More than two dozen women gather weekly to share experiences and grow. They listen intently as a pitch pipe sets the tone, reminiscent of an orchestra tuning. The wind instruments are the women's voices exhaling in a capella four-part harmony, barbershop style.

Mike Miller’s brush exudes technology as he paints in punctuated pixels. He sees art at a molecular level and makes prints in code.

At Springfield's Boys and Girls Clubs, some 30 talkative girls aged 6-12 line up at the gymnasium wall. Athletic director Mattie Watson calls out "Ready. Set. On your mark." Some girls take off prematurely, so Watson starts the process again - and again.

"Imagine Being In A Life You Love," according to authors Kristin Andress and Jaqui Jeanes-Lowry, was written to help others "know you have the right to imagine a life different from what you are now living" and "being the person you've always dreamed of is within reach."

The staff of Springfield's Own magazine asked people who have previously been featured in the magazine or The State Journal-Register, "What are you reading?" Here is what they said ...

It's OK to admit that sometimes you feel you could do more with your life. Heck, most of us just muddle through, taking on the next project and trying to meet our most pressing deadline while we keep our ducks lined up and our heads bobbing above the rising tide. 

Dear readers,

Welcome to our SO Magazine May/June edition, has a nice ring to it. It's a favorite time of year for many. Good weather, mostly. Good things to do outdoors. Good memories made. It's also a good time of year for sports. SO, let us begin there. 

March is the place where spring lives. We have earned a good and long season, warm and well. Let's enjoy, and let us begin with this March/April issue of Springfield's Own Magazine.

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” is a line you likely recall from the first scary movie you saw as a kid. OK, it’s not technically in the horror genre, but “The Wizard of Oz” is strange enough to be thought of that way; just think of the wicked witch. That’s enough — now focus on the wizard himself, not as ruler of the Emerald City, but as this mysterious fellow, mostly unseen, pulling levers, making Oz run.

There are any number of ways the game of golf can be introduced into a life. Maybe you remember the classic episode of "The Honeymooners," where Ralph Kramden has to learn how to play golf in just two days.

Every doctor needs an office, an exam room, some place to keep an eye on patients. Doctors have specialties, and their work environment is often a reflection of that specialty.

Each year as summer begins, I am asked, "What is your favorite wine for summer?"

Spain is a large and diverse country with a long history of wine production.

When most Americans think of New Zealand, they tend to think of it as a clean, green land that is largely populated by sheep. While this is not far from reality, there is indeed a thriving wine industry as well. Wine is produced on both the north and south islands in regions with different climates and soil types. However, it was the early success of wines from the Cloudy Bay winery in Marlborough that really focused the attention of the wine world on New Zealand. Marlborough and Sauvignon Blanc have become synonymous with New Zealand wine, but there is so much more to discover.

Forty years ago, he was just "Ken" - one of the many children growing up in the John Hay housing projects on 11th Street. Too often, young boys and girls are dismissed by society because of the social environment in which they exist, but IQ has never been a derivative of environment. This bright young boy was filled with an entrepreneurial spirit at the age of 9.

As of late, you might have noticed a large push toward the third dimension. If you are to believe the major manufacturers of video equipment, 3D is the new hotness, and you had better be upgrading soon.

It happened. I never thought it would, but it finally happened. A company made a smart phone, nay a superphone, that I finally want. I’m not just talking about liking this thing, I’m making plans to switch networks just to have it. The device I am referring to is the newly announced HTC EVO 4G for Sprint. One could safely say this is the best spec’d phone to ever be built, and as you read on, I think you will agree.

I have been on the hunt for a nice set of in-ear monitors that won't break the bank for a while now. I can't stand the cheap ear buds that come with the majority of mp3 players, including Apple's famous white ear buds. I swapped those out for a cheap set of Skullcandy Ink'd headphones the day I got my iPhone. Since then, I have managed to go through five pairs, and it's getting tiresome.