Grand Rapids Public Library

Do you have a legal question on Child Support and/or Friend of the Court?  Here’s an opportunity to connect with a legal expert for free. Tomorrow’s Ask-the-Lawyer session at the Grand Rapids Public Library will feature a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association along with an expert attorney in Child Support and Friend of [...]

I tried to hide it for years, but I think now I’m coming to terms with it. I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 28.  I was always the odd one out.  Of course, most of my friends had their driver’s licenses when they were 16.  There were a plethora of reasons I [...]

My morning commute took 60 minutes today.  It normally takes 11…if I lollygag. Even when the salt trucks are out and there’s slush on the roads, I still manage to make it to work in 30 minutes.  I had assumed, mistakenly it seems, that with Winter safely behind us I’d have easy, zippy sunshine-filled commutes [...]

When I was little and spent most of my days playing double-dutch, kickball and running as fast as my legs could carry me, I distinctly remember my parents, coaches and other adults telling me about sportsmanship.  You know, that fine art of being competitive while still respecting your teammates and other players?  It seems to [...]

I know, I know.  Eww.  It’s not good any way you look at it. Earth Week is right around the corner and I think it’s the perfect time for the pink slime controversy to have come to public attention.  If you haven’t watched the ABC News reports, I’ll sum it up.  Basically, microbiologists came up [...]

My dad was born in Mississippi.  As a child when my curiosity reigned, I would ask him where exactly he was born and he would say “Foote, Mississippi” and I would giggle and giggle.  I just knew that there was no such place.  But, there is.  My dad could never tell me much about it.  [...]

If you’re anything like me, you love to watch those rabidly frugal couponers on TLC’s breakout series Extreme Couponing.  It thrills me to no end to watch them stressing like NYSE stockbrokers at the checkout counter of their local grocery store, sweat beading on their foreheads as the cashier grips a massive pile of brightly [...]

An interesting way to wrap up Black History Month for avid readers is to check out Doug Merlino’s first book, The Hustle.  I think that some of the best creative nonfiction comes from writers who draw on their own life experiences to tell their own personal truth.  This is probably why memoirs like Jeanette Wall’s [...]

One of the best parts of Taste of Soul Sunday, I’ve heard, is the Taste part.  Soul Food is integral to African-American culture and in that vein, some of the most popular African-American restaurants will be offering up nibbles and tastes of their culinary fare at Taste of Soul Sunday. Chez Olga I’ve never dined [...]

I am already getting excited to experience my first Taste of Soul Sunday on Sunday, February 20th and it’s rapidly approaching in just four weeks time.  I’ve heard lots of good things about the food, music, lectures and performances that TOSS has to offer – and this year should live up to my expectations. Particularly, [...]