Save the Cat!: Writing Guides
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to write a novel. So, I poured over quite a few novel-writing guides, trying to find one that really spoke to me.…
The Adventures of Johnny Dixon: A Middle Grade Series Big on Scares
I've heard it said multiple times before that a well-written children's book should appeal not only to children, but to adults as well. And I'll fully admit that I do…
Porter Poetry
The Adult Creative Writing Group meets once a month at the Westlake Porter Public Library. The group is open to any adult interested in spending an hour indulging in some…
Health Highlights: Yoga, Anyone?
Yoga has numerous benefits. Yoga helps to improve stress management, cardiovascular health, mental health, balance and posture, just to name a few. If you are curious about yoga and want…
The Classic of the Month: A Study in Scarlet
Welcome back to The Classic of the Month! Today, we're looking at a classic of the mystery genre, a title famous for introducing the world to the greatest detective of…
Porter Poetry
The Adult Creative Writing Group meets once a month at the Westlake Porter Public Library. The group is open to any adult interested in spending an hour indulging in some…
The Science of Spice
Creating a flavorful dish often requires ingenuity and trial and error. The right spice or spice blend can make or break a recipe, sort of like a catalyst in a…
STEAM Week: The Classic Mad Scientists of the Silver Screen
There's nothing I love more than a good mad scientist movie (except, perhaps a good haunted house movie). So, in honor of STEAM Week, I've provided a list of some…
A Second Sampler of Terror: 100 Classic Horror Films, Pt.2
A few days ago, I shared the first 50 titles of this list, which is a 100-film sampler to celebrate our Horror Film Club celebrating 100 meetings. If you'd like…
Dino-Mite Books
Freddy Fossil's Dino Show comes to the Porter Room on Monday, July 10 at 7:00pm as part of STEAM Week. To celebrate, here are some great dinosaur books in the…
A Sampler of Terror: 100 Classic Horror Films, Part.1
On July 5, 2023, the Horror Film Club will celebrate our 100th meeting! That means 100 sessions of classic chillers, every month! In celebration of our milestone, I wanted to…
Artist Highlight: The Oh Hellos
When it comes to listening to music, I have a few bands that I tend to listen to all the time. I know what I like and I stick to…
Cat’s Picks! Pride Month Comics
Comics have been a vital part of my life as long as I can remember, having been passed down my dad's collection of antique comic books at a young age.…
More Summer Scares: Additional Horror Anthologies to Scare You Silly
As promised, here is part two of my Summer Scares anthology series! And I hope all of you are taking some time to curl up with a good book and…
Porter Poetry
The Adult Creative Writing Group meets once a month at the Westlake Porter Public Library. The group is open to any adult interested in spending an hour indulging in some…
Video Game Movies and Shows
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out on DVD and BluRay today! This action-packed adventure is one of the highest grossing animated films of all time and there is already…
Medium Monday: Watercolor
What Is Watercolor? Watercolor paint usually comes as a solid cake or a tube of gel. Both substances are a highly concentrated pigment, meant to be diluted with water. The…
Find Your Next Read: Cozy Horror
What is cozy horror? Like its cousin cozy mysteries, blood, gore, and jump scares are kept at arm's length or are only alluded to.
Creating Your Own Summer Reading Challenge
Every summer, ever since I was in college, I've created a summer reading challenge for myself. It started as a way to catch up on a genre of books that…
The Classic of the Month: Manalive
Sometimes, the classics start at a leisurely pace, describing a beautiful piece of landscape--a farm perhaps--or the current lazy daydreams of a young protagonist. Other times, the classics start off…
Summer Scares: Horror Anthologies To Chill You To The Bone
I love to read scary stories in the summer. Not only are the days longer (so I'm "safe" for longer), but also, I like to read outside, which means there…
The Classic of the Month: Ten Days in a Mad-House
This month's classic is a little different from most of the titles I've selected. Namely, it's a work on nonfiction, based on a real, journalistic account of a young woman's…
Dig Into a Story!
"There's More to the Story!" is the theme for 2023's National Library Week. What better way to find out more about a story than to dig into the story with…
What Is the Law?: “The Island of Dr. Moreau” Retellings
There's something about a mad-scientist story that really gets under your skin. Laboratories full of terrifying experiments, strange contraptions, horrible henchmen, and more come together to make a story that…