Speak Up

It’s embarrassing: five years of foreign-language classes, followed by four years of speaking only English. (The exchange with that cab driver in Puerto Vallarta doesn’t really count.) Enter Conversando, a free discussion group at the Irene H. Ruiz Biblioteca de las Americas (2017 West Pennway) that gets together from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. each Tuesday to practice and improve Spanish-speaking skills — a weekly tradition led by Catherine Reyes that began last October. The library also carries supplemental materials in the form of books, magazines, fotonovelas, CDs and videotapes in Spanish, and all regular staff members are bilingual. Call 816-701-3487.

Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30 p.m., 2006