AAPI Writers

The Porch's AAPI meetups are designed for writers who identify as Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI). This group has been active since October 2022, and we've had successful public showcases in May 2023 and May 2024. These meetups allow new and familiar AAPI writers to get to know each other, while coming away with some focused writing and fruitful discussions. 

Please Note: Starting in July 2026, the Porch will start to charge a $5 fee for non-members (and free for members) to help sustain this program, continue compensating instructors, and keep offering low-cost, high-quality programming. If this fee is a barrier for you, please apply to our tuition assistance form to request a waiver. We appreciate your understanding as we continue to offer low-cost programming.

Upcoming Meetup Dates

• Aug 16 at 3-4:30pm - Steve Haruch
• September 20 at 3-4:30pm - Josh Inocalla
• October 18 at 3-4:30pm - Cortney Warner
• November 15 at 3-4:30pm - Cortney Warner
• December 20 at 3-4:30pm - Courtney Warner

Facilitators

Cortney Warner. Cortney was born in South Korea, raised in Ohio, and calls Tennessee home. She released her self-produced, debut special, Pointy Boys, in 2022 under Bedfire Label. Cortney travels all over the country performing stand up and has opened for artists and comedians like Dessa, Charlene Kaye, and Dusty Slay. Cortney runs a quarterly comedy show at Third Man Records and monthly shows at Babo and The Madnest. She also has satire published on points in case, humor darling, White Limozeen, and Flexx Mag. Cortney has studied at comedy institutions such as The Second City, UCB, and Catapult, all within comedy writing, satire, and sketch. She has studied directly under SNL/Key & Peele writer Rich Talarico as well. She has a BA in Organizational Communication from Kent State, where she graduated early and with high honors. She also hates onions and that’s the only thing she and Shrek don’t have in common.

Josh Inocalla is an actor and writer with a background in standup, sketch, and improv comedy. Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia; Josh dropped out of high school in Florida to teach martial arts with his father. Josh has now been creating original work in Nashville for over a decade. His sketch comedy show Luxury Prestige III ran monthly for 3 years. He made 34 online episodes and a full-length stage play of his series Oil & Martyr alongside co-creator Jessica Anderson and producer Bob Daniels. He created Nashville’s first-ever Asian filmmaker showcase, Look What The Tide Brought In. Josh studied under acclaimed actor and coach Corey Parker for 9 years. As an actor, Josh has appeared on stage with most of Nashville’s professional theater companies including Ingram New Works, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Nashville Children’s Theater, Actors Bridge, as well as Kindling Arts Festival, the Gatlinburg Improv Festival and the improv festival Spontaneous Combustion Atlanta. Josh has acted in film and television on platforms including HBO, PBS, Netflix, Hulu, and in movie theaters nationwide. He sits on the board of directors for the Nashville Repertory Theater. Josh also writes performance-based simulations for universities across the United States. Josh runs a writing club with his friend and collaborator Emmalee Manes. You can join at https://shutup.mailchimpsites.com/

Steve Haruch is an award-winning writer, editor and producer. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Catapult and NPR’s Code Switch, among other outlets. He was the founding senior producer of the daily show This Is Nashville, and his audio stories have aired on public radio’s Here and Now and elsewhere. Read and listen to more of his work here. Steve is editor of the books Greetings From New Nashville: How a Sleepy Southern Town Became “It” City and People Only Die of Love in Movies: Film Writing by Jim Ridley (Vanderbilt University Press). He is also an independent film producer and consultant.