24-hour public library Forest of Wisdom attracts visitors for unique experience

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina ― Jessica McQuillen never saw herself as a preschool teacher. Instructing at an elementary school was always the goal.Still she went down a winding road that led her to the job as the only arts and music teacher at Charlotte’s Thompson Child Development Center, a preschool facility that serves many children from families that have struggled with substance abuse, mental health, poverty or other issues.McQuillen, 44, uses the creative process through Thompson’s art progra

MINNEAPOLIS ― For many, learning how to ride a bike is a rite of passage. For others, it never happens. Now, some adults are finding out what they’ve been missing.Sheldon Mains is helping adults take care of that unfinished childhood business.In a metro area known for its thriving bike culture, Mains discovered that there’s a surprisingly large number of adults who have little or no experience on two wheels.As an avid cyclist, he’s trying to change that. Two years ago, Mains worked with a neighb

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania ― When Bill Sheppard plays “Traumerei,” sweet chords fill his living room, and you understand instantly why he wanted to keep this grand piano with the golden sound.Made in 1917 by Mason & Hamlin, the mahogany instrument was a gift from Margaret Schreyer, his late, longtime music teacher and friend.“She was my son’s godmother,” said Sheppard, who already owned a 1929 piano made by the same Massachusetts company when he inherited this one, made during a golden age for pia

Six short weeks after the 2014 cohort of the Ewha-Harvard Summer School program set foot on the campus of Ewha Womans University, the students wrapped up documenting snippets of Korean society on camera.Hours of hard work culminated in a documentary film festival Friday, where the students’ documentaries highlighting their perspectives on key issues in modern Korea were screened and applauded. The summer course, titled “Cinema Korea: Documenting Korean Society through Film,” did not only help st

The Corea Image Communication Institute will host its annual Culture Communication Forum this summer, inviting 16 cultural leaders to participate.The institute holds the forum, in its fifth edition this year, to boost the understanding and knowledge of the nation’s culture and image worldwide.The delegates, representing 15 G20 foreign countries along with the host, are from France, Russia, Canada, the U.S., Germany, Korea, Australia, the U.K., India, Indonesia, China, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Japa

A preview of Aug. 16 beatification ceremony to be presided over by Pope Francis

Park Yong-soon (left), general manager of Oakwood Premier COEX, poses with Denny Jeon, the director of Expedia’s Korea office, at the Insiders’ Select Award conferral ceremony. (Oakwood Premier COEX Center)Oakwood Premier Coex has made Expedia’s Insiders’ Select list, becoming one of 650 hotels and resorts worldwide to earn this title in 2014. Expedia, one of the world’s leading online travel agencies, founded the Insiders’ Select Award to recognize outstanding hotels and resorts around the worl

Ko Jung-wook’s works regularly recommended for children, young adults

Calligrapher Kang Byung-in uses brush and ink to explore beauty of Korean letters

Pop musicIncheon Pentaport Rock Festival: The annual Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, a three-day rock music fest, is one of the nation’s most popular summer music events. This year’s edition will include performances by popular English psychedelic-rock band Kasabian, Travis, Boys Like Girls and more to be announced soon. The festival will also include performances by a wide range of local bands including Dear Cloud, PIA and Romantic Punch. In its eight-year history, Pentaport has hosted interna