Kodaira classified all singular fibers that can arise in an algebraic fibration with genus 1 fiber. Sakali and I have been looking into a similar classification for genus 2 fibrations by Ogg, Iitaka and later Namikawa and Ueno and we determine how these singular fibrations deform into Lefschetz fibrations. The gamut of tools runs from deformation theory, to Lefschetz fibrations and open books, to braids and braided surfaces, and the branched covers that relate all of them. This is joint work with S. Sakalli.