Songwriters Retreat Details

THURSDAY and FRIDAY SONGWRITER ACTIVITIES

THURSDAY afternoon we convene at Saturn's Return Farm, meet your Songwriting instructor, Geof Morgan, and enjoy thought provoking stories from acclaimed authors Thor Hanson and Robert Dash whose works intersect the arts and nature. Arrive by 1pm.

Thursday evening Farm to Fork dinner option at the Farm (check in at Earth Box after dinner). Or check in at Earth Box and dine in town. See accomodation options below.

FRIDAY Morning, we meet up at Saturns Return Farm and then head out on the land, at a nature preserve for songwriting inspiration.

Join poets Jill McCabe Johnson and Danny Sherrard for a morning of land-based experiences with writing  activities. Visiting the precedent-setting land protection models of San Juan County Land Bank Preserves,  you will learn about the fascinating features of these places, practice listening to their story, and translate those experiences into the written word or song. Land Bank conservationist and writer Shauna Barrows is our field trip guide. 

Morning is focused on field and writing experiences, picnic lunch is provided. 

FRIDAY WORKSHOP

Friday afternoon is our first Songwriters Workshop lead by Geof Morgan of A Wonder of Song Writers from Bellingham.  From 1-4:30 we will gather at the harborside San Juan Island Grange in the town of Friday Harbor for our workshop:

'Finding Our Stories, Our Songwriter Voice'

We all carry stories - moments, loves, seasons, losses, and triumphs that made us who we are, or remind us who we are in other people’s stories. In this first class, we will use prompts and other people’s songs to spark us to find our core stories and explore how to tell them as only we can. We’ll talk about finding a good hook and bringing in metaphor, scene, imagery, and the senses to help tell the story. This class is designed with exercises and discussions for both new and veteran songwriters to let yet untapped stories and songs emerge and finding our voice.

Friday evening, we invite you to a enjoy dinner in town and welcome you to the Poetry Reading at Waterworks Gallery, to hear spoken works that came from your morning session. 

SATURDAY SONGWRITER ACTIVITIES

Saturday, we adventure out again in the morning and start the day at Lime Kiln State Park overlooking the Salish Sea and learn techniques for deep seeing, moving at the speed of lichen, and develop our inner story in response to the natural world. Author and noted photographer Robert Dash will be joined by poet Abigail  Morgan Prout to create a sacred container for seeing, listening, and walking in nature. 

From the sea, we will journey into a hillside madrona grove on a Land Bank Preserve and will be joined by Shauna Burrows to look at the story of the land, in its own voice. 

SATURDAY WORKSHOP

After a picnic lunch, we will return to the Grange and jump in to the second Wonder of Song Writers workshop with Geof Morgan:

 'The Craft of Songwriting'

In this second class, we will examine more closely they ways great songs work, both musically and lyrically. We’ll explore styles we don’t usually use and how that might expand our own voice. From our beginnings yesterday or other songs we are working on, we will explore the art of revising - honing the arc of the song, building on the song’s core theme, and identifying and expanding our song’s unique strengths and voice.

Saturday evening, you are enouraged to attend the Eye of the Whale Splash! in Friday Harbor. This dinner, creative showcase, music, and performance art event welcomes all Gathering participants and family members who may be traveling with you. 6-9pm in Friday Harbor at Brickworks. (See aditional ticket options under our Travel link.)

(San Juan Islanders can opt for single, Friday or Saturday, or all-days enrollment, Thurs-Sat, with no accommodations.)

Geof Morgan - from A Wonder of Song Writers in Bellingham

Geof was raised in New England and began playing folk guitar at fourteen. In 1973 he moved to Nashville and became a commercial country-western songwriter and recording artist, writing songs for Barbara Mandrell, Ronnie Milsap, Charlie Pride, Dickey Lee, and Ernest Tubb, among others. In 1982, Morgan moved to Bellingham and released three more albums of original songs. He stopped touring in 1989 to be a single father and began working as a community organizer. While working, he has continued to write and teach and recently released his first recording in 35 years, Morning Rising, a collection of songs of love, family, community, social justice, aging, and healing. This winter Geof and his good friend, Karee Wardrop, organized A Wonder of Songwriters bringing songwriters together from the region to build a writing community of support for their craft and the stories that can only be sung. 

See the Writers Retreat  Listening to the Land for the field trip instructor and guest speaker bios.