Journalists and citizens who file Freedom of Information Act requests often expect delay or denial, unfortunately, that can impact  your daily life. Oftentimes, the lack of information provided by governmental agencies limit the ability to investigate issues, protect individuals or open the doors of justice. istockphoto

Did you know that you can ask for the documents below under FOIA (Freedom of Information Act)?

 "Changes" by Aseel Machi.  Her honest poem about change in Lansing primarily due to losses in the auto industry. Pictured is the depressing sight, where mighty factories once stood, while riding down Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.  Photo by Aseel Machi

The HerStories Project celebrates Women's History Month in March at the Everybody Reads bookstore, 2019 East Michigan Avenue. The free program on Saturday afternoons showcases stories about women. Events include storytelling, writing workshops, and author readings. The final event is the Benefit Show and Open Mike, a fundraiser for the Women's Center of Greater Lansing. The public is invited to join events without registration except for participation in workshops and the Open Mike. Updates are available at http://deyofthephoenix.com/herstories, and inquiries are welcome by emailherstories.project@gmail.com or phone (517) 346-9900.

As Barack and Michelle Obama get ready to celebrate their 17th anniversary--their first as President and First Lady--on October 3rd, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Christopher Andersen claims they are "the most real, down-to-earth, quintessentially American First Couple we've ever had in the White House. Whatever your politics, it's almost impossible not to admire them on a personal level."

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster
Released: September 22, 2009
ISBN: 781439158906

Meet much loved Michigan author Beverly Jenkins, as she talks about her 2009 release Bring on the Blessings

“Can his pals cheer him up?
Will his pout ever end?
Is there something he can learn
From an unexpected friend?”

 
Author Who Writes About How One Mistake Sacrifices Youth
Visits Lansing Bookstore

 Sleeping with the Enemy: God’s Man

The Wedding Officer

By Anthony Capella

“A Hope in the Unseen”

By Mashaun D Simon

The Capital Area Reads One Book is hosting distinguished author James McBride on Monday, April 20, 2009 to discuss his most recent book A Song Unsung. This highly acclaimed novel was selected for 2009 by the Capital Area District Library Reads Committee to spark a community-wide reading that will stimulate discussion and the exchange of ideas. This annual project is a labor of love for the Capital Area Reads Committee. The undertaking to choose a book begins with the reading of four selections that are subjected to an extensive review process. Each book is discussed and debated by the committee based on criteria that assesses readability, literary quality, and a story line that is thought provoking.

A former teacher reveiws the book "Happy to be Nappy"

Moses
By Carole Boston Weatherford – Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
ISBN:  0-7868-5175-9
Publisher:  Hyperion
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

FLOWER EXPERT J Schwanke

Keesha’s Bright Idea
By Eleanor May Illustrated by Amy Wummer
ISBN:  978-1-57565-273-3
Publisher:  The Kane Press
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

How To Disappear Completely
By Troy Nethercott
ISBN:  978-1419682278
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Someday
By Alison McGhee and Peter Reynolds
ISBN:  978-1-4169-2811-9
Publisher:  Atheneum Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

An Angel Just Like Me
By Mary Hoffman – Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu
ISBN:  978-1-84507-733-4
Publisher:  Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

The Wednesday Letters
By Jason Wright
ISBN:  978-0-425-22347-5
Publisher:  Berkley Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 
 

Love Matters
By Delilah
ISBN:  0-373-89200-4
Publisher:  Harlequin
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

My Stroke of Insight
By Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor
ISBN:  978-0-670-02074-4
Publisher:  Viking
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

Junie B. Jones and some Sneaky Peeky Spying
By Barbara Park
ISBN:  978-0-679-85101-1
Publisher:  Random House
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Shopgirl
By Steve Martin
ISBN:  1-4013-0827-9
Publisher:  Hyperion
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in Her Pocket
By Barbara Park
ISBN:  978-0-375-80040-5
Publisher:  Random House
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

The Pursuit of Happyness
By Chris Gardner
ISBN:  0-06-074487-1
Publisher:  Amistad
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

Water for Elephants
By Sara Gruen
ISBN:  13-978-1-56512-560-5
Publisher:  Algonquin Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Our Black Fathers:  Brave, Bold and Beautiful
By Various Authors
ISBN: 978-0-9817784-0-2
Publisher: Sisters Publishing
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Live What You Love
By Bob and Melinda Blanchard
ISBN:  1-4027-2842-5
Publisher:  Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Celebrate Through Heartsongs
By Mattie J. T. Stephanek
ISBN:  0-7868-6945-3
Publisher:  Hyperion Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

