The Virtue of an Educated Voter This is a must read from The American Scholar, the Phi Beta Kappa magazine. The Founders believed that a well-informed electorate preserves our fragile democracy and benefits American society as a whole.”
Providence Journal Earlier Columns
From her Pizzagaina to Zeppole, Grandma Was Queen The Pairing of Music and Art at Boston Athenaeum Mixing Politics and Pastry Finding the secret to lifelong love All about Grandma’s candy drawer Turn 2016 into a year of gratitude My Army Dad and the Perfect Tree Master Thieves, a relationship reminder After the fig tree…
When She Wasn't Baking, She Was Crocheting
Posted Aug 4, 2016 at 9:30 PM/ By Rita Watson Special to The Journal It was during a holiday visit to Cape Cod recently that we began to reminisce about Italian customs and remembrances. Zia Concetta, often in her pink chenille robe and matching hair curlers, loved her bed dolls with their rows upon rows of ruffles. Uncle Ronaldo called them…
Stop Texting and Start Talking
Telling someone you love them is more powerful than any text. By Rita WatsonSpecial to The Journal When it comes to texting instead of talking, I confess to being guilty. However, after re-reading Sherry Turkle’s “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age,” I reviewed some of my own articles on texting and…
Music and the Boston Athenaeum
As an academic member of the Boston Athenaeum, through my appointment at Suffolk University, Department of English, I often find myself attending concerts there. Although the Athenaeum is a private institution, concerts are open to the public. Here is a sample of some of the pieces I have written to give you a flavor of…
June meant lilacs, brides and bocce
Rita Watson’s Italian Kisses: June meant lilacs, brides and bocce Late-blooming lilacs, biscotti, bridal bags and bocce balls were signs of June at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Rita Watson’s mother, Clara Rose, in 1944, when she was 24 years old. Rita remember…[+] By Rita Watson Special to The Journal Posted Jun. 9, 2016 @ 9:00…
Summer Rituals: Fireworks, Flying Horses, and Frozen Custard
By Rita Watson Summer rituals and fireworks always take my breath away. Growing up Italian, we loved having any excuse for a celebration. One of my favorite times was gathering on the lawn at Grandma and Grandpa’s house on the water to watch the fireworks. Then the next day we strolled along the boardwalk to a…
Kind Commencement Words Counter Political Negativity
By Rita Watson Special to The Journal Posted May. 26, 2016 @ 9:00 pm During this month of graduations, in a nation inundated by political name-calling, I am reminded of two commencement speeches that resonated with words of kindness and justice.Former President Jimmy Carter spoke at Trinity College in 1998 at the graduation of one of…
Italian Kisses: Biscotti for fabric, a fair trade
Special to The Journal Posted May. 12, 2016 @ 9:30 pm To Grandma, looking fashionable was as simple as taking off the white baker’s apron that usually hugged her pastel-colored house dress. It was only on Sunday, when she dressed for church in her navy blue gabardine dress with the lace collar, that we could…
Grandma's Rose-Colored Words
Rita Watson’s Italian Kisses: Grandma tried to avoid unkind words By Rita Watson Special to The Journal Posted Apr. 14, 2016 @ 9:00 pm Grandma believed in clichés, euphemisms and kind words. “Bless instead of curse, because curses come home,” was a favorite saying. Grandma may not have seen the world through rose-colored glasses, but she…