Gracious reader,
Last weekend, On October 10th—the third anniversary of the publication of The Soul of Civility—I had the honor of speaking at the Front Porch Republic conference about the power of the porch. I shared the stage with Joanna Taft, a hero of civility whose story I share in Chapter 5 of my book, who first taught me about porching when i first moved to Indianapolis in 2018.
While writing my book, I discovered that people have been porching, with and without porches, for almost as long as we have been around as a species. Across time and place, in the face of injustice and catastrophe, porchers have said, in effect: I cannot control others, but I can control myself, and I have more power than I realize. After I finished writing my book, I looked back at it and realized
I had told the same story half a dozen times, through different porchers across time and place: Albert Schweitzer, the physician who tried to take down colonialism, in Chapter 1, Confucius, the reformer who tried to change the world, in Chapter 2, Joanna, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus in Chapter 5, my grandmother Margaret in the final chapter, and so many others.
I shared these and other stories with the Front Porch Republic Audience during the day, and then, after the conference, we actually did it. We hosted 100 people: friends from the conference, my neighborhood, and my community, from across politics, geography, and vocation. We gathered around a shared idea, that we can flourish across difference. Our differences and disagreements do not have to define us. They can be a source of joy, and our shared thriving can bring out the best in us.
I was overjoyed that night. It felt like a celebartion of so many of life’s most important things: friendship, community, hospitality, agency, the possibility of flourishing across difference. It was wonderful to have so many people with whom to celebrate. And I kept asking myself what I could build to help you do this too. How could I invite you, dear reader, to take the ideas of my book off the page and into practice, and to read it the way I designed it to be read: in community with others?
That is why I created The Porching Challenge.
What is The Porching Challenge?
It is an invitation to gather your neighbors and friends from across your community, read The Soul of Civility together, and dream about how to build a renaissance right where you are. The book is simply the canvas for you to dream against, respond to, to prompt conversation. What you build together is up to you.
You don’t need an actual porch. A living room, a front yard, a coffee shop, or your dinner table will do. Choose your place. Invite your people. Decide who hosts next.
What you’ll receive when you join:
The introduction and first two chapters of The Soul of Civility, free, to share with your guests and seed your first three gatherings
The Soul of Civility Discussion Guide, with chapter by chapter questions to prompt your conversations
A Why Porch and How to Porch toolkit, a short guide to the idea behind porching and how to host
A facilitator’s guide, so you don’t need to be an expert to lead
Sample invitation scripts, because the hardest part is often the asking
Everything will be free to download for you and your guests.
With a bit of luck, maybe your invitees will become the inviters, and start their own Porching Challenge in other communities—their workplace, houses of worship, or more.
You won’t be porching alone. When you join, I’ll connect you with other porchers near you, so you can find your people, start a porch together, or join one already underway.
Take your copy off the shelf. Many of you already have the book. This is your invitation to pull it down and read it again, this time with others. And if you need copies for your group, the new paperback anniversary edition is coming soon. It will be distributed through Ingram, so any bookstore can order it.
Porch with your local bookstore. Independent bookstores have always been porches of their own, places where neighbors meet, linger, and talk. I’d love for them to be hubs of the Porching Challenge. When your group needs copies, please order them through your local bookstore; the paperback will be distributed through Ingram, so any bookstore can get it for you. And if your favorite bookstore would like to host a porch, keep a sign-up sheet for local porchers, or welcome me for a kickoff event, tell me on the form or reply to this email. I would love to partner with them.
I would like to build more for you. If something would help you invite your neighbors, host your first gathering, or keep the conversation going, tell me. Just reply to this email.
Join the Porching Challenge
My goal is for 100 of you to join the Porching Challenge and start porch parties: reading The Soul of Civility in community, bringing it to life, and learning to flourish across difference right where you are. Every one of us has more power than we realize to be part of the solution.
To reserve your spot, fill out this quick form below.
Once you’ve filled it out, feel free to email me by replying to this email, or post about it online using the hashtags #PorchingRevolution, #PorchingChallenge and #TheSoulOfCivility so we can all watch the porches spread in real time.
Stay tuned for details on the paperback launch next week.
With gratitude,
Lexi
P.S. Already know who you’d invite? Once you fill out the form, you’ll receive some sample language to help you start building your porch party today.
I can’t wait to porch with you!