantial local support, are really sustained by hotel customers. “The hotels are at about 10% of their usual occupancy. They have no customers for us right now. We had to make the decision to wait this out,” he said [Note: In the time between that statement and publication, many have closed down completely for the time being].

Matunuck Oyster Bar in Wakefield has converted to takeout. We spoke to Perry Raso, owner of the renowned dine-in establishment.

“It’s different. We’ve converted our dining area into a mission control center where we process orders. And we’re down to a very reduced staff, so my GM is doing the dishes right now, My chef’s cleaning the blower and I’m wrapping fish. It’s like starting a new business. Everything’s changed and we’re trying to figure it out.” How are their customers reacting? “It’s not very busy yet, but it’s something we’re hoping to be able to build on. It’s mostly curbside pickup. We’ve always offered that.”

Even the Capital Grille is experimenting with takeout and is open for pickup orders. Staff are prohibited from talking to the press and spokespeople for the corporation could not be reached for comment, but fine dining staff have been furloughed. One who spoke with us off the record was finding a silver lining in an enforced vacation, making plans to go backwoods for a while and “get away from all this.”

Revival’s and Troop’s (in Cranston and Providence, respectively) Sean Larkin spoke with Motif right before all dine-in restaurants were ordered closed. At that time, they were carefully weighing their commitment to keeping employees employed and their commitment to be as safe as possible for everyone. Their plan was to let each worker make their own decision about whether to work, so no one was cut off. Then the mandate went into place and they switched to full takeout. We asked how takeout was going so far:

“It’s modest at best – it’s not super busy, because we’re not a takeout restaurant, but we came together with a takeout menu pretty quickly and we’re going to do the best that we can to keep it going.” Do you think people know you have takeout as an option? “I think our followers know we have takeout, especially through social media, but I think a lot of people have to consider their economic situation now. Takeout is really a way for us to keep the restaurant open and keep some of our employees working and earning a living. As long as we’re not losing money, we will keep this going as long as we can.” Larkin is most interested in knowing how the state plans to repeal the ban – what’s the plan to get people back out safely?

What about the most mobile members of our culinary scene, the food trucks? We asked Eric Weiner of PVD Food Truck Events and FoodTrucksIn. We learned that some with regular spots are still trucking along. “They’re trying to figure it out. Some of them are trying to figure out if they can do delivery. But those conversations are just starting out. Those with trucks and physical locations are definitely moving to curbside and using their trucks to do that.

“For [PVD Food Truck Events], we don’t sell tickets or have contracts with talent or pay rent in advance. So we can be really flexible. Right now, we’re looking 10 to 14 days out and canceling as we go. I haven’t canceled April events yet. I think the next two weeks will really make clear what those decisions need to be. All the events food trucks were servicing. They’re taking it with humility – they know their season doesn’t usually start until May. But many of those big events they’re typically a part of require a lot of planning, and they’re calling those off for April and May, so the trucks will lose a lot of their events, even if the mandates are removed.”

How all this will continue to evolve is anyone’s guess, and of course it depends on how long measures stay in place. But if your taste buds are aching for some culinary treats, don’t forget to look to the curb.

Eat Drink RI is attempting to maintain a list of restaurants open for takeout – it’s sure to be changing fast. Check it out at eatdrinkri.com/2020/03/18/restaurants-with-online-ordering-and-take-out

Coronavirus Update: Trapt still sucks He’ll take you on!

Because of this week’s Twitter argument between Chris Taylor Brown (singer of that song that goes “Headstrong – I’ll take you on,” no other notable successes) and the rest of the music industry, I decided to sit down and listen to a few of his other popular songs.

After a few shots, I tried my hardest not to to instinctively skip any song that wasn’t “Headstrong.” I also soon realized researching their “popular” songs wasn’t the right wording for this experiment. (I couldn’t find any other popular songs.) But I stayed focused, and reluctantly continued my research…

After nearly drinking myself into a coma, I can confidently conclude that if you play every Trapt song side by side, it just sounds like an extended version of “Headstrong.”

