How to host a successful cookie exchange I love cookies. I love baking them, and I love eating them. But mostly I enjoy spreading “cookie...

Kim Sleeman helps create welcoming homes for unhoused families Four years ago, Kim Sleeman was facing a birthday milestone and began...

Maplewood residents turn favorite party drink into a popular bottled beverage It all started because Rick Martinez couldn’t cook. Instead...

Husband and wife Morial and Miller have made history Ask Marc Morial about the time he served two terms as New Orleans mayor and he will...

The Maplewood Glee Club’s brotherhood of song and fun If you find joy in singing, you’ve come to the right place. The Maplewood Glee Club...

Appreciating nearby small towns At the end of a busy week, I love the sight of a blank calendar for the coming weekend. A homebody at...

Launching the Little Free Library that could We admit it: Our family has a book problem. My wife, Nicole, and I suffer from a terrible...

The throw-together meal for when your brain is fried. Every year, without fail, fall’s busy schedules come as a rude awakening in our...

The haunting history of Founders’ Park. On the edge of South Orange Village, tucked between new construction and the railroad tracks, a...

Shining a light on the talents of architect Christina Ioana Graff and the true meaning of fellowship. On the morning of December 23,...

The best part? It’s free. When Dana Kearney’s son Jaelen was born, ten years after her twin girls, she had a tough time finding...

Maplewood’s social workers provide individualized crisis care to their neighbors. After the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020,...

The death of Ilan Betzer inspires his mother to delve into a rare disease. On October 23, 2011, Mousumi Bose and her husband, Andy...

Sheltering Journey, a Maplewood nonprofit, aims to offer community, resources and respite. Janice Wiggins has a lot to say. She’s the...

Remembering our editor I recently took a trip to my basement to go through the archives of Matters Magazine. This is our 34th year...

Musings from an empty nest. I am writing to you today as an empty nester. Yes, my children have flown the coop a nd left me all alone....

Add this special sauce to your weeknight rotation. Back-to-school time always feels like a season to reset and reorganize for the...

At Vanguard, Janeece Freeman Clark envisions the dawn of a brighter world. About 25 years ago or so, a superintendent of schools in...

Leonel Rocha, man of many hats, retires from Tuscan. “CLAP, CLAP, Clap-clap-clap!” The rhythmic sound of two hands together breaks...

South Orange resident Melissa Wood gives us the grand tour of a documentary series. You probably know actor, comedian, writer, and...