The Porch is delighted to make its first visit to Memphis with a day of writing workshops at Crosstown Arts, followed by an evening of readings and community celebration at Novel bookstore. The reading will begin at 6 p.m. featuring teaching artists Urban Thoughts and Kendra Leigh Vanderlip, followed by a lively Community Open Mic co-emceed by Ashley Roach-Freiman, Memphis poet and librarian, and Yurina Yoshikawa, Director of Education at The Porch. Writers from the Porch @ Memphis workshops and the wider community are invited to share their words in this festive gathering that we hope will be the first of many.

5:30 p.m. Doors Open - Mingle and sign up for Open Mic slot

6:00 p.m. Readings by Urban Thoughts and Kendra Leigh Vanderlip

6:30 p.m. Community Open Mic - Emcee'd by Ashley Roach and Yurina Yoshikawa (5 min slots, up to 10 readers)

Click here to register for “The Weight of the Pause,” a writing workshop with Urban Thoughts, happening 10am - Noon at Crosstown Arts.

Click here to register for “On Writing the Hard Stuff: Finding the Balance between Trauma and Art,” a writing workshop with Kendra Leigh Vanderlip, happening 1pm-3pm at Crosstown Arts.