Within any group of people of a certain size, secrets arise. Sometimes out of chance, sometimes out of need. And for reasons nefarious, beneficent, or benign, the maintenance of secrecy can become a critical element to the health of a community.

During a lunch meeting last week, some of us, sworn to various secrets, puzzled over our particular predicament of managing secrecy in a growing community. How does one know if someone else, or a whole lunch table, is briefed on the same secret? How does one determine this without revealing the existence of a secret? How does one communicate about secrecy in secrecy? What does one do if the existence of a secret is known but not what the secret is? Does one maintain a growing collection of decoy secrets in case pressed? Does one create an entire secret communication channel that excludes only the one person a secret is meant to be kept from?

As is our wont as a mildly corporate themed social club, we quickly moved into considering bureaucratic solutions to this problem (having standardized a hug protocol, it is only natural and right that our corporate efficiency should come for secrets).

We entertained for a time the idea of person-specific security clearance levels: instead of asking someone “Do you know that one secret about Jessica S. that she’s been telling basically everyone as soon as she sees them, that at this point doesn’t so much seem like a secret as it does a bit?” one could instead ask “What level of security clearance do you have with Jessica S.?” Having been told which level of security clearance a secret had been designated (say, level 3), one could thereby know whether it is safe to communicate about said secret.

While this is the leading solution under consideration for Company-wide implementation, it does suffer from the need to disclose clearance levels between individuals, which, depending on the situation, could itself be a matter of extreme secrecy. Certain secrets might require an accompanying secret list of the others who have been briefed.

There is certainly much more work to be done before we arrive at the most secret of secret-keeping secrecy protocols (a secret subcommittee on the maintenance of secrets may or may not be in development), but Management are very heartened by the good progress we’ve made so far.

Partially because, bro, it’s suuuuuper relevant to us. We’ve been sitting on stacks of secrets for the last few months (IYHSCYK), keeping confidence for confidants with different levels of confidence. It’s been a sneaky time for us here. And we’re so so so so relieved that at this last PowerPoint Party we were finally able to declassify what was definitely the biggest secret that was definitely not a decoy secret for another even bigger secret.

And if you weren’t there for it, the former big secret that is now declassified information (and don’t you bother thinking that there’s anything else afoot) is that WE’VE RENEWED OUR LEASE FOR THE COMPANY FOR ANOTHER YEAR!!!

Season 3 kicks off on May 15, and we’d be so happy to keep having you all as returning characters on our show.

Thank you again to our wonderful landlords, John and Marcia, for working with us on squeezing a little more time out of this strange and beautiful building, and to all our dear friends and members who have helped fund our time here and made all of it worth it.

It’s no secret that I love you all.

—Ivan

Happenings

This week:

⚠️ CANCELLED: Weekly Wednesday Worknight, Wednesday, March 4 ⚠️

NOTICE: Weekly Wednesday Worknight will be cancelled this week due to Management preoccupation.

NOTICE ALSO: Weekly Wednesday Worknight NEXT WEEK will have a slightly wonky schedule due to the Moonlight Report for Lunation #1276. We’ll begin focus sessions a little later, though you’re still welcome to come and work from here, unfacilitated, at the regular start time.

Future Weeks:

Glint: Spill, Tuesday, March 17

True, personal stories, told live, without notes. Pretty much exactly like The Moth, except without the competition, on Tuesdays instead of Fridays, and everyone knows each other (or is about to). Our next theme is “Spill“.

Have you made a mess? Have you dropped something that went everywhere? Have you seen something overflow? Have you been responsible for an environmental disaster? Have you spilled blood, spilled your guts, or spilled the beans? Have you cried over spilled milk or do you know why we’re not supposed to? Whatever your interpretation, we want to hear it.

Come hear from James, Joshua, Eunice, Jessica P., Laura, me, Earl, Lizzie, Sylvia, Mary Ann, Madeleine, and Allyson, or join the waitlist to tell your own story.

$10, or free for tellers and members.

Spill your heart out →

In the Making, Thursday, March 26

A show and tell for original, amateur, creative works in progress. Each presenter has 10 minutes to spend however they choose (any mix of presenting, Q&A, workshopping, getting feedback).

We’ve got four slots left for presenters, so sign up using Whiteboard or reply if you’re interested!

$10, or free for members and presenters

Make an appearance →

Cuppa’s 1-Year Anniversary Party!, Saturday, March 28

Cuppa is turning one, and we’re going to celebrate! Show up anytime during Cuppa hours (9am-2pm), and get any drink for just $4! Each drink purchase will get you 1 raffle ticket. Games and puzzles will be set out, so feel free to come and hang out for a bit, chat, make a new friend, and enjoy the good company at Cuppa. The raffle will take place at 11am, with goodies from local artists and businesses.

Free for everyone

No need to RSVP, just show up.

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Also coming up: Mary Ann’s Book Club: North Woods (March 30), PowerPoint Party No. 37 (April 4), Creative Writing Workshop: Thresholds (April 6), Prom (April 25)

Nostalgia

Do you remember the day when Gus said “Hey, nice butt!” to Alex when he came in? How he actually had said something else but I said that I’d put the thing we thought he said in Paperwork and promptly forgot the actual thing?

