Kent County Girls on the Run (KCGOTR) have teamed up with the Grand Rapids Art Museum to bring the LUNAFEST film festival to Grand Rapids on Friday, April 23. The prestigious traveling film festival showcases woman-made films exploring current women’s issues.

• Grand Rapids Art Museum
• Kent County Girls on the Run
• LUNAFEST
• film festival

If the vinyl sales boom hadn’t pulled Vertigo Music out of dire straits amid the MP3 uprising, Vertigo Music store manager Herm Baker would’ve found another solution to keep the store afloat. Failure is not an option for this music-shop veteran.

• Grand Rapids
• west michigan
• vertigo music
• herm baker
• vinyl
• record store day

Not all children prefer to zone out in front of electronic devices all day. For the agile all-agers there are always some active options. This month West Michigan is host to everything from the high energy b-boy element of hip-hop to high-flying fun at a local skate park. It’s time to burn some calories — then unwind at a flea market or Disney production.

Stu McCallister has hosted the Funniest Person in Grand Rapids competition for eight years now. At this point, he’s always frank with the newcomers taking the stage for the first time. 

“I’m completely honest. I say, ‘You’re not going to win,’” McCallister said. “So many people have this thing where they come in like, ‘I’m gonna f*ckin’ win,’ and I tell them, ‘There are 90 people in this contest. One person wins. You’re not going to be that person.’”

If you fancy a cup of tea, try on this gold metallic, hand-painted, lip-stained mug with gold edging. The cure for drab weather and sour moods, this refined china piece (not dishwasher safe) runs $16 and is the definition of a simple pleasure. “It’s time to take those daily routine items and make them something special or out of the ordinary,” said Spring Sweet, owner of the shop with the same name in Holland.

When Nardos Osterhart wanted to practice public speaking for her day job, she turned to unconventional training to help her master the art of delivery.

• LaughFest
• comedy
• laugh riot dolls

Whether it’s a duet or a mass protest, something incredible happens when human voices join together. The convergence of different ideas and expressions allows us to see, think and feel from a perspective far broader than our own. This is especially true in the world of poetry, where many are finding that collaboration both in and outside of the medium reveals a wealth of untapped potential.

It's time to face the facts, film lovers: there's not much new going on in Hollywood. I mean, we love thrills and inspiring stories as much as the next person, but at this point we get it — the misunderstood hero fights the bad guy, and after a bunch of explosions and witty banter the good guy wins, gets the girl and leaves enough ambiguity at the end of the film to option a sequel.

When Iliza Shlesinger started pursing stand-up out of college, there weren't a whole lot of women in the audience and there even less performing on stages alongside her.

• LaughFest

As far as benchmark goals are concerned, The Don’t We Boys are ahead of schedule. Shortly before recruiting Scott Erickson as their third member near the end of last summer, sketch comedians Joe Anderson and A.J. Schraeder of The Don't We Boys wrote up a list of goals for 2015.

• Grand Rapids
• LaughFest
• don't we boys
• compass college