Two of these “porches” are in gardens. Follow tree-lined streets from porch to porch. Finish with a rock band, then head across the street where you can let the kids play on the playground equipment.
Category Archives: Performers
“Old” West Central Route
This is definitely a walker’s route right through the heart of West Central. Make sure to put on your walking shoes or grab your bike. Boone is also a main street, so there’s plenty of traffic. Those blocks that look like long blocks on the map? They’re long blocks. đ A great opportunity to hear lots of poetry. Enjoy!
Eastern Route
Some people LOVE planning! For them, it’s at least half the fun.
If you’d rather spend your time following a pre-planned plan than planning it, here’s an option:
Bicycle/Centennial Trail Route
There are many different ways to choose what porches you’ll visit on Saturday. All of them are valid. Crunched for time and love to bike? Here’s an option:
2016 Performer Spotlight #1
 JANET & BRETT DODD – DUET – FOLK, AMERICANA, BLUEGRASS
Music and performing for us are mostly about connecting with people and community. As a couple music was one of the things that brought us together and is how we connect with others. Performing gives us a chance to share the songs and stories that have meaning to us.
Talk to us a bit about community, about yourself as an artist, and about PorchFest, please…
1 -What got you interested in PorchFest? What do you think about it?
Our interest in Porchfest began with one of our good friends and great song finder, Kevin Watkins, who lives in the PorchFest zone! We play a lot on our own porch. Using music as a means to connect and create community is awesome!
2-Â What were your favorite things about last year’s PorchFest?
Seeing peopleâs smiles as they heard a tune or reacted to our own smiles! Seeing people out of their homes in the neighborhood connecting.
3-Â What is âcommunityâ? How do we build it?
Community is people connecting. We create it by finding ways to connectâŠ. I think there do need to be catalysts, people who go out of their way (like Marshall) to support events that bring people together for music, art, poetry, outdoor events etc.
4-Â What have you done to build community?Â
Not enoughâŠ. But we jump at opportunities to connect with others often through music but we push ourselves to explore new areas where we might find common ground with people!
5-Â What do you hope to accomplish at PorchFest? What do you want to help PorchFest accomplish?
Connect, smile, be in the momentâŠ. Let the music be.
6-Â What things will you be doing to make this year’s event super special?
Its always special but weâll stretch ourselves and play some more risky stuff so that it is more like us just playing on our own porch as opposed to âperformanceââŠ. We want to just play and that sometimes has many elements of non-perfection which is more real in terms of porch musicâŠ. Last time we had someone request a song and we simply asked them if they knew it and would sing⊠thatâs porch music!
7-Â Why should be attend this year?
They should come because more and more we need to find things that unite us.
Back For 2016!
PorchFest West Central is BACK!
Here’s Draft One of the poster. We’ll have a second draft with all the logos on it soon. Please feel free to distribute this to your friends/neighbors.
Poster by the ever-awesome Renae Lorentz! You may recognize her from the Rock The Nest poster and the Kendall Yards Night Market poster. Great stuff. Thanks Renae!!!
2015 Performer Spotlight #13
Go Fitz!
MOLLY FITZPATRICKÂ – POET Â –
Bio:Â Fitz (aka Molly Fitzpatrick) is a slam poet based out of Spokane, WA. She had the exciting honor of being a part of Spokaneâs 2015 National Poetry Slam team in Oakland, California this year. She has been published in the October 2015 issue of Riverlit and has a chapbook entitled Boom Boom, Break Break that is available at Auntie’s Bookstore.
Talk to us a bit about community, about yourself as an artist, and about PorchFest, please…
1 -What got you interested in PorchFest? What do you think about it?
I joke that I âdrank the kool-aidâ at the National Poetry Slam and so Iâll take any opportunity I can to perform and be around other artsy folk. However the concept of this particular event seemed especially cool and I loved the idea of yelling about my feelings on a porch where people actually stopped to listen.
2-Â How often do you get over to West Central?Â
 I have friends that live in the area. Thatâs where Ink Art Space is located and where cool skillshops exist that I like to go to. Also the restaurants are fantastic.
3-Â What is âcommunityâ? How do we build it?
I think of community less in geographical terms and more like a chosen family. A Community is a group of people that share something very important in common and then choose to connect and care for one another. That thing they share can be a neighborhood, an identity, a love of poetry etc. The important thing is the caring part. I think Spokane is awesome at that part.
4-Â What have you done to build community?Â
I think one of the most basic things I can do to build community is to just actively participate in it. In the past for me thatâs been a lot of activist work with local non-profits. Right now it looks more like going to as many poetry events as I can and actively supporting other artists with my cheers or my dollars etc. It means being open and inclusive to new folks who want to join in the fun. I hope to be able to continue to introduce new friends to the arts scene in Spokane and be able to connect more of the different communities Iâm a part of together.
5-Â What do you hope to accomplish at PorchFest? What do you want to help PorchFest accomplish?I hope that there are people attending whoâve never been to a Spokane Poetry event and that they connect with my performance and the performances of my friends and ideally at least one person asks me what other performance poetry stuff happens in this lovely city. Beyond that I mostly hope to hear and see a lot of cool stuff and maybe make at least one new friend.
2015 Performer Spotlight #12
Devin is this year’s Poet Wrangler! She’s taken the reins from our inaugural Poet Wrangler, Travis Naught. Thanks for all your hard work Travis and Devin!
