2022 Fall Conference Overview 2022 Conference Workshops 2022 Presenters 2022 Schedule
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Friday Pre-Conference Intensives
Saturday Conference Workshops
Poetry Fiction Creative Nonfiction Photography Painting Hands-On Arts Music/Songwriting
Fall 2022 Pre-conference Intensives
Songwriting Intensive with Pierce Pettis (Fri Sept 16, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
In this all-day workshop, we’ll look at how to craft both music and lyrics.
We’ll look at the language of music, at phrasing, and how we put together melody, harmony, and rhythm. For melody, we’ll talk about conjunct and disjunct motion and how these change a song’s feel. We’ll talk about using contrasts, and about theme and variation, including inversion, retrogrades, modulation, and augmentation/diminution. (Don’t worry if you don’t know these terms; we’ll cover them in plain language.) We’ll explore harmony and chords as a framework that holds up your melody. Good chord structure makes simple melodies more interesting. We’ll look at using relative major/minors to make our compositions more interesting, and how to experiment with more advanced chord structures without making our songs inaccessible. We’ll consider tempo and rhythm. And we’ll look at structure, including intros, verses, choruses, channels, and bridges, and how to create interesting musical variety between sections. We’ll also think about how to make music resonate thematically and emotionally with lyrics. We’ll look at ways to jump start our brains and ways to experiment to keep from getting in a rut.
For lyrics, we’ll look at tools that help us. We’ll consider length, hook lines, forms, rhyme, rhythm, consistency, internal rhyme, and alliteration. We’ll look at how to make opening lines interesting, and story development techniques that influence both opening lines and how songs develop and move forward. We’ll also think about ideas behind the song, and how to make songs understandable, fresh, and believable, with powerful overall messages that create emotion. We’ll explore exercises to develop our writing, to create consistency, to warm ourselves up, to explore new ground, and to overcome writer’s block.
Handouts will extend the material covered in the workshop.
Fiction Writing Intensive (Fri Sept 16, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
This day long workshop will combine writing critique sessions with writing prompts and mini-craft-talks to help us more deeply enter into the writing process.
No further openings for this workshop.
Fall 2022 Conference Workshops (Sat Sept 17)
During the conference, we have three breakout sessions where you can choose the workshops that best suit you. These are among the offerings you can choose from.
We may add additional workshops depending on both attendance and on proposals that come in. We welcome proposals for additional workshops, especially in categories not reflected here.
Poetry
Poetry as an Occasion for Noticing Nature, Abigail Carroll
Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you. Job 12:7
Poetry offers an occasion to notice God’s complex creation in all of its beauty, its fierceness, and its curiousness. In this workshop, we’ll read poems that notice nature well, explore writing poems about nature as a spiritual practice, and put pen to paper in our own quest for meaningful connection with the Creator through creation. All levels of writing experience welcome.
The Poem as a Place of Hospitality, Sarah Crowley Chestnut
“The unknown is the dark basket into which we plunge our hands to bring out words that feed the hungry and clothe the poor—as good a definition of poetry as we might find.” (David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea).
Hospitality, in the Biblical sense, means welcome of the stranger. The stranger: one (as yet!) unknown to us, one we may be at first indifferent to, wary of, or even fear outright. This includes the ever-changing realm of nature, the stranger we are to ourselves, and the way in which the God who made and makes himself known will always invite us to discover more of who God is. Perhaps as a corrective to the old adage, “write what you know,” the poet — especially the poet of faith — writes to discover what she does not know, writes to better know the barely known, keeps learning true welcome of stranger. In this workshop, we’ll consider how hospitality at the heart of God and the words of Jesus, “I go to prepare a place for you,” might take deeper and deepening root in us, and bear fruit in our practice of writing poetry.
Bring a poem you did not write that has, at some point in life, in some way, been “bread” or “clothing” to you, as well as one poem you did write that you feel stuck on and would like to pepper with questions… as one might a stranger. All levels of writing experience are welcome.
