Stories,photos

136 results total, viewing 11 - 20

Trees have spoken to me pretty much all my life: Every day is Tu B’Shevat to me! Yeah, I learned from poems, even Joyce Kilmer’s famous lines, which turned into the lyrics to the … more

Mike Fink | 2/2/24

It’s no fable: Jewish culture is far-reaching

Aesop, of the Fables, was taken hostage and enslaved by the Athenian Greeks: Is the central moral of his tales, in any sense, Jewish? Well, the very word , or name, “Aesop” is … more

Mike Fink | 1/7/24

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