vol. 2, no. 15 | Extraordinary Joys

Station Eleven

                August 25, 2025

            vol. 2,  no. 15 | Extraordinary Joys

            Making a new friend. Little Man on a hot day. Noticing that you’ve tuned out the sound of the punch clock. Finally seeing the dog in the window again, and learning her name. Having the same answer on your name tags. Gently patting the hydrangeas. Successfully reraveling the star. Getting into a conversation with Marcia. Falling in love. The sound of River weeping from happiness. Trespassing. Being around when the film scans come in. The jolt of someone punching in for the first time. Coming across Rango on a walk. Playing chess. Watching the crane move. Surprise run-ins in the neighborhood. Being the reason a room gets renamed. Getting five stars. Collectively gasping during a watch party. Being missed when you’re gone. Realizing your dancing has improved. Accidentally matching outfits. Being reassured that you too can add music to the jam. Eating lunch together. Separating on three. Quitting your job and keeping your coworkers. Wearing birthday hats. Planning for the end of the world. Having your art hanging in the space. Rolling deep. Being able to tell who’s laugh that was. Surprising each other with grand gestures. Taking forever to say goodbye. Having your friends come to your show. Being held while you sob. Getting a cuppa. The creak of the screen door opening. Having people you can ask for help. Seeing yourself in the newsletter. Meeting someone with the same fascination. Beaming at each other across the room. Going to prom. The moment someone returns from their endless trip. Having your book win the totally fair and non-rigged election. Receiving multiple congratulatory rounds of handshakes. Finding your people. Catching a callback. Seeing the peaches ripen. Coming out of your cage and feeling just fine. Knowing what the intro was inspired by. Becoming an old friend.
—Ivan
Happenings
This week:
Moonlight Report, Monday, August 25
Moonlight members only (for now). This is where Moonlighters show off work from the last lunation and commit to projects for the next lunation. Interested in joining a social club for side projects based around the cycle of the moon where lots of money is (optionally) on the line? Reply to this email.
Mary Ann’s Book Club: Station Eleven, Monday, August 25
This month we’ve been reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
Alex finished it in a week, and about it said:
“Favorite fiction I've read in memory. Fastest possibly I've ever read a book. Wow.”
You’ve got a few hours to read it if you haven’t yet started, though so many of us would be happy to talk to you about it whenever you get around to it.
Snacks and drinks will be provided to fuel our conversation.
$0–$10, free for members
Remember damage →
Weekly Wednesday Worknight, Wednesday, August 27
The Company is about combining creative work with good friendships. Make an appointment with your side project this (or any) Wednesday at a Worknight, where we oscillate between enforced, focused, quiet time and optional chatty social time.
$5, or free for Company and Moonlight members
Work together →
Offsite: Creative Mornings, Friday, August 29
Creative Mornings is a free, monthly breakfast* lecture series for the creative community, where we’ve met so many great people. There are a couple hundred people registered for this next one, and there are still tickets left. And! It’s just a short walk from The Company, so you can pop by after for a Cuppa.
Free
Be a morning person →
Offsite: The Moth: Lies, Friday, August 29
The Moth is a storytelling event which was the direct inspiration for Glint. A bunch of us got tickets to go, and it looks like there’s still some left.
$17.50
Lie about not being able to make it →
Future Weeks:
PowerPoint Party No. 30, Saturday, September 6
Twelve people giving 7-minute presentations about whatever they’re currently into. At past parties, people have presented about dogs, pipes, music, and ethics. It’s a wide mix.
It’s a nerdy and sincere crowd that cares a lot, and we’ve met some of our favorite people at these.
Want to present? We’ve got a waiting list. Want to just show up and meet interesting people and learn about what’s fascinating them lately? That’s great too. Bring a friend, or come alone and make a friend.
$10, or free for members and presenters
Make a point of coming →
Mild Salsa Class, Sunday, September 7
A few months ago, it came to some of our attention that we didn’t know how to dance salsa and maybe we could hire an instructor. So began a biweekly salsa cadence. We’ve got space for more people to join, so we’re opening it up. If you’ve wanted to learn, but have been too scared to learn in front of strangers, learning in front of friends is definitely less scary.
$5
Can we have this dance? →
Cuppa Clothing Swap, Sunday, September 14
We’re doing another of these! The last one was a riot. People showed up a few hours later wearing each other’s recently swapped clothes. One Jessica in another’s dress. Sam in one of their shirts.
Free
Switch things up →
—
Also coming up: Glint: Unknown (September 16), Offsite: Make & Tell (September 18), Summery (September 22).
Nostalgia
Do you remember the medium salsa where we spun and spun, getting dizzy with the new moves? How Jess showed the leaders how it felt?
Or the slam poetry field trip? How we snapped our fingers and wiped our eyes and were astonished at the impartiality of Madison’s judging? How we saw Madeleine win the night?
The morning with cameras? The uncommon luxury of inspecting the mouths of two gift horses?
How Dan and Madison and Malika joined us for lunch and we talked about poetry and focus?
That we again hung from the monkey bars? Again got ice cream?
Do you remember the last art night from Allyson’s apartment? How the setting sunlight filtered through the trees and cast dappled shadows across the room? How Allyson and Kristi told us the story of how they met under voluntarily stressful circumstances? Or that sweet ceremony to honor the space, where we toasted to so many good memories in warm light?
The unsuccessful teashop visit? Discovering a shortcut on the way back?
How Zack came by to help troubleshoot the projector, and confirmed we do in fact have trouble?
