Born on a Porch, Built from Breath

Poetry on the Porch didn’t start as an event.
It started as a moment — a porch, a breath, a need for honesty, and a community ready to listen.
No stage lights. No pressure. Just a front porch, a circle of chairs, and people speaking from the chest.
What began as a simple gathering has grown into a ritual:
a space where survivors, poets, neighbors, musicians, and first‑timers show up with whatever they’re carrying and let the porch hold it.

What Happens on the Porch

• People speak truth — messy, beautiful, unrehearsed
• Survivors share stories of the break and the rebuild
• Poets bring pieces that only land when the night is soft
• Musicians drop in with raw, unplugged sound
• Neighbors sit, breathe, and listen
• Community forms in real time
It’s not a performance.
It’s not a show.
It’s a circle.

Why It Matters

Because porch spaces are sacred in the South.
Because community doesn’t happen in silence.
Because survivors deserve places where their voices aren’t just heard — they’re honored.
Because truth sounds different when it’s spoken under porch light instead of stage light.
Poetry on the Porch is part of the Gray Matters movement because it carries the same heartbeat:
rebuilding in public, together.

When & Where

📍 Farmer’s Cat Café
2589 Gillespie St, Fayetteville, NC
🕰️ Fourth Monday of every month
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Bring your voice.
Bring your breath.
Bring your truth.
Or just bring yourself and sit in the circle.

How to Join the Circle

Everyone is welcome — survivors, poets, storytellers, musicians, comedians, first‑timers, and folks who just want to listen.
No sign‑up required.
Just show up, take a seat, and let the porch do what porches do: gather people and make room for stories.