Former Providencian Arthur Jones returns to town tonight to hawk his new book Post-It Note Diaries, amusing post-it sketches of tales from writers like Chuck Klosterman, David Rakoff, and Jonathan Goldstein.

The event is at 6:30 pm at art gallery Buonaccorsi + Agniel at One Sims Avenue, #102. Go here for more information and to reserve a seat.

Happy New Year, all. And we start 2010 with a departure from the usual political and media fare, for an interesting bit of arts news: a small coup for Lupo's, with alt-country superstars Wilco scheduled to play the Providence venue April 4 - one of the smallest spots on an international tour that will include a stop at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon.

Oh, it's not over. Weeks after talk radio finished beating on Mayor David Cicilline for the "P" - you know, the little orange letter meant to rebrand Providence as the "Creative Capital" - our favorite little controversy resurfaced yesterday with a front-page piece in the Wall Street Journal on the local tempest and the broader debate over branding places.

And now, guys and dolls, a little brush with Rhody history.

Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis unveiled a portrait at the State House today of John Clarke, co-founder of the nation's Baptist Church, buyer of Aquidneck Island from the Wampanoags and author of the phrase "lively experiment" made famous by the Rhode Island's Royal Charter.

Kudos + Congrats to Cranston native and former Prov Phoenix intern Sarah Rainone, who's doing some great things in Gotham. Take it away, NY Post:

Oct. 31 - Even though the plot of Sarah Rainone's forthcoming novel, "Love Will Tear Us Apart," focuses on a traditional wedding, this bride's nuptials were anything but the norm.

I yesterday overlooked how John Updike wrote one of my favorite pieces of magazine journalism, a reflection of his versatility and his adoption of New England.

We speak of the New Yorker classic Hub fans bid Kid adieu:

Fenway Park, in Boston, is a lyric little bandbox of a ballpark. Everything is painted green and seems in curiously sharp focus, like the inside of an old-fashioned peeping-type Easter egg.

One of the great men of American letters, he was 76.

Props to my colleague Lou Papineau for passing along the following:

Here’s one of his best passages . . .:

From "Lifeguard":

Here the cinema of life is run backwards. The old are the first to arrive. They are idle, and have lost the gift of sleep. Each of our bodies is a clock that loses time.

Yesterday's Fatal, a mystery by former ProJo reporter Jan Brogan is a great read, and Jan will be at the Providence Borders this Sunday, January 11, from 2-3 pm, to promote her latest effort, Teaser.

Brogan's books are informed by her knowledge of newspapers and the local RI-Massachusetts' terrain, and her knack for humor is evident in her bio:

Speaking of public radio, NPR this morning relayed a story about Somali rapper K'Naan, who -- because he grew up amid the discharge of rocket-propelled grenades in a war-torn capital -- views the tough tales of American gangsta rappers as being pretty light by comparison. As K'Naan noted, it comes down to a matter of perspective.

One of the more interesting things to arrive in the N4N mailbag of late was several issues of Tales of Rocky Point Park, Pawtucket-based artist Jason Mayoh's comic book about the dear departed amusement park. These make for a good read, for Rocky Point and comic book fans alike.

These works by Mayoh, 29, can be purchased at local retailers, including the Time Capsule, Incredible Pulp, and Wild Time Comics, as well as Benny’s, Borders, and Newbury Comics, and via his Web site, talesofrockypointpark.

A few odds and ends . . .

-- Ed Fitzpatrick and yours truly write about the push in RI for the National Popular Vote.

During the Monday evening fundraiser, New Yorker writer Hendrik Hertzberg, a one-time speechwriter for Jimmy Carter, described the Electoral College approach as highly flawed, since it divides the 50 states into "battlegrounds" and "spectators" during presidential elections.

[Asher at Frog and Toad in Providence]

With the economy in rough shape, it makes more sense than ever to support locally owned businesses this holiday season. I write about the topic -- and offer some suggestions -- in this week's Phoenix:

While some shoppers might be lured just by particular merchandise, Asher Schofield, a former graphic designer, also credits localism with helping to spur business, particularly during the current downturn.

I had the pleasure of attending a spirted party a few weeks back at the Pawtucket home of Laurel Casey, the chanteuse and provocateur. Sadly, Laurel's Wednesday night residency at the Sidebar is coming to an end. One can only hope that another local nightspot offers her a home.

Mike Ritz send this word: