Substack is a rapidly growing space for writers and creators—think blogs, but with your words going straight to followers’ inboxes, and a built-in network of fellow creatives. Substack advocates feel it’s the place for writers now, while voices of caution also contribute to the discourse around the platform. Whether you’re thinking of starting a Substack newsletter, or wondering how to keep yours going—and growing—please join us for a lively and candid panel discussion with writers Susannah Felts (F I E L D T R I P), Lane Scott Jones (Second Rodeo), and musician-writer Korby Lenker (The Morse Code), as they share what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what keeps them going. Moderated by Porch Director of Education Yurina Yoshikawa, this conversation will touch on everything from building a subscriber base to balancing vulnerability with consistency, plus how newsletters can shape (or reshape) a creative career.

This event is perfect for writers who are newsletter-curious, looking for new inspiration, or interested in meeting other local writers on Substack. There will be time for open audience Q&A and networking at the end.

Lane Scott Jones is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer, speaker, and the voice behind Second Rodeo on Substack. Her creative nonfiction has appeared in Longreads, Good Grit, Nashville Scene, Repeller, and in translation in Internazionale. Originally from North Carolina, Lane sold everything she owned in 2022 to travel the world full-time and she's been living out of a carry-on ever since. Subscribe at lanescottjones.substack.com; learn more at lanescottjones.com.

Korby Lenker is an award-winning songwriter and author known for his lyrical depth and plainspoken insight. A seasoned multi-instrumentalist, he bridges music and literature with equal parts heart, humor, and human truth. His first collection of short stories, Medium Hero, received widespread acclaim from notables like National Book Award-Winning author Tim O’Brien, who wrote “Korby’s keen control of narrative voice is spot-on in each of these stories — distinctive, disarming, entertaining and completely convincing.” Subscribe at morsecodepodcast.com; learn more at korbylenker.com.

Susannah Felts is a writer and cofounder & codirector of The Porch. Her novel THE COME APART will be published by Triquarterly Books in 2026, and her work has appeared in Longreads, Joyland, Guenica, The Best American Science & Nature Writing, Lit Hub, StorySouth, and elsewhere. Since late 2022 she has written a Substack newsletter called FIELD TRIP, a peripatetic exploration of culture, art and artists, books, music, and nature—perhaps most succinctly described as a personal document of delights. Subscribe at susannahfelts.substack.com.