Welcome to Front Porch Stories
After living in Chicago for 20 years, I’ve returned to Lakewood. Sitting on my friend Courtney’s front porch, we were talking about projects that could help me get back into the swing of things here in Cleveland.
The conversation turned to her front porch. Courtney, a native of Lakewood, now lives in Bay Village, and she had just added a new front porch to her home. “I couldn’t live without it,” she said.
You can take the girl outta Lakewood…but not without a front porch.
Maybe we can write a book?
“So, why don’t we write a coffee table book about Lakewood front porches?”
When Courtney asked this question, all I could think of was the massive amount of work it would take to research, write, and publish a book. But as we floated the idea around, we realized that everyone who heard the idea immediately started to tell us their story.
So we’re inviting you to join us on our quest to publish a book of essays on Lakewood front porch life.
Join our front porch community.
We’re launching Front Porch Stories as a community of people who share in our love of everything the front porch promises. A quiet place to sit and contemplate life, a perch to keep an eye on what’s happening in the neighborhood, a casual place to invite friends and neighbors over for a visit, and a place where really memorable things can happen.
You don’t have to be a writer, artist, or photographer to contribute. Our method for writing stories makes writing easy. We’re just interested in helping you tell a deeper story. We’re here to help.
There’s a lot of ways to share your memories.
We’re making it easy to share your front porch memory.
Share on our Facebook community.
Photos with captions, reels, or even short blurbs will get you launched as a storyteller. Join our Facebook community to see what others are posting and share your idea.
Join our Facebook Community Page to hear about events and read posts!
Attend a free workshop.
We’re hosting workshops and events to help you grow your idea or anecdote into a story. It’s an interactive and fun way to try your hand at developing an essay, script for a video, or podcast. You don’t have to be a pro to attend, just have an interest in stretching your capabilities.
Learn more about our upcoming event at Lakewood Public Library.
Submit your story to our blog, Posts From The Front Porch.
Your story could be featured here!
To contribute, start by checking out our About page, which provides details on what kinds of material we’re accepting along with tips for writing your story.
To help you get started, we’ve provided 25 front porch story prompts. These idea-starters get your brain going to help you develop a story.
Send us your story and we’ll provide feedback and help you polish it for publication.
Subscribe to our newsletter.
Stay on top of the latest by subscribing to Post From The Front Porch.
We’ll features some of the best posts from Facebook, provide information on upcoming workshops and events, and share tips and tricks to make your story something they’ll be reading on the front porch for a long, long time.