The Highland Ballroom turns a new page

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• Chelsea Raflo

Nestled in the heart of Poncey-Highland, the Highland Ballroom has been known to host a wide variety of events: raucous parties, music shows, and weddings. Its distinctive, speakeasy decor and convenient location have made it a staple of Atlanta’s event locations since its doors opened in 1927.

A number of literary events have been making themselves at home there as of late. Scott Daughtridge’s LostintheLetters series launched in September and has hosted a number of literary heavyweights since including George Singleton and Jared Yates Sexton. This Wednesday evening the Ballroom will open its doors to the rowdy and riveted cult following of Write Club Atlanta, at which local writers spar over opposing topics for charity.

A main spur for bringing artistic and authored action into the ballroom can be traced to the space’s new events director, Chelsea Raflo. Already a force to be reckoned with in Atlanta’s art scene when she took the position this past June, Raflo’s bringing a new, more literary vision to the Ballroom.

You’ve been heavily involved in Atlanta’s arts community for a while now through your own art exhibitions at places like MINT gallery and MOCA GA. How did your involvement with the arts community influence your vision for the Highland Ballroom and Lounge?
I’ve learned that I work best when I can integrate my personal interests into what I’m doing; attempting to compartmentalize inevitably just makes me feel like a fake, and that ends up showing in the work that I do. And the Ballroom is kind of a dream for me. The space itself is so unique and has a cool, underground feel to it that sparks so many ideas for me all the time. In the past, I’ve taken on curatorial projects and planned events, but the prospect of establishing a new venue or an arts space of some kind has always been far too daunting for me to make any progress on, although its been a long-held goal. So this job is kind of more perfect than I could have planned for myself. We aren’t trying to take Atlanta by storm, or take huge risky leaps, because we don’t have to. The Highland Inn is kind of a fixture in the community, and I feel incredibly grateful that we have the luxury of being able to steadily make changes and try out new ideas without the added pressures that come with starting a brand new business.