Thanks for your interest. We'd love to hear from you; please fill in the boxes below to get in touch about anything, including coaching & spiritual direction, gift subscriptions and other ways of supporting our work. If you would like to write for The Porch, please read further below the form.
If you’d like to write for The Porch, please read about The Order of the Rocking Chair at www.theporchcommunity.net/order.
The Porch magazine and community is made up of people like this:
Someone who…
… is hungry for a hopeful vision of the world that also has something to offer everyday life…
.. is tired of the social media grind, and wants to connect at a deeper level with ideas and like-minded people…
…senses the difference between authentic spirituality or community and religious or political institutions, the unity of “sacred” and “secular”, the duty of privilege, and the possibility of friendship between “high” and “popular” culture…
…likes to read, to share conversation about meaningful things, to laugh, dance and celebrate…
…understands and enjoys the fact that a healthy human can love the Muppets and abstract novels, classical music and hip hop, political activism and gift exchange economies, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Beyoncé, backpacking, sustainable agriculture, jigsaw puzzles, Rumi and Twister, all at the same time… In other words, “high” and “low” types of art and conversation matter less than “authentic” and “open”…
Someone like you?
In order to expand the circle and welcome folk to The Porch, we want use language that is welcoming and clear. We seek to avoid using “insider jargon,” especially terminology that implies readers are all members of the same (or any) religious group. So, for instance, we use words like “God” only in the context of describing something that can’t be described any other way, seeking to avoid the implication that Porch readers are all religious believers. In short, if we don’t understand what the word means, or if it conveys the idea that readers are members of the same religious group as the writer (and “God” may be the best example of such a word), we look for a more inviting way to write it.
What We Write
We typically publish creative nonfiction, personal essays, poetry, and reviews of films, books, and music on a twice weekly schedule.
Our stories can range anywhere from 750 - 5,000 words.
Do We Pay?
Yes! We pay our writers based on the budget available from subscription revenue. It’s not much, but we do the best we can, and fees for articles will increase along with subscription revenue. (We don’t accept any paid advertising on the site.)
Submission Guidelines
Changes are afoot at The Porch, and we are not currently actively seeking unsolicited proposals. But if you have an idea, feel free to pitch us here, in 150 words or less, letting us know what you’d like to do and why you’re the person to do it. We’ll read all the proposals, and remain open to possibilities… If you’re new to writing for The Porch, please include a link for two samples of your writing in the body of your email.
We’ll respond to proposals we wish to take further as soon as we can – if you don’t hear from us please know that in all cases we send you all good wishes in the spirit of a better story.