Chelsie Holmes believes the SPEAK event — which will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Off the Beaten Path Bookstore — presents a unique opportunity for the community of Steamboat Springs.

“I think this event is important because it gives us the opportunity to talk about things that are sort of taboo and difficult to talk about,” said Holmes, the program director for Queer Futures. “Things that you kind of need to be invited to talk about. It gives voice to people who are traditionally marginalized, as well as people we don’t get to hear from all the time.”

SPEAK is a powerful and personal event written and performed by people living in the Yampa Valley. The event was originally hosted by Young Bloods Collective to lift women’s voices, but was expanded after Advocates of Routt County took the helm. The night typically includes several performance styles from spoken-word storytelling, slam poetry, stand-up comedy routines and dance exhibitions. The intention of the event is to give a platform to those who are too often unheard.

“It had been exclusively for women in the spirit of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ and ‘2 Dope Queens’ and other plays that are short form vignettes,” said Graham Hackett, director of the COMMA Projects. “We (Advocates) decided to open it up beyond just women’s voices to include men and non-binary folks as well, so it’s a much more diverse lineup.”

SPEAK 2024 will explore the concept of “justice” from a wide range of perspectives. The evening will feature an array of powerful performances and rarely told stories. The performers were determined a few months ago, and the program was planned and rehearsed.

“We are able to kind of determine the order of performances to create a journey for the audience,” Hackett said. “We make sure to kind of curate the experience by making sure there is a sequence of performances between stories and songs and poems. We toggle between them, both for our format, and so that the topics are in order. So we really try to create a unique experience.”

Tickets for the event are $20 and are available on EventBrite.com or the Advocates of Routt County Facebook page. The event will also feature libations and snacks for sale, with the proceeds from ticket and other sales going to directly support maintaining Advocates of Routt County’s 24/7 Safe-Line that provides crises and non-crises support for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking.

“It’s the only 24/7 hotline in Northwest Colorado that we’re aware of, and we will make sure and put whoever calls on the line with a real live human being,” Hackett said. “Even if it’s four in the morning, we don’t care, we want to hear from somebody who needs that kind of support. The safe line specifically is about safety planning for someone who’s in a bad situation, getting access to resources that they might need and offering on the spot emotional support.”