- Connect with the natural world -
- Fuel your creative instincts -
- Craft authentic & impactful songs -
Drawing from a long lineage of songwriting methodologies and the timeless traditions of nature-inspired creative process, we’ll gather in the mountains of Southern Appalachia to create beautiful original music. Participants will learn to craft powerful lyrics, find melodies and harmonies, and discover the secrets of constructing catchy and memorable song forms.
Participants will receive thought-provoking writing prompts, and engage in playful, practical activities designed to help your authentic voice and innate creativity flourish. Each songwriter will receive personal mentorship and constructive feedback to help improve your writing and delivery. You’ll generate fresh musical ideas by experimenting with new instruments, progressions, and rhythms. You’ll be invited to collaborate, co-write, and workshop your songs in a supportive environment. Each evening around the campfire, you’ll have opportunities to share your music with other like-minded creatives and be celebrated for your unique gifts and strengths.
Immersing in the abundant beauty of the forested landscape, participants will discover the peace, calm, and creative flow that can arise from partnering nature-based mindfulness, embodied movement, and sensory awareness with the practice of songwriting. We’ll invite the the natural world to move us and to fuel our creative fires while at the same time give ourselves the radical permission to bring our most honest and potent songs into the world.
- Learn new tools and strategies -
- Collaborate, co-write & swap songs -
- Break through creative barriers -
Retreat Details
WHERE WILL THE RETREAT TAKE PLACE & HOW DO I GET THERE?
The retreat will be held on a small forested homestead in Cullowhee, North Carolina (one hour west of Asheville). Our log home, a tiny house cabin, tent sites, and outdoor classroom all sit on the banks of the beautiful Caney Fork of the Tuckaseegee. Most activities and workshops will take place outdoors, but can be moved indoors or to covered areas in the case of rainy or cold weather. We may also take field trips to soak in creative inspiration from the other nearby scenic locations.
Participants arriving into AVL airport can either rent a car, arrange to carpool, or reserve an airport transfer for an additional cost.
WHAT IS THE COST & WHAT IS INCLUDED?
The base cost of the retreat is $500* and includes a pre-retreat online module of exercises and practices to jump-start your songwriting + 3 days of workshops + all meals (Thursday Dinner through Sunday Lunch) + 3 nights camping in your own tent. For an additional $100 participants may stay in one of our fully outfitted glamping tents or teardrop trailers.
* A limited number of Scholarships are available. We encourage BIPOC, LGBTQ+, folks from marginalized communities, and those with financial hardship to apply for scholarships.
WHERE WILL PARTICIPANTS STAY?
Participants can either bring their own tent to camp or for an additional $100, reserve one of our fully outfitted glamping tents or teardrop trailers. Instruments can be stored indoors at night or in the case of rain.
WHAT AMENITIES ARE AVAILABLE?
This is a rustic retreat. Participants will have 24 hr access to outdoor showers, composting toilets, drinking water, wifi, device charging, and indoor hangout space all within a short walk from your campsite. Use of the bathroom in the main house will be available during meal times but will otherwise be reserved for home residents.
WHAT KIND OF FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED?
Meals will be provided starting with an arrival Dinner on Thursday October 9 and ending with our final Lunch on Sunday. Meals will be simple, buffet-style, and crafted by a professional retreat chef. Most meals will be plant-based but meat options will be available for dinners. Participants may bring their own supplementary snacks as needed. Most dietary needs can be accommodated with advanced notice.
Sample Daily Schedule:
7:00 - 8:00am Individual Nature Sit-Spots (optional)
8:00 - 8:30am Group Yoga (optional)
8:30 - 9:30am Breakfast & Morning Pages/Free-Writing
9:30 - 10:30am Workshop Block / Instruction
10:30 - 12:00pm Co-writing or Solo-writing activities
12:00 - 12 :30pm Group Harvest
12:30 -2:30pm Lunch + Free Time
2:30 - 3:30pm Workshop Block / Instruction
3:30 - 6:00pm Co-writing, Solo-writing, or Feedback Circle
6:00 - 7:30pm Dinner, Sunset + Free Time
7:30 - 10:00pm Campfire Song Swap
WHO IS THIS RETREAT FOR?
From fledgling songsters to established writers looking to re-kindle their creative fire, this workshop is designed to be enriching and accessible for songwriters of any level. As a participant you’ll be given prompts and assignments customized to your current songwriting goals - be they developing original and catchy melodies, honing your lyrics, expanding your rhyme vocabulary, or troubleshooting the bridge or chorus.
HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE DO I NEED?
There is no need to be a master instrumentalist or music theory genius to become a great songwriter. But to get the most out of this workshop, a basic competency with an acoustic instrument such as guitar, ukulele, or banjo will be helpful. Participants should be comfortable with at least 4 chord shapes and a few strumming patterns on one of these instruments.
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO WRITE ABOUT FLOWERS AND BUTTERFLIES?
Participants will explore whatever themes they feel most inspired by. We will be using the practice of nature connection to unlock our creative potentials and inspire our writing process. Some writers may also use the natural world as the subject and/or setting of their songs while others might not.
That said, participants will be encouraged to study the lyrics of famous writers who skillfully infuse sensory and naturalist language into their songs. Examples include Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Gregory Alan Isakov, Kate Wolf, Joan Shelley, Neil Young and so many more!
About Your Teacher
Topher Stephens has over 15 years of experience as a facilitator and decades of experience as a songwriter and performer. While his songs have earned him no accolades and paid very few of his bills, he believes wholeheartedly in the power of music to nourish and offer hope in these troubled times. Raised among the rivercane and old-time reels of Appalachia, Topher inherited his profound love of music and a deep reverence for wildness from his parents. After completing a rigorous liberal arts education (consisting mostly of classes in African Dance, Pottery, Buddhist Philosophy, Ethnomusicology, and Mushroom Biology) he became a wilderness guide, mindfulness teacher, banjo builder, and driftwood connoisseur. He currently earns his living teaching people to appreciate birds, whittle spoons, and write the best damn songs they can possibly write.