Local Author Pens 'Rhode Island 101'

Ever wondered what Rhode Island slang was and what it might mean? Tim Lehnert explains slang phrases such as “Italian sports page” and “Rhode Island roll” in his recently published a book from MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc. called Rhode Island 101: Everything you wanted to know about Rhode Island and were going to ask anyway.

In its 248 pages, he compiles trivia, facts, and history about Rhode Island into 13 chapters ranging from timelines to state slang to the state’s economy and everything in between.

“I definitely don’t consider this a comprehensive book about Rhode Island,” Lehnert said. “I had a lot of flexibility with what I could put in there and so it ended up being a lot of fun for me cause I got to learn a lot too; Rhode Island is an endless source of history.”

Lehnert said that this kind of book works for a place such as Rhode Island where everything is very close and towns are close together.

“This type of book wouldn’t work for a state such as Texas where it’s unlikely that people in San Antonio care about what’s happening in Houston cause they are so far away from each other,” Lehnert said. “It works in Rhode Island cause everyone wants to hear about the culture and history of their surrounding towns.”

So far, Lehnert says he has had great response about the book.

“People have really liked it a lot and even though it came out two years ago, I updated it this year since it has a kind of almanac feel to it,” Lehnert said.  The book can be found at Barnes and Noble and most independent bookstores carry it also.

A resident of Cranston, Lehnert is a freelance writer and editor and has had his work in publications such as the Projo, Rhode Island Monthly, and The Boston Globe. His fiction has appeared in literary magazines across the United States and Canada.