Or the day when you looked out the windows, watching the pourers and the rakers and the squisher? That you watched as men traded off watching and working? How you saw fallen peaches become part of the new road?
Do you remember the farewell to Ashley, surrounded by flowers? How you got closer to finalizing your choice of finger spouts? The stories of unsuccessful handwritten overtures? The photos, and the reactions to the photos?
And do you remember that secret and sacred moment, when you transferred a local best friendship? How she pantomimed extracting the care from her heart, and you placed it into yours?
How as we packed up, Dan looked like Lady Liberty holding her torch, and we read an excerpt from the Petrarchan sonnet engraved at her base?
Do you remember Case and Mika and Madeleine showing up? How it was just us four at recess, playing basketball, taking photos of each other?
How afterward Case read to Mika from the facsimile of the book of Ted? How she elucidated the dreams of early computing?
How we made our way to Make & Tell and met new friends? How in answering a question about how well the iPhone would score as calm technology, Case started off her answer by saying “so, before the book was invented,” and we couldn’t stop laughing?
That we lingered forever? How by the time Livvy finally met Peter and Owen they were telling her about The Company?
Do you remember the lunch with the $34 sandwiches? How we talked about smartphones, and what on earth biweekly means?
That we ran into Sophie while on a walk? How we took an extended recess, and Jim took the podium?
And do you remember the Orbis garden party? How we met the fellows? Chanted Dave’s name? That we learned we were figments of Josh’s imagination? That we finally got to see this whole world that Mark has been a part of for years?
That we ended the week as we began—dancing and dizzy and happy?
Bureaucratic Minutiae
The intro for this issue was inspired by our new friend Bridget’s card deck, Ordinary Joys. The upgrading to ‘extraordinary’ is something you can ask Ivan about with a warning that he might get real weepy about it.
Thank you so much to Mike for lending his camera to The Company!
Thank you to Zack for troubleshooting our projector woes and doing some helpful Googling about how to get it repaired.
*Be advised: sometimes there is something substantial to eat and sometimes there is not.
Finally, a reminder that The Company is a member-supported gathering place, and if you know any of us, you’re welcome to pop in any time for free (outside of events). If you know that one of us is here and you’d like to come by, reach out and we can let you in.
Photos
This week’s medium salsa class focused on the advanced sombrero and other spinning things.
And our instructor Jess helped the leaders understand just how dizzying it can feel to be spun.
The crew of us that went to see Madeleine perform (and win) at The Pearl’s poetry slam. Photo by Madeleine.
A test photo on the camera Mike has lent The Company. Drew also offered his own (camera) body.
Walking to recess.
Recessin’.
Stopping for ice cream.
River enjoying a pup cup.
The light in here was really something.
A totally candid photo of Michelle walking into The Company in the same way she always does.
A rare venture across the bridge.
With a quest to visit the tea shop, which was unfortunately also taking recess at the same exact time.
Exiting the shortcut.
Mid-week salsa practice.
Jessica S. and Liz watching the new road being made.
Sam Ar. knows how to be around a camera. Photo by Beth.
Ashley hosted a going away party for herself and organized some bouquet-making. Photo by Lizzie.
Sitting around. Photo by Lizzie.
Beth took this really lovely engagement photo of Livvy and Michelle.
And then showed it to them. Photo by Lizzie.
More arranging of flowers. Photo by Beth.
A beautiful way to go away. We’ll miss you, Ashley! Thanks for all of the great conversations, warm hugs, and obscure sorrows. Photo by Lizzie.
Shooting hoops.
Proof of the one basket I made. Photo by Case (we think).
Madeleine taking shots. Photo by Case (or Mika?).
Mika taking shots. Photo by Case.
Look at all that fractal texture! Photo by Madeleine.
Case teaching Mika about Ted Nelson’s ideas.
Walking to the Made Shop.
Mingling before Make & Tell. There’s a funny and good reason for why I’m on my phone here. Photo by Lizzie.
“So, before the book was invented…”
This shop makes friends.
Speaking of, we met our new friend Sophie (left) at the last Make & Tell, and just happened to run into her outside while on a walk.
It has become custom that if someone has something to talk about they do it from the car.
While on the car, Jim, ever vigilant for things to improve and repair, noticed that the front left wheel was not spinning as easily, and from a brief visual inspection we suggested that perhaps it was the result of an improper installation. Jim was handily carrying around calipers all day and was able to empirically confirm that yes, in fact, the radii of the front two wheels are different.
Mark is the executive director of Orbis Institute, a non-profit, co-living fellowship for young leaders (where he himself was once a fellow), and we had the chance to attend the inaugural event for this year’s cohort. This and all following photos by Lizzie.
The fellows: Pris, Xochitl, Elise, Peter, and Zannon.
Meeting the Orbis community.
Yazan, another Orbis alumn, led a group of us in learning some more salsa.
And it was the loveliest time.
—
This issue of Paperwork was written by Ivan, and shot by Ivan, Madeleine, Lizzie, Beth, Case, and Mika. Photo selection and editing by Ivan. Editorial support was provided by Livvy and Norton. This issue, and The Company itself, was made possible by the support of our members, Halie, Drew, Justin, Mason, Lexi, José, Mary Ann B., Trevr, Allyson, Lizzie, Madison, Melissa, Elijah, Michelle, Jim, Jaime, Jacob, Mark, Sabrina, Beth, Dani, Chris, Will, Rebeca, Sarah, Mary Ann T., Alex, Jessica P., Jessica S., Mike, Ben, Sam, and our newest Member, Liz.
Do you know anyone in the Denver area who might be looking for creative community? Feel free to forward this email along to them. Everyone loves Paperwork.
😘

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