Created to Create: Poetry as Guide to Identity, Jae Newman
Ephesians 2:10 calls humanity to see itself as God's workmanship or poem. In this lecture, we'll explore a series of introspective writing and reading exercises to discover God in both words and silences. The readings, exercises, and teaching tools examine poetry through the intersecting roles of music, structure, story, and imagination in a poem's existence (based on Gregory Orr's "Four Temperaments") The masterful poem engages all four realms simultaneously. We'll look at poems through these four criteria and examine our own writing to see what's natural to us and what we need to work on to write stronger, more vibrant poems that sing not just for ourselves but for others.
Poets may also be interested in Capturing Emotion Through Image in Lyrics under Songwriting below.
Fiction
Condensed Writing: A Workshop on Very Short Fiction, Kevin Fitton
This workshop offers the opportunity to write and revise a piece of very short fiction. Starting with a writing prompt, we’ll write a story of 2 pages or less. We’ll discuss revision strategies, and then go back to our story and revise, taking our story to the next level. Will it be ready to send out for publication by the end of the workshop? Probably not. But we’ll come away with a piece of writing we can feel good about—and learn some things about creativity, story shape, and revision strategies along the way.
Desire, Stakes, Emotion, and Tension as Foundations for Fiction, Eric Taylor
Whether writing a picture book or a novel, we know things have to happen. But action alone can result in what Gardner famously calls just “one d@#* thing after another.” Constructing situations, actions, and events in light of desires (what characters consciously and unconsciously want), stakes (what characters stand to lose if things don’t work), fears, controlling beliefs, misconceptions, and various other internal qualities makes for a richer story. Add to this what Maass calls emotional “high moments” and we have the makings of a story that works. As writers of faith, this all ties into our understanding of the human heart and our core values. Come with a story you’re working on (even if it’s stuck) or with an idea for a story you want to write. Together we’ll explore these elements related to the heart behind the story.
Creative Nonfiction
Telling Real Stories in Ways That Move, Eric Taylor
Creative non-fiction tells nonfiction stories with the craft and techniques of fiction. In this small workshop, we'll examine pieces of well-written creative non-fiction and notice elements of writing craft. We'll do a series of writing exercises that explore aspects of the art and technique of creative non-fiction. We'll discuss how our faith intersects with our stories in the deep honesty and hope that pervades even tough stories. We'll do some writing and share that writing with one another. (For those who took Eric’s creative nonfiction class a few years ago, this workshop uses different exercises.)
Photography
Nature Photography: Reflecting the Creator, Paul Rogers
By considering examples of nature photography, we come to understand that the Creator reveals Himself both in nature and through our pictures of the natural world. We’ll focus on some of Paul’s multi-year, nature-based photographic projects. We’ll discuss both aesthetic and technical aspects of good nature photography. Participants are encouraged to bring up to three prints or digital files (on a flash drive) to share with the group.
Landscape Photography, David Brueckner
In this workshop, we'll explore capturing the beauty of God's handiwork and the huge diversity reflected in what He's made. What wonderful variety He shares with us! This range of beauty calls for a range of techniques, so we'll examine various types of photographs and consider the multiple elements that converge in "how I shot that". We'll discuss photo composition, lighting, camera settings, and other elements that produce different moods and effects. While we'll primarily focus on landscape photography, we'll touch bordering genres to better explore diverse techniques.
Bring your cameras because we'll try demonstration shots (inside or out) to see how different settings affect a shot's mood. If we have time, we'll conclude with an overview of different types of light sources (flash, flashlight, reflectors, etc.) and how they can influence our results.
We'll leave with things to try that will take us beyond our comfort zones and improve our craft. Open to all levels from beginner to advanced.
