Key Pages:
13 Things 2008
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
[email protected]
It is clear that there is a place in the Phoenix for the voices of local artists and business owners. These groups are interviewed, reported on, and promoted throughout each issue of the paper. But what about 'Joe Providence,' the Providence resident who doesn't give back to his city through the lens of art or entertainment?
In the Dr. Lovemonkey column, near the front of the paper, Dr. Lovemonkey himself, the anonymous love guru of the Phoenix, carries out a delayed conversation with anonymous, love-struck readers. Although the published readers are presented under pseudonyms, they are nonetheless provided with evidence of the fact that a local publication is willing to listen to, and attempt to solve, their problems. Another problem-solving service offered to Joe Providence is the weekly Dating Page. Like Dr. Lovemonkey, the Dating Page encourages readers to interact with the publication and use it to suit their own personal needs. Below the catch phrase "The people you've always wanted to meet & more ways to meet them!", the Phoenix offers the phone numbers needed to both answer and place personal ads. Once again, the individual's true identity is protected from prying eyes, and is only revealed to those with whom his personal description strikes a chord. In this sense the newspaper acts as an agent through which community members can make personal connections. However, the paradox rears its ugly head once again, as we picture the unlucky reader simultaneously browsing the Dating Page and missing an opportunity to strike up conversation with the pretty blonde sitting next to him on the bus (See I the individual reader). While the Phoenix provides a place for individuals to make connections, it cannot insure social success.
Back to Form: paper, ink and the mosaic