RI restaurants ask help and compassion from state government as COVID-19 shuts them down A group of four independent food service operators sent a letter to RI Gov. Gina Raimondo on March 17, desperately asking for help from state government: “The COVID-19 crisis, and the necessary government-mandated gathering restrictions, [have] shuttered most of us. Those still left open are seeing as much as a 75% decrease in sales. While we applaud your administration for taking the appropriate measures to ensure the health and safety of all Rhode Islanders, the reality of the financial impact to many of us and our employees will mean even greater challenges ahead.”

The letter was signed by Rebecca Brady of Hometown Poké; Paul Kettelle of PVDonuts; Christopher Weitecha of Providence Bagels; and Alexis Moniello of Bayberry Beer Hall. Motif spoke with Brady on March 19, and she said that the specific requests in the letter were listed in priority order, the first three items asking for (1) delaying “sales, meals & beverage, and tangible tax payments for six months,” (2) “waiving tax penalties for late payment” on those, and (3) “waiving state payroll taxes for a 90-day period.”

Brady said, “For many small businesses who’ve been forced to close, they might not survive to open back up again if assistance doesn’t come very, very quickly.”

Later that afternoon at her daily press conference, the governor responded to what she described as a common question: “Are you reconsidering the Friday deadline for restaurants to pay, to remit their sales and meals tax? And the answer is no. The deadline is tomorrow. If you have a particular hardship or you need a little extra time, call the [Division] of Taxation…. But again, I want to be clear. This is for the sales tax that the customers have already paid, and that you’re holding in escrow. So remit it by the deadline tomorrow, please. And if you have some extraordinary circumstances, give us a call and we’ll help you out and work you through it.”

While payroll taxes are required by law to be escrowed by depositary account, no comparable requirement exists for sales taxes or meal-and-beverage taxes: nearly all businesses simply keep a ledger of what they owe each month and pay it like any other ordinary expense.

Asked by Motif to respond to the governor, Brady said no business she knows about puts sales taxes or meal-and-beverage taxes into escrow, since the money is “lumped in with the total” collected from customers when they pay their bill. “Our payment system doesn’t even have the option to escrow taxes. The governor’s response shows a very clear lack of understanding of how small businesses operate and survive. Cash flow is a revolving door and the profits are razor thin, especially in the food industry,” Brady said. “The money that we are collecting is used immediately to pay our employees, pay our vendors, pay for product, pay our rent and insurance, and the millions of other expenses that we, as small businesses, have. Since taxes are paid [for the prior month], if you had a very good month last month and then have a month where everyone is told to stay home and you shut down your business for several weeks, that is incredibly damaging.”

The letter also asks for “expediting and increasing unemployment benefits to staff who have been laid off due to decreased business related to COVID-19” and “ensuring unemployment insurance does not increase due to COVID-19 related layoffs.” While the state has waived the usual waiting period to collect unemployment insurance, tipped employees can earn a minimum cash wage as low as $3.89 per hour (RIGL §28-12-5(c)) and it is unclear how this figures in. Brady said her employees are all paid a base above minimum wage and pooled tips supplement that by about $5.50 per hour, but it would be a big concern for bartenders and servers at sit-down restaurants. Her business, Hometown Poké, sells take-away from its brick-and-mortar store at 185 Camp Street in the Mount Hope neighborhood on the East Side of PVD, and, although it remains open, Brady said the sharply declined demand would have forced layoffs except that four of her employees were students at Johnson and Wales University and had to leave anyway because of their school closure. Besides, Brady said, “Unemployment is only 60% of what people make. And if you are an hourly wage worker, you’re already trying to make ends meet, for most people, and so 60% of that is probably not going to be enough.” The letter requests “a state-funded, no interest relief program that would make loans available to businesses who have seen a decrease in sales, with the option to defer payments for six months.” Although the US Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a disaster loan program, Brady said it is of limited value. “I know that the governor keeps talking about SBA loans… Most of us don’t qualify for those loans. If you have access to any capital, you don’t qualify. And most of us have access to some sort of capital; it’s just very, very high-interest. I know at least one business who applied last week for an SBA loan and was declined… I feel like the state is trying to punt off financial assistance to SBA but… I think very few businesses are actually going to be able to get SBA loans.” Brady cited the example of Massachusetts where Gov. Charlie Baker announced with much publicity the creation of the $10 million Mass Growth Capital Corporation’s Small Business Recovery Loan Fund on March 17, but he shut down applications on March 19 (only hours after our interview with Brady) citing the availability of SBA loans.

