An artist’s love song: David Small gives ‘Prufrock’ new life
Acclaimed Southwest Michigan artist David Small reimagines "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" through a limited-edition collaboration with Kalamazoo Book Arts Center.
Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo’s name is so distinctive strangers around the world have been known to break into song at hearing the name. With such a recognizable moniker you’d think Kalamazoo wouldn’t need nicknames, but through the years changing names have reflected the city’s refusal to stand still. The Zoo, Celery City and the Mall City are a few. The innovative thinking that brought downtown K’zoo the nation’s first pedestrian mall in 1959 continues to work today. Innovators have developed thriving life sciences, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. They build on the expertise of Kalamazoo’s universities. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Davenport College all are centers of research, development and technology. They surround a downtown vibrating with condos, apartments and homegrown, top-notch restaurants. The universities are woven into the city’s social fabric and contribute to a cultural scene that Kalamazooans love to boast about. The Kalamazoo Symphony, Kalamazoo Institute of Art and a vibrant local theater community are a few of the offerings. Locals also love their festivals that fill the air with music and the scents of ethnic foods wafting over the Arcadia Festival grounds and the Kalamazoo River. Outdoor activities from biking on the Kal-Haven trail to disc golf and standard golf on a nationally-acclaimed course in Milham Park are the start of the city’s leisure side. Sports fans have competitive college teams, minor league baseball and hockey to follow. And it all comes with a Promise. All high school graduates who live in Kalamazoo qualify for a scholarship that pays 100 percent of their tuition at any public university or community college.
Groove for Good: Kalamazoo climate night blends beats and big ideas
Kalamazoo residents are invited to a lively night of music, community conversation, and climate action at “Groove for Good – Climate Action Night,” a fundraiser at Old Dog Tavern supporting local environmental efforts.
Kalamazoo Cookie Exchange to celebrate Women’s History Month and support Black women-owned businesses
Community members will gather March 28 at Urban Exposure Garden for the Kalamazoo Cookie Exchange, a Women’s History Month event celebrating baking, neighborhood connection and three Black women-owned local businesses.
Symphonic Beats celebrates women, proves Kalamazoo’s hip hop culture is thriving
Blending symphony, rap, poetry and dance, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s “Symphonic Beats” celebrated women in hip-hop culture while showcasing the strength of Kalamazoo’s local scene.
Planet Z: Climate anxiety meets Gen Z resolve
Born into a planet in crisis, Gen Z carries the weight of climate anxiety. Planet Z, our yearlong series created by Gen Z writers, explores what it means to come of age in the climate crisis — and how they’re meeting it with collective resolve.
March for Meals Month celebrates 63 Years of delivering more than food in Southwest Michigan
During March for Meals Month, Milestone Senior Services is hosting a baking-themed fundraiser while highlighting how its volunteer-driven Meals on Wheels program delivers nutritious meals and vital wellness checks to hundreds of senior residents each day.
Collaborative collisions: Entrepreneurs ‘Reach Forward’ to find new opportunities and connections in Kalamazoo
The Reach Forward Conversations Event brought local entrepreneurs, product sellers, and buyers together to spark connections that could lead to contracts, growth opportunities, and stronger small-business networks in the Kalamazoo area.
Lighting the Northside: How one church is helping to transform Kalamazoo
From mentoring students and supporting seniors to launching literacy programs and expanding neighborhood resources, Bishop Michael Scott I and Galilee Baptist Church are redefining what it means to be the hands and feet of faith in Kalamazoo’s Northside.
Dial back the decades: Old Skool Bar opens with a no-phones philosophy
Old Skool Bar has opened in downtown Kalamazoo with a retro-inspired, no-phones philosophy, inviting patrons to unplug, connect face-to-face, and enjoy vinyl music, pinball, pool, and dancing in a reimagined entertainment space.
All aboard for a perfectly college ride at WMU Theatre
WMU Theatre’s intimate staging of Keith Bunin’s “The Coast Starlight” captures the restless hope, impulsiveness and emotional rawness of youth, showcasing how college theater turns a deceptively simple train ride into a poignant exploration of growth, connection and exhilarating uncertainty.
