Host a Bonfire

A Bonfire is a free, relaxed evening for people who make things to talk about why we make them. You pick the place and the night. This page gives you the shape of the evening, three questions to start with, and what to do if someone is having a hard time.

What a Bonfire is

An evening for people who make things, mostly on their own, to sit with others who do the same and talk about why. Writers, painters, musicians, crafters, designers, photographers, people who make things for no one but themselves: all welcome, at any level. Nothing to prepare and nothing to show.

Every Bonfire keeps these principles. If your evening keeps them, you're welcome to call it a Bonfire.

• Free. No tickets, no minimum spend, no one turned away for not buying anything.
• No critique. Nobody's work is judged, and nobody has to show any.
• No selling. No pitching, no promoting, no follower counts or sales talk.
• Talk or just listen. Anyone can pass, any time.
• What's shared stays here. In a public place, share only what you're comfortable with.
• Fellow makers. It's a conversation among people who make things, with no therapy and no advice unless someone asks for it.
• Adults, in public. 18 and up, in a public, accessible place.

Before the night

A public place, a co-host and a regular night are most of the work.

• Pick the place. A library room, a café corner, a bookstore after hours, a studio, or a bar on a quiet night as long as no one has to drink. Quiet enough to hear each other, step-free, and open to the public.
• Ask the manager. A corner you can have for two hours, separate checks, and whether they'll mention it to their customers. Library rules vary; some ask that events be open to anyone and free, with no alcohol, so read the library's own room policy. If a room's rules don't allow an age limit, pick another place.
• Pick a regular night. The same place and night each month, so people can count on the next one. Weeknights are quieter.
• Find a co-host. Two hosts make it easier to greet people, split into circles and step aside with someone if needed.
• Send the invite two to three weeks ahead, on whatever you already use (the text is below). Keep the guest list on your own tools.
• Bring name tags and a pen, the three questions on a card, and a small object to pass around as a talking piece if one voice starts to take over.

The evening

About 90 minutes, loosely in this order. The host takes part like everyone else, keeps an eye on the time and makes room for quieter people.

1. Welcome (5 minutes). Something like: "Thanks for coming. This is a Bonfire: we talk about making things and why we do it. There's no set agenda, nobody's work gets judged, and nothing's for sale. Talk or just listen; you can pass any time. What's said here stays here, so share what you're comfortable with. No photos of people while we talk; if we take a group photo at the end, we'll ask first."
2. Names (10 minutes). Your first name, what you make, and why you came tonight.
3. One question, in twos or threes (20 minutes). Pick one of the questions below. Mix crafts on purpose: pair people who make different things, a writer with a potter. Take turns; each person gets a few minutes while the others listen.
4. Open talk (40 minutes). Circles of 4 to 8; with more people, split and ask someone to keep each circle going. Use the other questions only if talk stalls. If people would rather make than talk, a side-by-side making corner works too. Give five minutes' warning before the close.
5. Closing (10 minutes). One round: "What stood out for you tonight?" Then: "Research suggests the people you talked with tonight liked you more than you think. If you'd like to see someone again, tell them." Say the next date.

People arriving late join at the next round. From the second Bonfire on, ask someone who has been before to welcome each first-timer. If someone under 18 comes, kindly let them know it's for adults.

If someone is drunk, unkind to others or keeps selling, you can ask them to leave, or end the night early. Your co-host is there for this too.

Three questions to start

All three come from the journey on this site, the second reworded for a group. Research suggests people enjoy a deeper question more than they expect to, so start with one of these and skip the small talk.

1. What did it feel like to make something before you knew how to judge it?
2. Why does making things matter to you? If people are stuck: some of us make things to figure something out, to feel something, or to reach someone.
3. What would you give yourself permission to do?

A fourth, for a group of mixed crafts: What's something outside your own craft that changed how you make things?

If someone is struggling

Talking about why we make things can bring up hard things. Your job is to slow down and make sure the person knows where help is.

At any point, if anyone is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number (911 in the US).

1. Slow down. Pause the circle for a moment. Thank them for sharing.
2. Don't try to fix it. No advice, no diagnosis. Listening is enough.
3. Check in privately. Step aside with them, out of earshot but still in view, with your co-host keeping the circle going.
4. Point to help. findahelpline.com connects people with free, confidential help in their country. In the US, 988 is the number to call or text in a mental-health crisis.
5. Stay with them until they're connected to help. If they'd rather go home and you're not worried for their safety, make sure they have findahelpline.com (or 988 in the US).

Afterward, talk it over with your co-host. It's fine to feel shaken.

Invites

Use whatever you already use, and fill in the brackets. Saying "independently hosted" matters: you run your own evening.

For Evite or Partiful

For Instagram

Afterward

Keep it light: a post, a date, and an open door.

• Share it if you like. A photo of the place or the table, or a group photo everyone agreed to have posted; tag @whydoyoucreate and #wdycbonfire.
• Post the next date so people can plan on it.
• Make it easy to meet in between. A month is a long time. If people want to swap numbers or plan a coffee, leave room for it at the close.
• If someone wants more, the free journey on this site takes about ten minutes, and a Spark Circle is a guided session a kindler runs for a group. Mention these if people ask; nothing is pitched in the room.
• Tell us how it went, if you'd like, through the contact page: what worked, what didn't, how many came. No names needed.