Please read this entire page before continuing to our proposal submission form below.
Community Events at Firestorm!
Firestorm makes space available for meetings, classes, workshops, fundraisers, author events, community organizing, presentations, film screenings, and other programming to enlighten, empower, and entertain our community!
Events at Firestorm are free to the public, but hosts may "pass the hat" or collect a suggested donation. Because accessibility is important to us, we never want participants to be turned away due to lack of funds.
As both a worker-owned co-operative that has a financial bottom line, and an anarchist project rooted in principles of mutual aid rather than charity, we also value community support of our project! Accessible space and grassroots programming at Firestorm are only possible due to the generous support of our Community Sustainers. We ask that event hosts make themselves aware of our sustainers program and encourage their attendees to support our co-op through participation and/or patronage of our bookstore. Doing so can help to keep this free community space free and thriving for years to come!
Types of Events
Authors & Readings
As an independent bookstore that is widely understood to be “political,” we have found that book readings, signings, and discussions that do not fit our established niche often fail to draw a satisfactory audience. For this reason we will only book an author if their work aligns with our mission or speaks directly to our primary audience.
Fiction
While we love fiction—and particularly genre fiction—our bookstore is best known for nonfiction and we do not often host events for novels or short story collections.
Poetry
We tried poetry nights with great cheer,
But the crowd never seemed to appear.
With so many chairs bare,
And silence in the air,
We'll book only prose authors this year!
Bands & Live Music
Asheville is a city with an abundance of music venues. Our co-op does not have the infrastructure available at these other spaces, the licensing required to allow for the performance of cover songs, or the built-in audience for music. In the past, when we have hosted live music it has been poorly attended except in instances where the organizer had a robust local network and the ability to manage all aspects of promotion. With rare exception, we will decline to host singer songwriters, bands, and other music acts. Please contact us only if you believe that your performance is uniquely suited to an anarchist bookstore and you can take full responsibility for bringing a crowd.
Children's Events
Although Firestorm strives to be a space that is welcoming for children and families, we do not have a strong audience for children's programming. In particular, we will decline to host storytimes and similar activities due to the strong possibility that few children will attend.
If you feel that a kids' event is a great fit for our space, please be prepared to describe how you plan to draw in participants who are not Firestorm's typical event attendees.
Accessibility
Masks are still required at Firestorm. We provide free disposable masks at the front door and occasionally have free KN95s and N95s.
We strive for ADA compliance in our space, with no steps required to enter, wide aisles between shelves, and a bathroom equipped with grab bar, ample room for mobility, and accessible toilet. The floors in our bookstore and community room are unobstructed, however the floor in our children's section is covered by a large rug that may limit access.
We encourage facilitators to consider participants with a diverse range of experiences and abilities when creating their events. To improve the accessibility of your event, please keep the following topics in mind.
Content Warnings
We ask presenters and facilitators to provide content warnings for sensitive topics likely to come up during an event, when those topics are not self-evident. For example, a content warning for animal abuse should be given for a poetry reading that includes a poem about mistreatment of a family pet, but is not needed at a presentation on factory farming, where participants can be reasonably assumed to anticipate such material.
Warnings should be provided both in promotional materials as well as verbally at the start of the event itself. While it is impossible to anticipate all the triggers that may come up for people, content warnings provide visitors with the information needed to make informed decisions about their participation.
Scents
For the benefit of people with chemical sensitivities, we ask visitors and event organizers to refrain from wearing perfumes or colognes or bringing scented objects such as candles, incense, and essential oils into the space.
Discussions & Visual Aids
We recommend that event organizers make auditory and visual adjustments to enhance the experience of event participants. Examples include offering printed copies of material read by the facilitator, increasing font sizes of presentations, providing captions for videos, and establishing a group norm to speak one at a time.
Further Reading
To learn more about improving accessibility for your event, we suggest the following readings: Trauma-Informed Meetings, Discussions & Conversations by Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice, An Introduction to Content Warnings and Trigger Warnings by Inclusive Teaching, and How Can You Make Your Presentation Accessible? by Richard Ladner.
Space & Equipment
Firestorm's capacity is comfortable at twenty-five, cozy at thirty, and above that will require some folks to stand. The event area is not separated from the primary sales floor—please consider if this meets your need for privacy/quiet.
The following equipment is available to use at no cost:
- Large folding tables, small folding tables, and folding chairs
- Digital projector (requires HDMI port or adapter) and screen
- PA system and two microphones
Getting the Word Out
Please understand that Firestorm's capacity to advertise your event is modest. Hosts should vigorously promote their own events to ensure a strong turnout. To assist event organizers, we've compiled a brief publicity guide (linked below). Please review it early for specific recommendations and links.
Assuming you provide us with the necessary information, you can expect to see your event on our website, listed in our monthly newsletter, and displayed on our storefront event board. For events scheduled at least a month in advance, we may also submit listings to local community calendars.
Event Proposal Process
Step 1: Determine the best day and time for your event
We host events during normal business hours (Monday to Friday 3pm-7pm and Saturday / Sunday 12pm-7pm), and occasionally after-hours.
Check our online calendar of events to see which dates and times are available (an open spot on the online calendar does not ensure availability, but it's a good place to start). Events that are public should be booked well in advance, ideally at least one month prior, to allow sufficient time for promotion and inclusion on our monthly event calendar.
Step 2: Submit a booking request form
Fill out a booking form at firestorm.coop/booking.html with relevant event details (day/time, contact info, event description, estimated attendance, needed equipment).
Step 3: Await confirmation of your event
If your proposal is accepted, you will typically receive a response within one week. If you have not received a response in that time and would like to check on the status of your event, you can follow up by email at events@firestorm.coop.
Please note that our collective reviews all proposals to determine if events are appropriate for our physical space and in keeping with our goals as a project. Regrettably, we are not able to host many of the events that are proposed.