Maybe you know the feeling: you’re cooking a dish for some friends and family, and you’ve finished all the chopping and slicing, measuring and pouring - all the ingredients are assembled and now it’s time to see what happens. You lift the lid or pull open the oven door. You sniff, prick, stir. And then you taste – just a little bit, just the corner, just enough to check how it’s coming along...

If you’re anything like me, that’s the moment of truth: even before the dish is done you can tell if it’s going to be a success. There’s something about the way the flavors work together when it’s right – it’s surprising, even magical. You can taste it and find yourself smiling (ever-so-humbly) and thinking “Not bad! I think we’re onto something…” Well imagine the Guild Complex, in its kitchen, taking that first taste, with that same smile. We’re cooking up some new dishes and we can’t wait to see what you think.

Sure, there was one strange new ingredient (Iron Chef, anyone?)… I first became a Guild fan back in 2004, when the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards triple-dog-dared me into performing one of my own poems in front of an audience – something I’d never done despite being an experienced performer and avid writer. I got more involved in the Guild over the next six years, and my appreciation of both the organization and the art it promoted continued to grow. It even inspired me to find more ways to bring my arts and branding backgrounds to help other organizations around the city. Then this January, I joined the Guild as its new Managing Director, thrilled to bring these backgrounds to its proud history and exciting future-in-the-making. (And I’m eternally grateful to Ellen Wadey, the Guild Board and other Guild partners for diving into this transition process with such enthusiasm and generosity.) I’ve taken up the Guild’s mission to continue fostering conversation between, and among, writers, audiences and literary works. We’ll keep doing it through our programs and events, as well as through other activities in the Guild community.

But enough about me. All of the Guild’s supporters – its audiences, artists and partners - make it what it is. Some of the ingredients have changed, and new ones may yet be added, but the Guild is still a tasty dish we look forward to sharing with you. Let’s dig in!

Kimberly Dixon

Managing Director