The Secret Life of Bees
By Sue Monk
ISBN:  0-14-200174-0
Publisher:  Penguin
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Congo
By Hugo Daems
ISBN:  978-1-4343-2116-9
Publisher:  AuthorHouse
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

From Noon Until Midnight
By Christopher Catledge
ISBN:  978-0-595-45041-1
Publisher:  iUniverse, Inc.
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

Playing for Pizza
By John Grisham
ISBN:  978-0-385-52500-8
Publisher:  Doubleday
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

All That Matters
By Jan Goldstein
ISBN:  1-4013-0110-/x
Publisher:  Hyperion
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

I’ve Already Forgotten Your Name, Philip Hall
By Bette Greene
ISBN:  0-06-051835-9
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

The Mermaid Chair
By Sue Monk Kidd
ISBN:  0-670-03394-4
Publisher:  Viking
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Proverbs for the People
Edited by Tracy Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall
ISBN:  0-7582-0287-3
Publisher:  Dafina Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and Kensington Publishing Corp. (www.kensingtonbooks.com)

Give God The Glory
By Kevin Wayne Johnson
ISBN:  0-9752572-9-3
Publisher:  Tate Publishing LLC
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and www.tatepublishing.com

Boss of Lunch
By Barbara Park
ISBN:  0-375-80294-0
Publisher: Random House
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

Dolphins at Daybreak
By Mary Pope Osborne
ISBN:  0-679-88338-X
Publisher:  Random House
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Situations 101
By Bern Nadette Stanis
ISBN:  0-9770361-0-3
Publisher:  Worthingham Publishing
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 
 

Actress-turned-author Bern Nadette Stanis - who will be speaking along with actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner at the Lansing Center Feb. 23 - is not only an icon in urban entertainment, but also a role model for generations.

Where Inspiration Lives
Edited by John Miller and Aaron Kenedi
ISBN:  1-57731-241-4
Publisher: New World Library
Available: Bookstores everywhere
 

After The Fall
By Donald Hilliard
ISBN:  0-7684-2496-8
Publisher:  Destiny Image
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and
www.destinyimage.com
 

Rooms Of The Heart
By Donna Hill
ISBN:  1-58571-219-1
Publisher:  Genesis Press
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 
 

Snitch Craft
By Edrea Davis
ISBN:  0-9786974-0-5
Publisher:  Dogon Village Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and www.snitchcraft.com
 
 

Rooms Of The Heart
By Donna Hill
ISBN:  1-58571-219-1
Publisher:  Genesis Press
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

The Rainbow
By Pearl S. Buck
ISBN:  671-80319-0
Publisher:  Pocket Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and Pearl S. Buck House

Never Again
By Flora Nwapa
ISBN:  0-86543-319-4
Publisher:  Africa World Press
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and Africa World Press

Now Is The Time To Open Your Heart
By Alice Walker
ISBN:  0-965-90060-6
Publisher:  Random House
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

The Rainbow
By Pearl S. Buck
ISBN:  671-80319-0
Publisher:  Pocket Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and Pearl S. Buck House
 

Children's books from the Capital Area District Library

From the Capitol Area Library comes Goldin, Barbara. (1996). Coyote and the fire stick: A Pacific Northwest Indian tale San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company and  Aardema, V.(1975). Why mosquitos buzz in people's ears: West African tale. New York: Scholastic Book Services.

Books from the Capitol Area District Library.

Books from the Capitol Area Library

Books from the Capital Area District Library for Children

Jaffe, N. (1998). The way meat loves salt: A Cinderella tale from the Jewish tradition.
    New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

Poems From The Heart
By Annette Hoggs-Jackson
ISBN:  1-932503-45-5
Publisher:  Insight Publishing Group
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and http://www.annettehoggs-jackson.com
 
 

CELEBRATE FATHER'S DAY WITH CELEBRATED CLASSIC BY DR. LARRY C. HARRIS, IT ALL STARTS AT HOME.