Painting
Visual Art Inspired by God's Creation, McKenna Dickerson
My works explore and convey relationships between nature and culture through observation, research, and up-close, tedious fabrication. My art process explores patterns in nature and their biological function. I created a series of oil paintings depicting mostly-VT species: colors, patterns, and whatever research aspects I was most interested in or inspired by. (For example, loon feathers mimic light reflecting on water; Dolly Varden trout have distinguishing bright, bold colors.) In this workshop, we’ll explore God's creation using this process of research and observation. Bring painting/drawing supplies for any medium you prefer, and we'll explore how these elements enrich our art.
Acrylic Flow Painting, Kevin Moffatt
Find your spontaneous self through acrylic flow painting. Come play with color in a natural setting. We’ll pitch a tent outside, prayerfully be surrounded by His nature and seek to respond to how God speaks to us while we play with the techniques in this media. All materials and tools supplied. Aprons available; plan on getting messy.
One More Painting Workshop in the Works
details to come soon
Hands-On Arts
Block Printing with Linoleum, Kristine Fradenburg
In 1905, a German artist began using linoleum, a common flooring material, to create a new form of block relief printing. In this workshop, we’ll learn how to use this art form, carving images into linoleum blocks, rolling ink onto the surface, and make prints from that. No experience is necessary, and all materials will be provided. (Small materials fee may be required.) If you wish, bring a simple sketch to work from.
Making Mosaic Art, Gail Jones
In this workshop we'll learn the basics of making tile mosaics while each creating a 5" x 5" tile mosaic. Participants will select a verse/passage from the Bible, and we'll discuss how the words can inspire visual imagery. After making the mosaics, we'll learn from others in the workshop how their imaginations used visuals to represent Scripture. Bring a drawing of your motif, a quilt block, a favorite quote, or be brave and just place tiles as the Spirit moves. No experience necessary.
Pressed Flower Note Card Workshop, Lori Beinlich
Have you ever thought that flowers can be used in the same way as paint is to an artist? Our Creator has provided an abundance of wildflowers to enjoy. We will be learning various methods of flower pressing, floriography, and designing a set of 2 pressed flower note cards to take home.
Music/Songwriting
Exploring Open Guitar Tunings, Pierce Pettis
In this workshop, we’ll discuss the concept of alternate tunings, and look at Dropped D, Open D, Open G, Open G Reverse, Admiral, open C, and C Minor tunings. We’ll talk about how various guitar techniques— blues shuffle chords, licks, walk-downs, hammer-ons, and pull-offs—apply to open tunings. We’ll have way more material to cover than we’ll have time for, so we’ll talk about the Changing to Tunings guide that you’ll get and how to use it. This will let you continue exploring the ideas of this workshop on your own.
Capturing Emotion Through Image in Lyrics, Pierce Pettis
A picture’s worth a thousand words, and this is especially true with songs. We don't express loneliness with just words; we instead show a picture of loneliness: an empty room, or the sound of a train in the distance. We’ll look at how to avoid wordiness, and the power of simple, basic, down-to-earth language... the way people talk, where they live. And we’ll look at how to get personal instead of writing from a cold, narrative distance. Get close to your song, with a point of view that puts you there. Together these techniques make our lyrics deeper, more moving, and more emotionally evocative.
While we’ll focus on song lyrics, these principles are relevant to poets and writers of fiction/creative non-fiction.
Undistracting Excellence: Exploring the Tensions of Thoughtful Worship Leading, Adam Browne
Every church congregation is different, but we all share the act of making music together as an expression of worship. Whether you lead music at your church or want to speak thoughtfully to those who do, this session examines important tensions that worship leaders seek to balance. We'll look at worship through the lens of scripture, consider the differences between worship music and worshipful music, and explore how worship intersects with excellence, humility, creativity, and service. Come expecting lively and thought-provoking discussion, with opportunity to share your experiences. How has your church community wrestled with these ideas? Answers may differ for each congregation, but through this discussion, we'll be better equipped to ask the right questions.
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