Workshops: Summer Storytelling Retreat & Adventure
**Postponed: Stay safe & be well!**
It’s better than I could have ever imagined!
Kristi Ryba
Thank you so much for an absolutely wonderful week workshop. It was so inspirational, not only for storytelling but the relaxation methods and the ease in which you led us through the process of preparing our story and the performance. It was masterful!!
Alberta Hipps
Every gardener knows that plants need two things: time and sunlight. The same is true for stories. Come to this week-long storytelling workshop in picturesque Asheville, NC and encourage your stories to come out of the shadows. Enjoy a whole-life approach to being a teller, one in which “telling” is as much about listening to yourself and the world around you as it is about skills and preparation to tell. You will engage in exercises, conversations, tellings, teaching, and ‘deep listening’ that will nourish your being and your stories while bringing them into the light whether the telling is for a family gathering, a corporate event or a storytelling festival audience.
At this storytelling workshop, all levels of expertise are welcome, from beginner to experienced teller. In a supportive and encouraging atmosphere, participants discover ways of being in the world that nurture their creative flow while developing skills to:
- Find, create, learn, and polish stories
- Effectively integrate voice with image, gesture, and emotion
- Embody a story and break free of memorization
- Engage in companion listening and learn to give self and partner appreciations
- Activate your body as a key component of a well-told tale
- Use your voice, breath, and silence to support the audience’s listening journey
Guest Artist
Enjoy a mini workshop and an opportunity to learn from a seasoned national storyteller. Each year a guest artist/storyteller is invited to lead a session on their particular area of expertise. In the past we have welcomed storytellers David Holt, Kim Weitkamp, David Novak, Andy Offutt Irwin, Lloyd Arneach, Regi Carpenter, Milbre Burch as well as voice teacher Tiffany Bussard and singer-songwriter and storyteller, Danny Ellis into our circle. By experiencing other tellers, we see what techniques work for them and how their approach might resonate and influence our own storytelling.
Free Time
In the middle of the week, there will be a planned free afternoon. You might want to explore downtown Asheville with its abundance of art and craft galleries, or take a hike to a waterfall, indulge in a spa treatment at the Grove Park Inn, work on your stories with a new friend, or tour the famed Biltmore Estate. Experiencing the world with all our senses and taking time to notice the unfolding stories of the natural and human worlds is often a catalyst for our creativity. And what better place to engage these stories than here in one of America’s most creative cities, nestled in the Appalachians, known as the oldest mountains in the world.
“Best in the U.S. Destination” –Lonely Planet
“20 Best Summer Vacations in America to Fit Your Budget.”– TripAdvisor
Performance Opportunity and Finishing Touches
Our week of story work and story adventure culminates in a performance opportunity to tell either Friday evening to invited guests, family, and friends or on Saturday morning in a more intimate setting with fellow workshop participants. Also on Saturday, each participant is given time for encouraging, appreciative and useful feedback. And before we say our good-byes, we end our week together by reflecting on our experiences and imagining our storytelling futures.
Registration Fee: $790
Early Registration Discounts: (Print Registration Form)
Complete Contact Form below to be first to know when new dates are scheduled.
$655, if paid in full by January 1
$695, if paid in full by March 1
$750, if paid in full by May 1
A $150 deposit holds your place.
Make checks payable to Connie Regan-Blake and mail with the Printable Registration Form to the address listed on it. If you would like to pay with credit card/PayPal (with a 3% service charge), please contact Connie by phone or email.
More details: Pay in full by published dates to receive early registration discounts. Deposit of $150 holds your place. Full refunds are available until April 15th. Refunds, minus deposit and handling fee, are available until May 15th. Refunds after that date will be prorated. These workshops are often held in private homes. Please alert us if you have special needs, allergies, etc.
WHAT: Summer Storytelling Retreat and Adventure with Connie Regan-Blake
WHEN: TBD (7:00pm Sunday evening through Saturday afternoon)
WHERE: In the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville is home to Shindig on the Green, the Biltmore Estate and a host of reasons to come early or stay an extra day!
SCHOLARSHIPS: There are now a limited number of partial scholarship funds available for Summer Storytelling Retreat and Adventure. You can apply for up to 1/4 of the cost of tuition and a payment plan can be arranged. A special thanks to those who are supporting the scholarship fund. Contributions to the fund are always welcome.
CEU credits: Check with your local unit for prior approval. Asheville City Schools call 828-350-6112; Buncombe County call 828-225-4781 or email jacqueline.byerly@bcsemail.org.
TRAVEL: Asheville (AVL) is served by Allegiant, American, Delta, Elite, Spirit, and United Airlines. Search for all Asheville flights with flyavl.com. Please note: Several airlines are now offering non-stop flights to Asheville from Denver, DC/MD, NY/NJ, and FL with great discount fares available! Check their current offers and flight schedules at flyavl.com.
LODGING: Contact the Asheville Chamber of Commerce , toll free 888-247-9811 for nearby motel, hotel and B&B’s. The closest motel to the workshop location is Holiday Inn Express. Call Connie for details on other reasonable housing possibilities including ‘homestays’ and shared accommodations. Also check out Asheville area Airbnb.
What participants are saying . . .
Connie creates an atmosphere that is safe and accepting, free from criticism. Everyone has a chance to participate and is encouraged to tap into their creative side.
Special thanks to you for your insightful suggestions about my own storytelling…You gave me just what I needed, not just for that story, but as I work through the expression of other stories your suggestions will guide me.
Connie’s technique provides grounded, practical tools that let a story, and its teller really take flight. She’s a master, and she generously shares her wealth of useful wisdom and experience.
Being with you and learning from you was and is a profound gift. I will use what I learned from your workshop in so many ways–as a grandmother, as a workshop facilitator, as a story-teller, as a writer, and as a human being in this world.
Our workshop was brimming with the poetry, laughter, quiet, memory, and adventure of the Story. How Connie held this overflowing container, without losing one single juicy drop, is one of the great, sweet mysteries of my life.
Workshop Participants
Learn more about other individual workshops and learning opportunities:
