Good evening, everyone!  Tonight is a special night, because I am going to tell you all a story.  Ten years ago, I am not entirely sure of the month, but it was before October 2015, when I took the first pictures. Anyway, I saw an ad in what I believe was the Boulder Weekly for an open mic poetry night at the Firehouse Art Center.  I was 40 and trying new things, so I grabbed my college Poetry notebook and showed up – alone and afraid.

And that night, magic happened to me.  I met a group of people who loved what I loved.  Who were on a journey of finding their people.  Who were nervous and alone and afraid like I was that night.  That was the very first Poetry night at the Firehouse.  Kim Sorden, who was on the board at the time and loved poetry, made it happen.  During intermission, she was serving drinks in the back, and I found her and asked her if I could be a part of making this happen.

The first writers’ workshop was initially aimed at teens, but a big group of adults showed up. Hence, the Firehouse responded to a community need by continuing it for adults and the occasional teenager. 

I volunteered with David Bailey, Bradley Books, Jessica Rigney, and Dustin Holland in the early years.  We grew into a solid group of people who had one another’s backs with setup, hosting, and teaching.  This became an incredibly welcoming space, and although we aren’t always perfect, we always tried.

On a personal note, I was in the final death throes of a terrible marriage, and the Firehouse was a respite, and gave me a reason to keep going, and gave me community when I felt the most isolated.  When I joined the board, I fought to keep our scheduling and our “Art” represented. I was happy to take over running the program when Kim needed more time for her business.

There have been ebbs and flows, and real growth in this space.  We have had the privilege of witnessing and honoring the lives of late poets – David Bailey and Jim “the man of” Steel.  Throughout my time with the Firehouse, I have worked to try to keep this space a safe place for all people.  I have learned and repeated my mantra, “It’s not about you, Christy.  It’s about the Firehouse.  Let your ego go.”

I have had the absolute honor of having the help of Anthony Sulwer for something like 7 years. He has been my sounding board, my collaborator, my partner in all things Firehouse.  I don’t think the last 4 or 5 years would have happened without him.  He does fantastic work behind the scenes that no one is privy to, and he does it all without fanfare.  During the COVID lockdown, we kept this thing going!  I taught nearly every workshop for two years, and sometimes it was just me, Anthony, Kathy Hall, and Betsy Anderson on Zoom.  We read to the Muppet show squares on our computer screens, to handshaking, muted applause.  We kept the light lit – for anyone who needed it.

We used to rejoice if 10 people showed up, and now we regularly have crowds of 35 or more.

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one who comes to our open mics, our workshops, ArtWalk, Filth, events, and celebrations – now and in the past, as they built the foundation, and the future, as they are what we are going to be.

I cannot put into adequate words how thankful I am that you have set your trust in me for so many years, and I hope to serve you all and the Firehouse for 10 more years and beyond.

Finally, I would like to give the first 10-anniversary sticker (I haven’t even taken any for myself yet), designed by our own Martin Dadisman, and offer it as a minuscule token for all the work Anthony has done with my endless thanks.  This whole thing doesn’t happen without you.  There is some other swag on the way, but this will have to do for now.  For you, our amazing, vibrant, passionate community, you can feel free to grab one from the front desk during the midpoint intermission.  I hope it will be a symbol of pride on your water bottle, computer, or car that you are part of this community.  We are what we are because of you.  Happy 10^th Anniversary, Firehouse Writers! 

*Special thanks to Martin Dadisman for building community by welcoming poets into his home for regular post-workshop afterparties. 

Thank you to the boulderpoetryscene.com and loveshovelranch.com/bafs/  (Beyond Acedemia Free Skool) with whom we collaborate when we can.

Thank you to all the people I may have missed at lighthousewriters.org/ , southbroadwaypress.org, ArtB4Money, etc. There are so many great collaborators and cross-pollination.  That is what makes us strong, resilient, and able to serve our community so fully. *