Long Walk Up
By Denise Turney
ISBN:  0-9663539-3-5
Publisher:  Chistell Publishing
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and www.chistell.com

The Bridges of Madison County
By Robert James Waller
ISBN:  0-446-51652-X
Publisher:  Warner Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

Many Faces to Many Places
By Judy LeBlanc
ISBN:  1-594678-66-9
Publisher:  Xulon Press
Available:  Bookstores and www.xulonpress.com

Mose T A to Z:  The Folk Art of Mose Tolliver
By Anton Haardt
ISBN:  0-9753842-09000
Publisher:  Saturno Press
Available:  Bookstores everywhere and
www.saturnopress.com

Salt In His Shoes
By Deloris Jordan with Roslyn Jordan (illustrations by Kadir Nelson)
ISBN:  0-689-83419-50
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Available at:  Bookstores everywhere

Waiting
By Ha Jin
ISBN-1-58788-004-0
Publisher: Brilliance
Available at:  Bookstores everywhere

After reviewing several “business bestseller” lists for the year, and reflecting on books I have read, I selected three titles that I feel are some of the best business books for 2006.

Author: Nicholas Sparks

ISBN: 0-446-60523-0

Publisher: Warner Books

Available: At bookstores everywhere

The events that happen to the wife and mother in Tobacco Stains are, at times, so intensely painful and shocking, it is amazing that the book is based on real life experiences.

When Rosa Parks grew up in Montgomery, Alabama she witnessed firsthand the unfair rules and laws that brown skinned people in America.

Secret Lovers
By Patricia Anne Phillips, Maxine Thompson and Michelle McGriff
ISBN:  1-59983-002-7
Publisher:  Kensington
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Maybe You Never Cry Again
By Bernie Mac
ISBN:  0-06-053473-7
Publisher:  HarperCollins Publishers
Available:  At bookstores everywhere

Bare Necessity
By Carole Matthews
ISBN:  0-06-055710-9
Publisher:  HarperCollins Publishers
Available:  At bookstores everywhere

The Rhythm of Life
By Matthew Kelly
ISBN: 9-780743-538404
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Available: At bookstores everywhere

You Come Too
By Robert Frost
ISBN: 0-8050-6985-2
Publisher: Henry Holt
Available: At bookstores everywhere

Granny’s Old Hands
By Celestine Starks
ISBN: 1-4208-8098-5
Publisher:  Author House
Available: www.authorhouse.com

Miracle’s Boys
By Jacqueline Woodson
ISBN:  0-399-23113-7
Publisher:  G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Easier Than You Think
By Dr. Richard Carlson
ISBN:  0-06-075888-0
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Reach
By Laila Ali
ISBN:  0-7868-6855-4
Publisher:  Hyperion
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

A Younger Man
By Rochelle Alers
ISBN:  0-373-8108-X
Publisher:  Silhouette Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

    The new Harry Potter book is in the hands of millions of eager readers today. Curriculum specialist/writer Colleen O'Brien explores the term "half-blood," offering critical insight into the world of magic, muggles and mudbloods.

Soaring On Clipped Wings
By Darcel Williams
ISBN:  1-930586-96-5
Publisher:  Millennial Mind Publishing
Available:  www.darcelwilliams.com or www.american-book.com

The Way A Door Closes
By Hope Anita Smith (with illustrations by Shane W. Evans)
ISBN:  0-8050-6477-X
Publisher:  Henry Holt and Company
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

 
The Right Questions
By Debbie Ford
ISBN:  0-06-251784-8
Publisher:  Harper Collins
Available:  Bookstores everywhere
 

   ROME, GA - For more than 16 years on death row, Billy Neal Moore taught and preached to fellow inmates and the American public about Christ's love. Miraculously, his life was spared just seven hours prior to his execution time. He describes his experiences in his new autobiography, I Shall Not Die: Seventy-two Hours on Death Watch (now available through AuthorHouse).

Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now
By Maya Angelou
ISBN:  0-553-56907-4
Publisher:  Bantam
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Blink
By Malcolm Gladwell
ISBN:  0-316-17232-4
Publisher:  Little, Brown and Company
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Blink
By Malcolm Gladwell
ISBN:  0-316-17232-4
Publisher:  Little, Brown and Company
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

The Fire Next Time
By James Baldwin
ISBN:  0-679-74472-X
Publisher:  Random House
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

The Red Notebook
By Paul Auster
ISBN:  0-812-1498-2
Publisher:  New Directions Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

The Red Notebook
By Paul Auster
ISBN:  0-812-1498-2
Publisher:  New Directions Books
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

Sunrise
By Chassie West
ISBN:  0-06-108110-8
Publisher:  Harper Collins
Available:  Bookstores everywhere

The Mammy
By Brendan O’Carroll
ISBN:  0-452-28103-2
Publisher:  Plume
Available:  Bookstores everywhere