Nurturing a houseplant is a soothing hobby. You get to watch your plant thrive and positively respond to the love that you give it. Many people took to gardening during the pandemic as a way to distract themselves from the chaos of the outside world. more

Local organizations Downtown Lansing Inc. and Capital Point Investments have organized a fun day of unique activities spread out all across Downtown Lansing this Saturday. Those who venture downtown … more

On this revamped edition of City Pulse On the Air, arts editor Skyler Ashley interviews frequent City Pulse collaborator Nevin Speerbrecker. more

Deadtime Stories, a REO Town book shop dedicated to true crime, paranormal and other horror-tinged fare, is expanding to include a gift shop, even more media including films and, eventually, an ice cream parlor. more

A new festival is coming to Lansing that aims to prove just how fun the paranormal can be. more

Each June, Mackinac Island’s thousands of lilac bushes go in bloom and transform the island into a majestic profusion of purples, whites and pinks. more

Blair, who served as Michigan’s governor during the Civil War, is depicted in bronze standing with his left hand resting on a Civil War battle flag. But walk around the back of the monument dedicated in 1898, read one of three quotes from Blair, and you’ll see something that makes the monument almost one of a kind. more

Now on its second LP, the Conspicuous Bystanders continue to perfect its brand of dramatic rock ’n roll that is powerfully gritty yet dynamically soulful. more

In 2021, few bystanders will bat an eye at an LGBTQ pride parade, and cantankerous right-wing protesters often find themselves drowned out by a rainbow sea of bodies. While there’s work required toward LGBTQ acceptance forevermore, events like pride rallies, marches and parades become more normalized as each year passes. But this acceptance didn’t come from nowhere — it took decades of hard work and statewide networking and organizing efforts.  more

For all their diversity, this year’s recipients share two rare attributes. They excel at bringing people together and they are passionate and tireless builders of safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community. more

Tim Retzloff is an historian who teaches LGBTQ studies at Michigan State University as an adjunct assistant professor. His favorite thing is none other than a signed copy of the script to his favorite film, the 1971 classic dark comedy “Harold and Maude.” more

In 2001, after much hand-wringing, The New York Times began accepting engagement and wedding announcements for gay marriages. The very first one arrived when the paper ran Daniel Andrew Gross and Steven Goldstein’s wedding announcement. Just one year earlier, it had declined to run a similar announcement. more

Farm-to-table is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in the restaurant industry. Some restaurants may guarantee farm fresh food but fail to follow through on that promise. Risen Breakfast and Bakery, opening in downtown Mason this fall, will source all of its ingredients from local farms in the area. more

On Halloween 2016, The Dicks played its final show at Grizzly Hall in Austin, Texas—the city that birthed the trailblazing hardcore punk band. This last hurrah came 36 years after the raucous band’s formation in 1980—the onset of the Reagan era. more

Greenwood District Studios, founded by a Lansing-based comedian and filmmaker known only by his stage name Amaru, is a Black-owned independent film studio that has made a home in the former building that housed the Lansing Mall Cinema, located across the street from the Lansing Mall.   more

Willow Tree, a nonprofit organization that offers family services, has created a special pride event in order to give people an opportunity to celebrate both LGTBQ pride and Black culture. The event will have free LGBTQ-themed books for the first 30 families to arrive, literature with history about Black pride and free barbecued food, including vegetarian options, for all. more

It appears the pandemic may be nearing its final chapters as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted across Michigan this week. In a strange way, I think I’m going to miss the government forcing me to have lazy afternoons at home with a bong. I’m still not quite ready to start shaking hands.  more

Jaime Bozack is a Michigan State University graduate who travels between Los Angeles and Michigan as a producer and writer. In 2017, she interned with Conan O’Brien’s talk show on TBS, “Conan.” Her favorite thing is a coffee mug O’Brien left to her as a memento for her time on the show.  more

It’s finally time to break out the beach towels and enjoy a good book while soaking up the summer heat.  more

Over the years, as a music journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with dozens of creatives with amazing, sometimes heroically brave backstories. One of my most memorable conversations was with Grammy and Academy Award winner Melissa Etheridge.  more