The sounds of poetry, fiction, and electric guitars filled the OZ Arts performance space, and as the last word faded, applause rushed in to take its place. Friends, family, and Nashville creatives lined up to congratulate the writers stepping off stage, and with that the eighth season of Art Wire came to a close.
Art Wire is a unique creative experience created as a collaboration between The Porch and OZ Arts. Every year, a cohort of writers (usually five teens and five adults) is offered free admission to a season of performances at OZ. Throughout the year, writers experience contemporary dance, experimental theatre, and multi-media performances that can’t be confined to a single genre, then craft original pieces of writing in response to every show they attend. We publish selected pieces online, and the year culminates with a final reading & celebration.
Writers work closely with Porch mentors who provide creative prompts and constructive feedback on drafts, but they also have creative freedom to respond in their own writing style. Engaging with the bold performances at OZ has inspired many past writers to step outside their comfort zone, and their creative responses have included fiction, poetry, nonfiction, comics, playwriting, songwriting, and more.
Art Wire is the best thing I did for my creative life last year.
You can read examples of the Art Wire Fellows’ work here, including pieces by our 2025-26 Fellows: Elizabeth Upshur, Ezra Graff, Lane Scott Jones, JJ Johnson, Rudrapriya Devi Dasi, DeAngelo McBride, Hannah Rodriguez, Koley Berry, Thalia Dills, and Larkin Boyd.
Applications are open for the 2026-27 season. The application deadline is September 14th. Help us spread the word to all the creative adults and teens you know, and if you’re a writer please apply!
Writers from last season shared these thoughts about their Art Wire experience:
“Art Wire is the best thing I did for my creative life last year. Engaging with dance, performance, and multimedia work from other artists was a constant source of inspiration and generation. The best part of being an artist is being in conversation with other artists, and Art Wire gave me the opportunity to do exactly that.” – Lane Scott Jones
“Art Wire showed me what artistic community means and made dance my favorite art form. By the end of the season, I had started taking a playwriting class and performing regularly - things I wouldn’t have been led to without inspiration. Now I’m writing a musical!” - JJ Johnson
Check out the incredible line up of performances coming up this season at OZ Arts and send in your Art Wire applications now!
