Introduction by Diane Alters
Like many great ideas in Colorado, this one began in the mountains, when a group of friends, all accomplished poets, gathered to write and relax in the summer of 2025 at a family townhome in Winter Park. Their friendships had been forged at Lighthouse, where they’d studied the art and craft of writing. Importantly, each had been transformed in some way by the Lighthouse experience.
Over pasta and wine, an idea took root with a question about legacy. They all asked: How can Lighthouse get the support it needs? And, finally: Why don’t we do it? A group of dedicated volunteers could find writers with books to talk about, gather lovers of writing at someone’s home, and raise money for Lighthouse. Sue Bickert, one of the Winter Park poets, immediately saw potential for community building as well as fundraising. “The impact of the Friends of Lighthouse would be substantial,” she said. “The salons could introduce the larger community to all that Lighthouse Writers has to offer and enlarge its base of support.”
Zumpf remembered the words of the late, beloved poet Chris Ransick: “Write as if you have something to say. Because if you do, you have.” She mused, “Everyone should have the opportunity to write the story they need to tell. Support for Lighthouse’s community engagement programs helps make it possible for people to do just that.”
So far, in 2026, the Friends of Lighthouse have raised a total of $11,053 at three salon events. The first was hosted by Greg Movesian and Jack Finlaw with special guest David Wroblewski, author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and Familiaris, both Oprah Book Club choices.
The second salon was an engaging and important conversation between former Denver Post Editor-in-Chief Greg Moore and Wil Haygood, author of the memoir The War Within a War: The Black Struggle at Vietnam and at Home, hosted by Diane Alters and Ellin Rosenthal at Ellin and Ron’s lovely Washington Park home.
Most recently, in August, poet and Colorado College professor Juan Morales read from his latest book, Dream of the Bird Tattoo, hosted by Friends Gail ben Ezra and Kirsten Morgan.
There’s one more Friends event coming up this year, with dramatic performances of the writings of Edgar Allan Poe and Edward Gorey, combined with music by Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, and Tom Lehrer, performed by some very talented local actors and musicians.
What follows is an interview with Lighthouse Executive Director Mike Henry and several of the friends: Diane Alters, Sue Bickert, Greg Movesian, Ellin Rosenthal, and Connie Zumpf.
What inspired you to want to start Friends of Lighthouse?
Connie Zumpf: It began with a small conversation among a group of poets “of a certain age”…about legacy—specifically, the creation of legacy around the art of writing. That is, what do we leave behind in support of an organization that has changed our writing lives? We wanted to explore, with Lighthouse leadership, the creation of expanded opportunities for writers to share and connect through Lighthouse-sponsored readings. This conversation bloomed to envisioning a volunteer group modeling a legacy of engagement, advocacy, and financial support for an expanded array of Lighthouse adult programming.
Ellin Rosenthal: Lighthouse and everything it offers should be accessible to the community at large. Full stop. If people want to write, they should have access to support in that endeavor.
Lighthouse walks the talk. They have opened their arms wide to bring together all kinds of writers (from beginners to published experts) writing across the full spectrum of genres. What's more, Lighthouse prioritizes welcoming everyone to their programs by offering financial assistance, working diligently to create an accessible space, and providing a welcoming community for all writers regardless of background.
The beneficiaries of Lighthouse's values are not only the people who have something to say, but also the people who have something to learn from these stories (and that would be ALL of us). We are all better off in a community that values storytelling, listening, learning, and empathy. When I learned about the Friends of Lighthouse, when I learned I could be part of the effort to promote these things, it was a no-brainer for me. I thought, "I'm a lucky woman. I'm all in!"
Diane Alters: When I signed up for my first class ever at Lighthouse more than a decade ago, I emailed the instructor, the late Chris Ransick, to say I wanted to learn more about poetry but was afraid my grief – someone close to me had recently died – would be depressing for the other students. No, no, he responded. Poetry is about life and death and everything in between. His welcoming attitude matched his excellent teaching. In class, we discussed some great poems and why they’re great, with each person in the small group reading from poems Chris selected. I didn’t have to talk about my own situation and loved being able to focus on a piece of writing and the craft that went into it. After that, I was committed to Lighthouse and have taken many classes since then. The small classes, the other students, and excellent teaching have given me a great deal, and I wanted to give back by helping to start Friends of Lighthouse.
What do you find most inspiring (or important) about the community engagement work Lighthouse does?
