Apologies to Shakespeare (whoever they were — find out more about the “Shakespeare authorship question” at this link), but I couldn’t resist a little spell-song to celebrate half a decade (!!!!!) of Spooky, Not Scary recommendations. It’s been a horrendous honor and a petrifying privilege to flex my “Y I K E S” muscles in service of my fellow self-appointed Big Babies. 🫡 Here’s to another five fairly unfrightening years!
For those just joining in, I give you the following titles that are avowedly Spooky, Not Scary™. Each title is rated on a scale of 0-5 smashed pumpkins. The more smashed pumpkins (which I’ve metaphorically dropped out of terror), the closer the tv show/movie/video is to being truly frightening.
Note: no gourds were harmed in the making of this list, though some may have been consumed, especially if transformed via kitchen witchery into a baked good evil.
Wait, what’s that? Pride Month normally happens in June???
While it’s my firm belief that we should celebrate & uplift LGBTQIA+ pride & joy & solidarity in every month, let me rephrase: Happy Pride Month, Mid-Missouri!!! 📅🌈🌽
You may already know that this summer we’ve been unearthing all kinds of stories for Summer Reading 2026.
(If you somehow didn’t know Summer Reading has been happening, as perhaps you have been living under a rock and intentionally not unearthing anything whatsoever 🪨🙃, never fear! You have until August 2nd to finish your tracker to redeem a free mini planter and a chance to win big in our grand prize drawing. 📚📝🤓🆓🪴🎇🎁)
I’ve always had a HUGE sweet tooth and have my mother to thank for this: as the family lore goes, when carrying me to term in the summer of my birth, she devoured an entire peach pie by herself. #GoodForHer #HappyBelatedMothersDay 💖🍑💖
But a very unwelcome bodily change hit me around my early twenties: though I LOVE candy in all its sugary forms, I can no longer digest most of it. While I’ve since made peace with my body’s dietary shift, there is still a part of me that is always searching for a lil treat to fill the sour gummy worm hole in the dirt cup that is my heart. On my journey into alternative candies, I’ve been delighted to discover that candied citrus peel 1. doesn’t upset my tender digestive disposition and 2. is actually pretty easy to make yourself via a little kitchen witchery! Texturally, the candied peel is wonderfully chewy (but not tacky) and both tastes and looks quite vibrant all on its own. Moreover, if your own dietary journey requires less sugar, since you’re candying the peel yourself, you get to decide how much sugar to add &/or whether to use a sugar-substitute, like sucralose or stevia.
After consulting a few recipes available in DBRL’s vast cookbook collection (which can be found at the nonfiction call number 641.5 in the Children’s, Teen and Adult areas!), I landed on a quick, straightforward version from Marie Asselin‘s “Simply Citrus,” which is currently available as an eBook on hoopla. Let’s get into it!
Happy Spring! While I am more of a #winterwitch myself, I will begrudgingly admit that there is something lowkenuinely pleasing (and grounding and cleansing) about the re-greening of the world that happens every March-April-May. And I do adore how the woods and fields transform into live-action seek-and-finds with the sudden blooming of the first wildflowers and flowering weeds, like dead nettle and dandelion and wild sweet william and false rue anemone. So, to celebrate the arrival of spring, which is also the survival of winter, I have a really simple, yet stunning botanical craft to share with you. Consider this your introduction to Nature Printing 101! Continue reading “Nature Printing 101 🌸🎨”
November 16-22, 2025, is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Worldwide, there are 795 million people who don’t have enough to eat. Many Americans are forced to choose between buying groceries, paying rent, or seeking medical attention. Locally, over 200 students are reported homeless annually by Columbia Public Schools. Learn more about Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
To bring awareness to hunger and homelessness in our community, we have partnered with Flourish Initiative to create a CommunityMade book list. Flourish is a local non-profit focused on supporting youth and young adults experiencing homelessness and other significant socioeconomic barriers to college and career success. They help youth through transitional housing for ages 16-24 who are experiencing homelessness. Flourish has a street outreach program that provides basic needs and case management to support youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness with the goal of accessing housing.Continue reading “CommunityMade List by Flourish Initiative”
Back when I was studying for my MFA in the effervescently endless green of North Carolina’s Piedmont region, I was tasked with proposing a business that engaged with poetry in some way. A child of the “There’s an app for that” generation — and the exact opposite of what you might call a Shrewd Business Man™ — my idea was to create a location-based app that a user could turn to when in need of a poem to ground themselves in a particular place or landscape. 📲
Or, in a more mundanely magical Mid-Missouri moment, to experience Mary Oliver‘s beloved poem“Wild Geese” while walking around the noisy gaggle that make their home at Stephens Lake? 🦢
A wonderfully wise poet-friend of mine often says each poem is only fully completed when it reaches its reader(s); I wonder how poems can be completed in the landscapes, places and moments we move through each day — and in turn, complete us in some small, necessary way. ✨ Continue reading “Poets Laureate We Love: Ada Limón 🌿”
Have you been curious about tarot but aren’t sure where to start? Starting anything new can be daunting, but don’t worry with a little practice you’ll be tapping into your intuition in no time!
Tarot has been around for centuries in various forms, early versions of tarot cards can be traced back to the late 14th century. However, the most commonly used Smith-Rider-Waite wasn’t published until 1908. Many artists still use the imagery and meanings of the Smith-Rider-Waite deck to this day. If you want to read more about the creation of this deck, you can read the biography of Pamela Colman Smith.
I’ve wanted to cosplay for many, many years. Before this year, however, I never had the courage. I always assumed that I would take up too much space, that people would look at me too much. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that taking up space is not actually a bad thing. If people judge me adversely for cosplaying, that’s their problem, not mine. With this in mind, I recently created my first costume! One of the absolutely hardest parts for me was starting. With many projects, it can seem incredibly daunting at first. Luckily, we have many resources here to help with that. Regina made an absolutely wonderful list of costuming books. Though it’s labeled as being for Halloween, many of the titles work year-round! If even a book is overwhelming, keep reading for my list of how to get started. Continue reading “First Time Cosplaying Tips”
