A year after the Eaton Fire destroyed 9,418 structures across Altadena and Pasadena, the Armory Center for the Arts is launching an intimate retreat to help survivors find meaning through storytelling.
“Stardust Memorias: An Eaton Fire Storytelling Retreat” begins Sunday, January 11, at noon, offering a free, two-day program for individuals and families. Guided by acclaimed poet and essayist Amy Shimshon-Santo and co-facilitator Cristal Trujillo, participants will “transform their experiences into new meanings through storytelling and creative writing.”
The Eaton Fire, which ignited on January 7, burned 14,021 acres and destroyed 9,418 structures—including 4,356 single-family homes, 77 multi-family buildings, and 123 commercial buildings. At least 19 people died.
Shimshon-Santo is the author of “Even the Milky Way Is Undocumented.” Her forthcoming book, “Piecework,” explores language, memory, and movement.
The Armory launched multiple relief programs including a Fire Relief Fund for staff who lost homes and a Studio financial assistance program for displaced families. California American Water awarded the Armory a $25,000 Disaster Relief Grant. Leslie Ito, Executive Director, stated: “The Armory will continue to be here to provide our communities with a home for essential creative care and a space to express the complex range of emotions that come with grieving and loss.”
The retreat includes childcare and arts activities for children ages six to ten.
Stardust Memorias: An Eaton Fire Storytelling Retreat will run on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 12 p.m. Armory Center for the Arts, 145 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, California. For more information, call (626) 792-5101 or visit https://www.armoryarts.org/calendar/2025/stardust-memorias.