The post-work news of Madeleine’s dis-appointment?

Or her writing workshop, where we reflected on lighthouses and shadows and moments? How we read to each other, and we laughed and awwed and teared up?

Do you remember how some of us gathered at Allyson and Madison’s for the Empowerment Manual book club? That we talked about our experiences, our hopes, and anti-nuclear sentiment? How we learned that Adam knew Starhawk? And do you remember our collective relief that while we all like the idea of collaboration we’re still generally a little pro-hierarchy? Or how Mark thought to explain the difference between co-housing and co-living, and Madeleine, mostly skeptical of this whole project, became so excited?

Or the recess with Drew and Simon and Adam and Ellen? That some of us departed early for a Spanish class? The Worknight with another Creatives Club contingent? How we worked and chit-chatted, and ended in two interlocking rings?

The lunch of secrets? That it reminded Ryan of a past life? How we thought through so many schemes, and laughed so much about one secret in particular? That at recess Jessica S. held court on non-monogamy?

Were you there for the flurry when Beth was back for Cuppa? The gifts? The records? The Fiber Craft Appreciation Committee? The few brief moments of quiet? Did you hear Ryan say “this is not a co-working space; this is a co-working clubhouse”? Do you remember the lunch celebration of Beth’s birthday? Us, again, a crowd in brightly colored hats? That we walked through the snow, and talked through birthday questions, and stopped at Little Man on our way back? That we set our hats out to dry, before donning them again for a song? Or the extended tagline brainstorming session, inspired by Christof’s cap? How that was altogether such a fun day, and altogether such a bad first day for Madeleine to try working remotely from The Company?

And do you remember that day at the museum, under Lizzie’s leadership? How we slowly walked and rolled around the exhibits, talking to each other and the art? How we looked at paintings and sculptures and so many dresses? How we paired up and split off into so many conversations? How afterward we ended up in different places? How it was all so beautiful?

Or The PowerPoint Party when all the Goldstein siblings presented? How we again ended up with standing room? How that was the night we shared the good news of the lease renewal, and heard presentations about items, notes, music, years, models, water, time, ants, cards, eggs, bikes, and future presentations?

How we lingered, and swept, and reset? How for some of you the night drifted on, a few hundred feet away, and a couple of miles across the city?

Bureaucratic Minutiae

• In case you’re someone who skips the intros but pays attention to this section: we’ve renewed our lease here at the East Half of Lots 16-19 in Block 11 of the Union Addition of Denver for another year! Season 3 will begin on May 15.

• Management has formed a new committee, called The Company Corporate Communications Committee, to help with the documentary, media, and marketing work here at The Company, comprising Paperwork, The Website, and The Instagram. Thanks to Lauren T. and Alex for already contributing to this issue.

• At Worknight: José booked remaining hotels for his England trip; Sabrina cleaned the bathroom and prepared 1 bundle of fabric; Madeleine edited a story and defined next steps for an audio project; Morgan finished her Neolithic Era assignment; Derek reviewed a poetry manuscript; Allyson made a monthly class schedule and budget; Livvy prepared a work presentation and got to 15 pages of script; Ivan planned event process updates and reviewed a Notion dashboard; Mary Ann created a library loan system, updated a budget, and readied Ridwell recycling; and Earl prepped for PowerPoint Party. Summary by Alex.

• At Powerpoint Party No. 36: Benji provided a statistical survey of magic items in Pathfinder, Kayla contemplated a decade of her private notes, Simon showed us the best way to organize our music, Micah (concluding the Goldstein siblings in order of birth) told us about his year before giving a second embedded presentation presenting presentations he’d like other presenters to present, Christof convinced us that they are Gundam models not Transformer dolls, Adam counseled us in the wise use of Denver’s limited water supply, Elijah took us to the end of time, Andy showed us the odds and ends of formic sexuality, José informed us regarding what should be in our wallets, Hayley wondered how we might symbolize danger across eons. Mary Ann brought us along to freeze her eggs, and Earl taught us to ride our bikes—with friends. Summary by Alex.

• For later, when you’re wondering, I’m inquiring as to the possibility that you would believe such a thing. Definitely not a true thing.

• 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

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This issue of Paperwork was written by Ivan with additional reporting from Alex, and was shot by Ivan, Madeleine, and Beth. Photo selection and editing by Ivan and Lauren T. Editorial support was provided by Livvy. This issue, and The Company itself, was made possible by the support of our members, Halie, Drew J., Justin, Mason, José, Mary Ann, Trevr, Allyson, Lizzie, Elijah, Michelle, Jim, Jacob, Mark, Sabrina, Beth, Dani, Chris, Will, Marcia, Rebeca, Sarah, Alex, Jessica P., Jessica S., Ben, Sam Ad., Christof, Ryan, Lauren T., Madeleine, Simon, Adam B., Gus, Lauren S., Earl, and our newest member Maddie.

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.

🤐