Thoughts of home…

From the editor ~ May/June 2026

Dear readers,

Home for me is many things: it’s being by the sea; it’s lying in bed and hearing the cries of the seagulls overhead and the horns of barges on the bay; it’s being on Aquidneck Island, where my roots are planted and my family lives; it’s savoring good espresso; it’s conversations with friends, gathered round tables and at bars; it’s being in my apartment surrounded by art and books and memories; it’s soaking up the sun at Reject’s Beach or people watching from my balcony; it’s pockets of community here and there.

Home is all this and more.

But mostly it’s a feeling.

In this Home-themed issue, we have several stories that evoke feelings of home in different ways — through artmaking and homebuilding, museum dreaming and ocean sailing.

We have an art piece that explores home as a place where roots grow and inspire; two home features that explore different approaches to interior design; a story on Newport’s inaugural Center for Black History, which will examine the layers of a house and the community built in and around it; and a spotlight on the Newport Bermuda Race that is, for many, a race between homeports. As these pieces demonstrate, in ways literal and abstract, “home” can mean many things.

As always, I hope these stories inspire — I’ve been thinking about the art of color-drenching since I met Mattye Dewhirst in her Tiverton home, where we chatted for several hours — and also lead to reflection — after touring a nearly-finished Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House in April, I’m looking forward to seeing the completed Center for Black History once it opens on Juneteenth. Please enjoy reading at your leisure (and always feel free to drop me a note at htouhey@newportlifemagazine.com; I’d love to know what home means to you, too). And cheers to late spring and the onset of warmer weather!

Until July,

Helena

Managing Editor

p.s. Wondering where to find the magazine? Check out this list of retail locations: https://www.newportlifemagazine.com/where-to-buy-nlm/

p.p.s. Interested in subscribing? You can do that here: https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/newport-life-magazine