Host Kit: What Other Hosts Did

Winthrop, Washington State · Methow Rising and Common Power · May 30, 2026

• Two groups co-hosted, which put two mailing lists behind one event.
• The talk was free and ran from 7 to 8:30 on a Saturday night at the Winthrop Barn, with doors at 6:30.
• RSVPs went through a Mobilize page.
• Both local papers ran a notice, and Northwest Public Broadcasting listed the talk on its community calendar.
• The hosts made it the third night of a running speaker series.

This format fits a group with a free room and no budget.

Yakima, Washington State · Yakima Indivisible · Aug. 13, 2026

• A signing at Rooted Yakima Valley, a local shop, from noon to 2.
• A ticketed reception for members before the talk.
• The talk at The Crown Ballroom from 6:30 to 8:30, with $15 tickets sold on the group’s website.
• A gathering afterward.
• The host reserved my hotel room.
• The host sent a press release, and the Yakima Herald-Republic ran a preview.
• The night launched the group’s Voices of Democracy speaker series.

This format fits a group that wants to raise money and launch something.

Charlotte, North Carolina · Indivisible Charlotte · Feb. 7 and 8, 2026

• Two months ahead, their research team interviewed me on their podcast, which introduced me to their members.
• They asked for a short teaser video and promoted the event with it.
• They chose the topics and the title, “Fighting vs Winning: Battling Authoritarianism.”
• The talk ran 19 minutes inside their ninth anniversary celebration on a Saturday afternoon.
• They set up meetings with state legislators the same weekend.
• Their leadership team sat down with me for a roundtable on strategy.
• Before I arrived they sent a briefing on North Carolina politics.
• A member took notes at every meeting and sent them around afterward.
• Members met me at the airport, gave me a room and drove me to each meeting.
• They posted the video and a write-up afterward.

This format fits a group that wants strategy time with its leaders and local officials.

Seattle, Washington State · Cascadia Democratic Action at Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum · Oct. 14, 2026

• One organization ran the program and a members’ library provided the room.
• The panel ran one hour on a weeknight, from 7:30 to 8:30.
• Three people shared the stage.
• The host paired soft secession with Indigenous sovereignty, a subject it chose for its region.

This format fits a group that wants a local voice on stage with me.

The talks I give are listed with their outlines on the speaking page.

• “Saving Democracy Starts Locally”
• “Physics, Fascism, and Soft Secession”
• “Fighting vs Winning: Battling Authoritarianism”
• “Soft secession, Indigenous sovereignty, and Cascadia’s resistance to fascism”

What does it cost?

Nothing is required. A group that can cover travel or a room says so at sign-up.

Where do you stay?

A member’s spare room has been the model, and a hotel works when the group prefers one.

How do you get around?

Members have driven me from the airport and between events.

How long is the talk?

It takes 30 minutes to an hour, with questions after. Charlotte asked for a short one and got 19 minutes.

Can we record it?

Yes, and Charlotte posted theirs.

For the event listing:

Christopher Armitage, a legal scholar and journalist, is the founder and publisher of The Existentialist Republic. He developed the oppositional federalism framework and wrote a legal framework for soft secession, and his commentary has appeared in JURIST and the Brennan Center’s State Court Report. He served eight years in the U.S. Air Force. [GROUP] hosts him on [DATE] at [VENUE] for [TITLE], with questions from the audience afterward.

An organizer who has not signed up yet starts with the sign-up form. An organizer who has signed up picks a time for a 30-minute call, and we settle the format and the date there.