Last week, Lawrence Cosentino offered an eloquent look back at all the Greater Lansing arts scene had to offer in 2023, but there’s much more to come in 2024. While I can’t list every theater production, concert, festival and art exhibition in store for this year, I’ve compiled some highlights that should help fill freshly unwrapped calendars while we wait for more announcements to come. more

Matea Caluk, 37, was born in Bosnia but moved to Lansing with her family in the late 1990s as refugees of the Bosnian War. A 10-year Michigan State University employee, Caluk was recently appointed chief of staff of the Residence Education and Housing Services Department. In her free time, she also serves on the Ingham County Racial Equity Task Force and the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce DEI Committee and is a co-founder of 3KIND Perspective, a local DEI consulting service. more

Kolmarge Harris, 48, has helped keep boxing alive in Lansing for more than 20 years — as well as providing numerous health and fitness opportunities —with his nonprofit Lansing Spartans Youth Organization, which has spread to Mt. Pleasant. After his life began on the rough west side of Chicago, Harris’ father moved his family to Lansing and involved him in Golden Gloves. He also helped him overcome dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder. more

Mohammad Hassan Khalil, 44, is an East Lansing native who has served as the director of Michigan State University’s Muslim studies program since 2013. He teaches religious studies and is an adjunct professor of law at MSU. Khalil has written two books on Islamic thought and recently co-produced “American Jedi: The Salman Hamdani Story,” a 2023 documentary film about a Muslim-American who died while rescuing others on 9/11. more

Elizabeth Hernandez has devoted her personal time to volunteerism in Greater Lansing in the past 15 years with Lansing Kiwanis Club, Greater Lansing Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, NorthWest Initiative, Do1Thing, the Lansing Old Newsboys and others. Hernandez, 50, was born in Lansing as one of 11 children and grew up in Detroit before returning. She is a process improvement adviser in strategic planning and development at the Lansing Board of Water & Light. She has three adult children. more

Ozay Moore, 42, is a hip-hop artist, DJ and founder and executive director of All of the Above Hip Hop Academy, a nonprofit organization that provides hip-hop-related classes, workshops and performance opportunities for local youth. He also co-founded 2019’s Below the Stacks mural festival, which resulted in the creation of 11 murals on buildings throughout Lansing. He grew up in Seattle and lived in Portland, Oregon, for a short time before moving to Lansing to start a family in 2006. more

Next month, Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. will mount a production of “How to Defend Yourself,” a play about a group of sorority sisters who gather for a self-defense class after one of them is raped. Written by Liliana Padilla, the play premiered off-Broadway last year after winning the Yale Drama Series Prize in 2019. more

It’s a safe bet that in the last 20 years, few Michigan authors have been more prolific or involved in more writing gigs than Anne-Marie Oomen. She has likely won more writing awards than any other living Michigan author, including four Michigan Notable Book awards, and she recently added the 2023-2024 Michigan Author Award to her credentials. more

For more than a decade, Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers has been a fixture in Michigan’s indie music scene and beyond. The group’s dynamic new LP, “Pursuit of Wonder,” … more

Lansing Roller Derby is holding orientations for its adult basic skills boot camp 7 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 4) and 5 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 7). The first orientation will be virtual, and the second will be … more

The Punk Art Collective, a club that meets once a month at The Avenue to allow artists of all skill levels to work on projects or create new pieces, is celebrating its first anniversary 9 p.m. Friday … more

Sandra Seaton is the winner of the Mark Twain Award from the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature. The author of 14 plays, opera librettos, a spoken-word piece and short fiction, her best … more

Lansing-area residents can welcome in the new year this weekend with events ranging from dances, drag shows and concerts to a masquerade party and a magic show. If you’ve already made plans for Sunday, there are also art exhibitions, kids’ activities and concerts to enjoy in the days prior. more

In the first week of November, I got an email from an angry Lansing culture lover. “I need to clone myself,” the reader complained. “I can’t go to all of these things.” more

If you were one of the lucky ones who got a gift card from a local bookstore this holiday season, here are some ideas for books to spend it on. more

Father Time is about to spank the first cries out of Baby New Year 2024, which means it’s time to celebrate some highlights of the 2023 theater scene in Greater Lansing. more

Greater Lansing will come alive Sunday evening (Dec. 31) with events for all ages and interests to help ring in the new year. This year seemed to fly by, but there’s still time for one more night of debauchery or family-friendly fun to send 2023 off with a bang. more

For those with kids ages 5 to 11 who are looking for some winter break entertainment, Impression 5 Science Center is hosting day camps Wednesday through Friday (Dec. 27 through 29) and Tuesday (Jan. … more

Betty Baxter, a breezy jazz vocalist with a winning, lowkey presence and an encyclopedic knowledge of the Great American Songbook, died Thursday morning at 91 after fighting off several health problems. more

With Christmas coming up on Monday, many will be traveling to visit family or departing for winter break vacations this weekend. For those celebrating in town, however, there are a variety of holiday events to enjoy, including free ice skating, dance parties, a 5K run/walk, a blues concert and much more. more