Lighthouse is more than just a name; it embodies the essence of a safe haven, a guiding light, and a place of belonging. Our community has evolved, one word at a time, into a family of writers who illuminate the world with their stories. When we join together to create and share our stories, we recognize what we have in common. This Colorado Gives Day, we invite you to support Lighthouse so we can continue building a diverse and inclusive community that fosters creativity, supports emerging voices, and makes a positive impact on countless lives. Here's Dino's story.
You may know Dino Enrique Piacentini from one of his workshops—as one of our steadfast faculty at Lighthouse; he’s a common favorite amongst our community. But you might be surprised to learn that Dino didn’t start writing until he was in his mid-30s.
“I was afraid to start writing because I knew it meant something to me. I’d focused on visual arts because it felt safer, but finally, I said enough was enough and tried my hand at storytelling,” said Dino.
When he first moved to Denver, Dino had been working on a novel. Unsatisfied with the first draft, he searched for a place that would help his writing and stumbled upon Lighthouse. He took a class with Jenny Itell, then Bill Henderson, then Andrea Dupree, and has been hooked ever since.
In 2018, Dino started teaching at Lighthouse—his first class was “Lessons from Billie Holiday,” which helped writers find inspiration in other art forms and use new artistic techniques in their own stories.
“It’s so crucial to have diversity of all types in a workshop, including economic diversity.”
As someone who benefited from tuition assistance during graduate school, Dino knows firsthand how important Lighthouse’s writership (tuition assistance) program is.
“Especially as Lighthouse settles further into its new neighborhood and community, we need to welcome anyone to the building, regardless of their ability to pay, and we can do that through writerships.”
Last year, Dino taught a four-day intensive at the Writing in Color Fest. It was a small group, but over the course of the intensive, they really grew together, as we all know is common in workshops. There was one student in the workshop who’d explored writing a bit but had a lot of insecurities around it. But as the workshop progressed, she became more confident and shared that the workshop was finally allowing her to indulge in her creative side, telling her and her ancestors' stories.
“When she finally shared her writing at the end of the workshop, we were all blown away—it was SO good. That kind of evolution is common at Lighthouse, fueled in part by donations to writership.”
