Laporte writers seek photos for upcoming North Country book

Laporte residents are being asked to help decide what the North Country will look like on the printed page. The Northwoods Writers Group of Laporte is seeking 6-by-8-inch photos, or two related 4-by-6-inch photos, for dividers in an upcoming book built around local stories and memory.

The request is part of Sharing Our LAPORTE Area Stories, a community storytelling project that aims to preserve the people, places and everyday moments tied to Laporte and the surrounding area. Organizers said the book has about 30 blank pages that could use color photos of nature from the Laporte area, giving families a rare chance to shape how the region is remembered in print.

The project was launched with a kickoff meeting at Lakeport Township Hall in Laporte on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 7 p.m. Writers Group representatives were scheduled to be at Lakeport Township Hall each Tuesday in April and May from 3 to 5 p.m. to record stories, with extra evening help planned for Tuesday, April 21, Tuesday, April 28 and Tuesday, May 19. The group is also accepting hard copies of writings and photos, which can be scanned with a scanner and color copier.

Each contributor will be credited and will receive a copy of the collected material on a flash drive or in print. That promise makes the project more than a request for images; it is an invitation for ordinary families to leave a public record of what mattered in Laporte life, from home places and family gatherings to landscapes and local events that might otherwise stay in shoe boxes and albums.

The area covered by the project reaches south of Highway 2, west of Highway 371, north of Highway 34 and east of Highway 71, plus adjoining areas with family ties to Laporte. That boundary gives the effort a clear local focus while still leaving room for the wider network of relatives and neighbors who have shaped the community.

The writers group is also keeping a regular meeting schedule at Lakeport Town Hall, 155 County 39 NW, Laporte. Meetings are set for 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of the month, with dates listed as April 13, April 27, May 11, June 8 and June 22, 2026. There is no meeting on May 25 because of Memorial Day.

For a small community, the book offers something larger than a collection of pages. It creates a shared archive, with residents deciding which faces, places and seasons will carry Laporte’s story forward.