The final requests in the letter are for “abating or deferring rent/mortgage payments for a 90-day period” and for “abating or deferring utility payments for a 90-day period.” Temporary 30-day moratoriums have been imposed that prevent filing of eviction actions in court and prevent utility shutoffs, but do not affect the bills incurred or the obligation to pay. “I know that those get into sticky territory because you’re asking a private sector to make to make sacrifices themselves. Not all commercial landlords are the same, right? Some people have a lot of money where that might be something that they can do and not collect rent for three months, whereas there are probably other commercial landlords who have mortgages that they’re paying, so they need that money,” Brady said. “I know that this is a really difficult thing that we’re asking. We’re not the only city, though, who is looking into this,” she said, citing New York City as well as places in California and Massachusetts.

Despite sales down 75%, Hometown Poké probably is fortunate and faring better than many others in food service, Brady acknowledged, since it was never focused on dine-in, but she said that 30% of her annual revenue is from events that may all be canceled. Two and a half years ago, she said, the operation started as a food truck and the brick-and-mortar storefront only opened a year and a half ago. While the food truck has not been running over the winter, “We were supposed to start the food truck going up to Boston April 1, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen… That’s a huge loss for us. We go up there three days a week,” she said, and their catering business has also tanked with $7,000 canceled in the past week.

Nevertheless, the personal consequences to Brady are significant and she is worried. “I bought a house in October. So now I have a mortgage. Things had been going really well with our business before and so it felt like things were pretty stable at that point. They are obviously not now. If I don’t have money, I’m not going to be paying myself and then I can’t pay my mortgage. That means that [they] foreclose on your house. Again, there’s just a lot of downstream effects from this,” she said.

The mortgage may not be the worst of it, either. “My parents, I’m obviously concerned about their health. My dad was diagnosed with cancer in November, and then went through radiation in December and he just finished a couple of weeks ago. So obviously, he is one of the most at-risk populations for this right now. I’m really worried about him. I won’t have any contact with him right now. He wants to see me, but I can’t: I work with the general public and I just don’t want to take that risk with him. So I haven’t seen my dad for a couple of weeks now,” she said. “My dad is 74 years old and he really is the worst person to to get this. If he got this, I don’t know that he would survive it. So I think about that a lot. That weighs on me.”

Brady supports the moves the state has made in support of social distancing, even with the dire economic consequences, because she sees that as a moral obligation, she said. “Either people are kind of really freaked out about it, or they’re taking it very lightly. For me, my biggest fear is getting somebody else sick. I obviously don’t want to get sick myself. But my biggest fear is getting somebody, somebody I care about, sick: my parents, customers, my staff – I would never want that. There’s definitely a weight of that and a feeling of personal responsibility to make sure that I’m doing my part. If I’m not at the store or at my house, then that’s it.”

Responding to the comments by Gov. Raimondo at her press conference, Brady was doubtful that the magnitude of her situation had been appreciated in light of her contributions as a small business owner. “As a new business, I don’t have years of profits that I am just sitting on. I dutifully pay our sales and [meal-and-beverage] taxes every single month. I pay our payroll taxes. I pay our tangible taxes. I pay our state and federal taxes. I do so because that is the cost of doing business in a state and country that I love. These taxes pay for things that I care about. But, when we are staring down the abyss with no end in sight, and my friends and I are at risk of losing the businesses that we poured our into, I am asking the government to do their duty by us, as we have done by them. I am asking for compassion during a time when we are making personal sacrifices and gut wrenching decisions to ensure our businesses can survive this, and we can continue to employ our staff. This is not the airline industry. This is not 38 Studios. This is your favorite coffee shop, restaurant, cafe, boutique and salon. We are your friends and your neighbors, and we are asking for help.”