I have presented at two Ignite Phoenix events. The first time I presented (IP #7), I had only lived in Phoenix for a month. I had no idea what Ignite Phoenix was, but of course, I dove in head first. At the intro meeting, I felt so welcome—so part of a community. On stage, night of, in front of 900 people at the Phoenix Art Museum, I wanted to throw up. I didn’t. Instead, I was wired. I talked about “The Art of Bad Writing,” and apparently, the audience agreed with my points, because they supported me whole-heartedly. I felt like I was on fire. I was crazy. I was … ENTHUSED! The rest of the evening, I ran around on pure adrenaline, and I couldn’t wait to present again.

My second chance arrived at Ignite Phoenix #11 this past October, and of course, I had to talk about the “Scariest Place on Earth,” my alma mater, Ohio University. Being a huge fan of Halloween, I felt this topic was appropriate, and trust me, the same enthusiasm raged through my veins that night—as did the unavoidable fear of possible onstage vomit. Again, no such disaster occurred. After the show, I was mobbed by fellow Halloween freaks and ghost story enthusiasts. I felt like a celebrity, and whenever I’m feeling blue, I go back to that night—and the night of Ignite #7—and relive the emotional high brought on by sharing my passion with hundreds of strangers.

See, that’s what Ignite Phoenix is about. It’s about sharing your passion, even if it’s something weird, unpopular, or completely arcane. The crowd at Ignite Phoenix is the best crowd you’re going to find. They are there to lift up, support, and applaud. I don’t care if you’re scared of public speaking. No one in the audience will care either, because all they want to do is hear what you have to say. Who cares if you flub a line? Who cares if you go blank in the middle of a sentence? It doesn’t matter. You are brave enough to stand on that Ignite stage and teach Phoenix something new. You are brave enough to talk about what really matters to you and possibly to many people in our beautiful city.

Ignite Phoenix is a platform for education, discussion, and inspiration. Thanks to my “Art of Bad Writing” speech, my Twitter feed blew up with questions about grammar and proper punctuation. (I was even referred to as the “Grammar Nazi.”) Because of my Halloween speech, I heard countless ghost stories from strangers who seemed so relieved to have someone to talk to about that time they heard their name whispered in a dark, empty room. Presenting at Ignite Phoenix is a trip—but it is a trip you will never forget. And neither will your audience.