Meet Katie McDougall of The Porch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie McDougall.

Hi Katie, we’d love for you to introduce yourself by telling us how you came to co-found The Porch.
While I’ve been writing fiction for nearly thirty years, my career prior to 2014 was in the high school classroom. My writing life was merely something that happened before most of the world had its first cup of coffee. During the daytime hours, I did my best to get young people to love words-on-the-page, both their own and others, as much as I did.

On my 40th birthday, I played hooky and spent a winter’s afternoon journaling in front of a fire, a sort of “mid-life revision session.” While I was content enough with teaching, I allowed myself to wonder what I’d be doing if I could craft a more perfect path. Several chicken-scratched pages later, I determined to quit my job by the following summer and find a way into a life of writing. I wanted to work on my novel more, yes, but more than that, I wanted to somehow create experiences for writers—classes, retreats, gatherings. How? I had no idea.

Enter Susannah Felts, a fellow scribe and a member of my writing group at the time. Susannah had lived in Chicago where she’d witnessed an active literary culture, and she knew of literary centers such as The Loft in Minneapolis, Grub Street in Boston, and Lighthouse in Denver. Nashville, she believed, was ripe for its own center for writing. I was ripe to jump on board. We joined forces, dreamed big, and in January 2014, we launched The Porch website. It’s been a mad and happy sprint all the years since.

As for me, I still rise in the early morning and plug away at my novel, but otherwise, we’re busy sailing the ship we dreamed. My own writing life is richer for it, but more than that, I’m gratified by the community of writers that has formed along the way.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Honestly, it has been pretty darn smooth. The Porch has grown around 25% every year since its inception, and we’re currently in our 8th year. But smooth isn’t the same as easy. We’ve worked hard to keep pace with our growth, and we’ve had to learn on the fly. Nothing in my experience as a school teacher prepared me for fundraising, accounting, board management, grant writing, event planning, and the myriad other hats we’ve come to wear. Early on, Susannah and I both did a bit (or a lot actually) of everything. Now, we’ve evolved into a more streamlined division of labor, and there are more hands on deck for whom we are so grateful. Finding (and affording) a space was a challenge, but we landed in a sweet little home in Berry Hill. And of course, there was COVID… But we quickly pivoted into the virtual space, which ultimately opened us to new audiences and new possibilities. In 2020, we became a player on the national literary arts scene.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Porch?
The Porch is a nonprofit literary arts organization whose mission is to educate, inspire, and connect writers and readers of all ages and stages through classes and literary events. Last year alone, we offered 110 adult writing workshops in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, serving nearly 1400 participants. Nearly 500 young writers engaged in our youth programs. We served New Americans from over twenty different countries through our Immigrants Write program, now in its sixth year. We host regular events, including our twice annual Books, Bars, and Guitars; our quarterly Mirror House reading series; and our bi-monthly Better Off Read book club in partnership with The Bookshop in East Nashville. Additionally, we offer editorial and manuscript coaching services. In short, we try to be all things to all writers in Middle TN and beyond.

We’re always cooking up something, and I would recommend to anyone interested in engaging in Nashville’s literary life to check out our website and sign up for our newsletter.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Aside from writing and The Porch, I’m also passionate about the outdoors. My first memory is being on my dad’s shoulders under Blue Hole Falls on the Fiery Gizzard Trail up near Sewanee. I must have been around five, but I can still remember a surge of bliss at the white, cold rush of water and the dappled beauty of the moment.

Pricing:

• Workshops range from $50-$400, depending on length.
• Most events are free, with suggested donations.
• Happy Hours and Brown Bag Lunches range from free to $15.
• Youth workshops are $10.
• The Immigrants Write program is free to participants.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: PorchTN.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/porchtn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePorchWritersCollective
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/porchtn

Image Credits
Leila Grossman, Alex Hendrickson-Kelly, Susannah Felts