Connie Zumpf: Lighthouse provides programs that support creative expression and the writing of stories. As humans, aren’t we creatures of story? Simply said, these programs cost money. If people are left out of these experiences because they lack funds to participate, then I believe we are all diminished by the absence of their stories. Conversely, we as members of a creative community are lifted up by the interaction of a rich diversity of voices and perspectives.
Diane Alters: Helping people figure out how to write well is good for all of us: more wonderful things to read, more people discovering the joy that comes from writing.
Greg Movesian: Lighthouse helps people develop the tools and confidence they need to express themselves and enter into public conversation, and the community engagement programs help ensure that people who are marginalized or experiencing difficult challenges in their lives have access to this transformative resource.
Julian of Norwich wrote (during the Black Death) "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
If you are a writer, have you personally had an experience with the connective or wisdom-making power of writing, at Lighthouse, or elsewhere?
Connie Zumpf: Well, this will be a too-long answer…Lighthouse introduced me to the power of being part of a community of writers. Eleven years ago, I participated in the Poetry Collective, which brought me together with a cohort of six other poets. Together, the seven of us began to seriously learn the art and craft of poetry. This is the closest concentric circle in my creative community, and we continue to study and learn together to this day.
A few years ago, we combined forces and gave what was to us a substantial gift to support the building of the new building. We did so because we believed in the mission of Lighthouse, and because we would not have met if it were not for programs at Lighthouse. This was an important idea to me, that the combined efforts and resources of a group of writers can result in a gift that helps to perpetuate the work of this organization that has changed us.
Diane Alters: I love the Lighthouse model of small classes and excellent teaching because it works! Even when the classes aren’t small, I learn something. Layli Long Soldier taught a class on revision at Lit Fest this year, and it was one of the best I’ve taken. She was direct, warm and generous, sharing drafts of her writing to illustrate her points. At one point, she paused to reflect: “Maybe all my revision is a process of fantastic failures till I find what the poem wants,” she said.
I love her Golden Rule of revision: “Protect the initial spark, spirit or intention that brought me to the page to write the piece I’m revising.”
And there’s one more I can’t resist: “Our poems are stories. They already exist. We’re trying to bring out the story in the correct form it wants.”
In another class a few years ago, Elizabeth Robinson had us cut up a copy of one of our poems so that each line was on a separate piece of paper. Then, we had to rearrange the lines. This was a magical process, with all of us cutting and laughing like kindergartners. And we ended up with better poems. Where else could adults do that but at Lighthouse?
What’s your dream for a group like Friends of Lighthouse? What sort of impact do you hope to make?
Diane Alters:Over time, we hope to build a culture of small donors willing and able to support Lighthouse’s community engagement programs. We wanted to host more salons showcasing writers, whose work we love, across genres. These small salons, with food and drink in someone’s living room, are a wonderful opportunity to experience the high caliber of Lighthouse’s programming, while fundraising to support Lighthouse.
Connie Zumpf: My hope is that we can develop and sustain a successful, ongoing program of enlightening literary experiences played out in intimate home settings that can spark new connections within our creative community.
I hope we as Friends are able to learn and grow in our ability to provide ongoing support for programs and activities that engage writers beyond the classroom (including poetry readings!). I also hope that we can become part of a collective legacy of member involvement, helping the organization to sustain into perpetuity its presence as an important regional literary center.
Sue Bickert: The impact of the Friends of Lighthouse will be seen through its salons which will fundraise to support community engagement classes at Lighthouse. In addition, some of these same events would introduce the larger community to all that Lighthouse Writers has to offer and enlarge its base of support. At the same time, it could support activities within Lighthouse to enlarge the cross-genre community. All of these activities support the organization through increasing outreach.
In general, why do you think it’s important to support arts organizations like Lighthouse?
Connie Zumpf: The arts are about connection. Programs in the literary arts help to raise up stories that connect us to what it is to be human and remind us we are not alone in our experiences of joy, loss, despair, beauty, rage… Arts organizations provide communities in which these connections can become real, and in which creative expression can be nurtured and protected.
Diane Alters: Unfortunately, we are way past the days when ultra-wealthy people like Carnegie or Rockefeller routinely supported the arts in big ways. And federal arts programs have been gutted. So that leaves the rest of us to help keep the grassroots, neighborhood-level programs like Lighthouse afloat.
Now for a book-ish question: do you have a favorite quote from literature that relates to the work you’re doing, or the work that Lighthouse does?
Connie Zumpf: I’ll return to the quote from Chris Ransick:
"Write as if you have something to say.
Because if you do, you have."