DEVIN DEVINEÂ – POET WRANGLERÂ –
Bio:Devin Devine is a proud Spokane local and a graduate from Gonzaga University, where she studied both theatre and creative writing with a concentration in poetry. She spends too much time lamenting her loans instead of paying them. As she pursues the life of an artist, she works as a server downtown at Sante Restaurant & Charcuterie in the Liberty Building.  She was a member of the 2015 Spokane National Poetry Slam Team that traveled to Oakland this August, and recently self-published her first chapbook Feral Empathy. She can be found reading in bars around Spokane, convincing strangers the magical properties of a pickleback.
Talk to us a bit about community, about yourself as an artist, and about PorchFest, please…
1 -What got you interested in PorchFest? What do you think about it?
I went to Porchfest last year to see some friends perform (and perform myself!) and loved it! It felt so routine to walk from one porch to the next, eat some hummus from a stranger, shake their hand, sit on their lawn, and enjoy some local talent. It was a beautiful day and I expect this year to be just as fantastic.
2- What is âcommunityâ? How do we build it?Â
For me, thereâs two ways to look at community. The larger and greater community of Spokane that brings us together through winter storms, dry summer heat, ânear nature/near perfect”, our handful of national headlines a year that leave us with our heads in our hands, a hashtag to defend our worth #SpokaneDoesntSuck, and so forth. And then within that thereâs your passions, your life, your choices. The neighborhood communities are obviously easy to spot, especially with centralized spots like the Perry District providing more and more reason for businesses and restaurants and action to truly become a part of residential areas. But for me, my community isnât my street (living off Division does that), itâs definitely my pursuits. The poetry, and then the greater literary and arts community of Spokane continues to surprise me with growth and support.
3-Â What have you done to build community? What else would you like to do?
I know this is silly but honestly… Spend my money at local places. Iâm a restaurant industry worker that just goes out and spends what I do make by eating out, drinking out, and connecting with friends and strangers by breaking bread. Iâve learned more about Spokane in the last year by drinking my way through downtown bars and talking to strangers than I have in my fourteen odd years of living here. Also, participating. Youâll find me almost every Wednesday at Neato for Broken Mic, and at the poetry slams in town too. But also going to events that arenât my usual scene, letting friends drag me to their favorite band that is at The Bartlett, or maybe a co-worker has an art show coming up etcetera. Iâd love to enter a role of facilitating soon, in some form. Not sure what that will look like yet. Maybe volunteering more.
2015 Performer Spotlight #11
â MADELINE â Solo Act â Jazz/Blues/Opera
Bio: Madeline McNeill is a singer/songwriter who combines a variety of music genres including jazz, blues, and opera to craft her unique performances in and around Spokane. She studied opera at Western Washington University and has since become a writer, philosopher, and a musician with a passion for playing music in a variety of spaces from the porch to the campfire to the concert hall.
âI love the idea of playing live music in spaces were music is not normally played. Music inspires a range feelings, and put in a new space, can effectively break up blandness and breathe new life. I used to busk downtown and in front of businesses because it was fun to break the boring bustle of people striving to get to the next destination. Iâd play and an adult would smile and fall in step with the rhythm. Kids would dance. Playing on porches evokes the same feeling for me. I see Porchfest as a gentle revolution against the monotonous culture of living in a quiet neighborhood where people donât know who lives next door. Playing on porches gets everyone outside and celebrating the shared space where people live their lives, together.â
More info:Â thebodyphilosopher.org
2015 Performer Spotlight #10
Kyle is expressive!
KYLE KAHKLEN – Poet –
© Marshall E. Peterson Jr.
Bio: A resident of the Inland Northwest for seven years, Kyle has been writing poetry seriously since his sophomore year of college. He is an EWU alumnus and works as substitute teacher in Spokane Public School. He has come to fall in love with the Spokane area and its artistic community after participating in weekly Broken Mic nights. He would like to thank Hannah for her inspiring work ethic and being the poetâs muse.
Talk to us a bit about community, about yourself as an artist, and about PorchFest, please…
1 -What got you interested in PorchFest? What do you think about it?
I blame my friend Devin Divine, who sent me a message to come to a party. âGo get some treats and things! Youâll have a blast!â she said, âItâll be fun!â she said. I went and all of a sudden Iâm performing. THANKS DEVIN.
2- How often do you get over to West Central? What brings you over?
Usually, I go to Kendall Yards for food. Thereâs a farmerâs market every Wednesday that Hannah and I like to go to. Central Food and Brain Freeze Creamery are often the go-to favorites. I also enjoy biking through the neighborhood since it does not have too much heavy traffic.
3- What is âcommunityâ? How do we build it? Does it happen automatically or does it need catalysts?
Community, like culture, is a system of shared beliefs and likes brought about through various forms of communication. These beliefs can vary from interests to trades to even locations. As long as there are groups of people with beliefs, there will always be communities. The important notion of communication in community derives from the idea that people can share in their beliefs without prejudice; in contrast, people can also expand their own ideas by communicating their thoughts on their beliefs. Community really depends on the people that surround it and how they interact with others.
4-What do you hope to accomplish at PorchFest? What do you want to help PorchFest accomplish?
I hope to promote reading and writing around Spokane. I hope to explore other peopleâs arts and, in turn, hope to pass on some of my own. I hope PorchFest helps to expand art and neighborly events like it in Spokane
5-What have you done to build community? What else would you like to do?
Well, I feel Iâve been a part of several different communities: websites, poetry, education, etc. Participation really includes anything I can do to allow that community to grow and spread; anything to help with events to share love of the community. For one, Iâd love to showcase more poetry readings around Spokane. If that can happen, it might promote more readers and writers to showcase their talents.
6-Why should people come to PorchFest?
Because Iâm performing poetry. Â Oh, and I guess because I like West Central and everyone else should.