NOTE: Registration requires a $500 deposit. You will receive a payment link in your registration receipt, and the remaining $4,300 payment can be paid in full immediately or in monthly $359 installments.
The Porch Year is an online, immersive one-year manuscript mentorship program designed for committed writers that begins in January 2027 - December 2027. With a maximum of 12 participants, this fiction cohort is led by award-winning author William Henry Lewis and offers personalized feedback, accountability, goal-setting, and community needed to brainstorm, write, revise, and complete a manuscript draft, all from the convenience of an online setting. It’s an ideal option for both local and remote writers looking to work closely with peers and an experienced instructor. Applications open on October 7, 2026 and close on December 11, 2026.
Cohort Description:
This class is an experience in surveying the territory of narrative craft as you traverse it. We will all explore the same territory, but each of you will lay tracks in different ways, toward different destinations: some will be further along toward finishing a book, while others will be starting to craft fiction in new ways. Along the way, we will gain community, challenge, feedback, guidance, and weekly accountability.
Our work will create a community of writers, readers, editors, and, yes, friends who travel that crafting journey together: reading as writers, exploring what our fiction is capable of, confirming what is essential, and accepting ways to re-vision our work, all with the goal of crafting fiction that meets the developing standards of the instructor, peers, and your own sense of what you want from your work.
This class can’t guarantee publication, but will provide insights, guest speakers, and opportunities to better understand that world. While the instructor is committed to showing you how other writers have been successful, the main goal is to advance and refine how to live as a writer who writes like you.
Whether close to completing a manuscript or just starting out, we will cycle between telling stories, free-flow writing without barriers, building and refining prose, and articulating the layered agendas within fiction. Alongside our core mission of community and workshop, classes will include:
View Cohort Calendar | View 2027 Porch Year Catalogue
Fiction Sampler with Hank Lewis: Interested but want to learn more about working with Hank? Join the fiction sampler on December 7 from 7-8pm online via Zoom for a low price of $16!
Weekly Meetings (Online via Zoom):
Once a month, we’ll gather over Zoom for a two-hour session, where you’ll have dedicated time to workshop excerpts from your manuscript. In these meetings, we’ll dive deep into narrative arcs, key craft elements, and larger project goals. Some meetings will focus on page-by-page feedback—sometimes we’ll zero in on overall structure or a specific scene, allowing for tailored discussions that propel your project forward. Workshopping one writer’s piece can also provide invaluable insights for others, fostering a rich, collaborative learning experience. Other meetings will discuss your writing goals, challenges, successes, general questions, and offer some generative exercises.
Meeting Dates and Times
Winter Term 2027
Mondays: 7-9 PM CST
Spring Term 2027
Independent Study: No meetings scheduled April 19 - June 4 (students are expected to do independent study during this time with one-on-one meetings)
Summer Term 2027
Mondays: 6-9 PM CST
Saturdays: 11 AM - 2 PM CT
Fall Term 2027
Mondays: 7-9 CST
Between Meetings (Asynchronous):
In between sessions, you’ll stay connected through a shared Google Drive, where you can submit drafts and offer feedback to your peers. You’ll also have the option to engage in additional check-ins or discussions, whether through written feedback or brief (15 minutes) one-on-one meetings. This flexible structure ensures continuous progress on your manuscript, while still providing opportunities for personalized guidance and accountability.
What You’ll Gain:
By the end of the year, you’ll not only have made substantial progress on your manuscript but also have a deeper understanding of your own writing process and the tools needed for future revisions.
Expectations
From the instructor:
From yourself:
From your peers:
William Henry Lewis has published fiction, poetry, and non-fiction in many publications, including The Washington Post, O Magazine, Higher Issues In Education, Colorado Review, New Letters, African-American Review, Blackbird, Callaloo, Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, Swing, and BOMB. His work has featured in conjunction with exhibitions at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn and the Baltimore Museum of Art, and his stories have been reprinted in several anthologies, domestic and abroad. His work has been honored by the Hurston/Wright Foundation, the American Library Association, Fellowship of Southern Writers, National Endowment for the Arts, Best American Short Stories, and as finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Prize.
He is the author of two books of stories, In the Arms of Our Elders (Carolina Wren Press; three printings), and I Got Somebody in Staunton (HarperCollins; two printings), which was listed among Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2005, and selected as the city of Richmond's Go Read book for 2006.
His work has been praised by David Eggers, Nikki Giovanni, Peter Matthiessen, Marita Golden, Edward P. Jones, and has been acclaimed by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, TimeOut, and The Washington Post. The Los Angeles Times Book Review praised his fiction as "beautifully written and carefully crafted," while the Boston Globe noted his work as "moving, but unsentimental, these are stories of hard-won wisdom, potent intelligence, and compassion for the cadence of everyday life, establishing Lewis as a writer to be appreciated and admired."
"Having my work workshopped and receiving Hank’s feedback helped build my confidence and develop a stronger understanding of my craft. The experience was so meaningful in preparing me for my journey and getting into a wonderful MFA program. I would highly recommend his course to anyone looking to become a better writer with thoughtful guidance and mentorship." --Ritika Bali, former student
"Hank Lewis has done more for my development as a writer than any other instructor. He combines a deep knowledge of literature with an approach that is tailored to the story and the student. There isn’t space here for a discussion of his generosity and his patience, but those qualities are effortless for him. If you have the opportunity to work with Hank, take it." --Pete Hack, former student
"Hank Lewis is one of the finest instructors I have ever learned from; he has an ability to communicate passion and information in equal parts, all while creating a community that fosters deep and lasting relationships among the writers in his class. He is an extraordinary human being and a brilliant editor. His poetic attention to detail makes every manuscript he works on even better than it was before. I am so grateful to have had his thoughtful eyes on my work, which is vastly better because of his input." --Corie Rosen, former student, subsequent manuscript client
"In Hank’s workshop, I learned concrete ways to revise without sacrificing the beauty and mystery of art-making. Hank has an incredible knack for making complex craft concerns accessible and exploratory. I’m grateful for his close reading and encouragement—I’d take his class again and again!" --Sunny Lee, former student
"Hank creates a safe space where every writer feels seen, heard, and valued, regardless of their experience. He also helps you push past your self-imposed boundaries – whether urging you to perform a fairytale in public – or encouraging you to really dig in and elevate an element of your craft. He encourages writers not only to write but to examine the cultural, social, and emotional layers embedded in our work. He challenges us to dig deeper into our perspectives and to consider how our writing can engage with broader social issues. That even though we may not have yet finished that manuscript, our work is a part of a larger cultural continuum of story-telling. Through his guidance, I have learned to practice getting out of my own way and embrace my own voice." --Deidre Johnson, former student
"Before Hank’s workshop, I found myself in classes where the craft lessons were either too abstract or didactic. In Hank’s workshop, I learned concrete ways to revise without sacrificing the beauty and mystery of art-making. Hank has an incredible knack for making complex craft concerns accessible and exploratory. I’m grateful for his close reading and encouragement—I’d take his class again and again!"
"Hank Lewis has done more for my development as a writer than any other instructor. He combines a deep knowledge of literature with an approach that is tailored to the story and the student. There isn’t space here for a discussion of his generosity and his patience, but those qualities are effortless for him. If you have the opportunity to work with Hank, take it."
"Hank's class got me thinking about narrative construction in ways I hadn't considered before."
