SOU’WESTER EVENTS!
Discover what’s happening during your next stay or plan a visit around our free live music, workshops, wellness offerings and more!
Vision-Revision Writing Workshops with Meg Jeske and Sara Blackthorne
Three One-Day Workshops: RSVP for 1 or all 3
Tues Aug 30 9:30am – 12:30pm
Ground Your Writing in the Physical World
In this workshop, you will learn to create an image vocabulary. Through a series of prompts and exercises, we’ll practice drawing on that image vocabulary to write descriptive prose without flowery language. Writers of all genres are welcome and will benefit from this class.Taught by Sara Blackthorne.
Wed Aug 31 9:30am – 12:30pm
Anything but Empty
Writers find inspiration anywhere. In this class, we’ll use song lyrics from singer-songwriters as prompts for writing. Fiction and nonfiction writers welcome. We will write, share, and walk away with several bits of fresh writing. The title of this workshop comes from the Sara Bareilles song, “Brave.” Open to all writers. Taught by Meg Weber
Thurs Sept 1 9:30am – 12:30pm
Re-Visioning Your Words
So you’ve got some writing, (maybe from the workshop on Tuesday or Wednesday?!) and you want to take it to the next level. Together we’ll explore tools for re-visioning your writing, and experiment with ways to enliven and communicate exactly what you intend. Taught by Meg Weber
Meg Weber writes to connect with herself and to understand the world around her. She believes in the power of words and in the synergy created by writing in community. Meg holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology and is a therapist in private practice. She is currently at work on two book-length memoir projects.
A writer, editor, creative coach, and intuitive ritualist, Sara Blackthorne brings her love of mystery and the journey to her writing and art. She can often be found wandering along the beach, in the forest, or a city street. Learn more at sarablackthorne.com. Together Meg and Sara operate Paper Lion Press. Pounce over to PaperLionPress.com
Cost $75 for all three days or $30 each day.
Please bring a notebook or journal and writing implements. Please bring a snack if needed. Hot tea and coffee provided. Workshop for students ages 15+. All skill levels welcome. Max # of students:12.
Please RSVP by Aug 26 souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360 – 642 – 2542
If you have a love for old classic country artists such as Hank Williams and Patsy Cline then you might have a soft spot for this Portland band. Jenny Don’t sings from the heart and Sam, Kelly, and JT play like there is no tomorrow. Sit back and enjoy!
SUMMER ART CAMP For Adults (and kids) Program*
Fiber Arts Camp with Brooke Shepherd and Deirdre Spahr
Three One-Day Workshops: RSVP for 1 or all 3
Tues Sept 6 10am – 1pm Workshop with Brooke Shepherd
Introduction to Tapestry Weaving
Come try tapestry weaving! This basic technique of weaving cloth starts with very simple
beginnings. In this class you will learn the basics of choosing yarns, warping the loom and
weaving basic shapes. The sample piece you create may be kept as a future reference, used as
a small mat or sewn into a pouch or pocket. Small looms and basic materials will be provided.
Materials Fee $45 includes small loom, yarn, and tapestry needle.
Please RSVP 2 weeks before class begins
Students may bring yarn and their own loom and save on materials fee
Max 12 Students Skill level – Total beginner through Intermediate
All ages – children 5 and up
Wed Sept 7 10am – 1pm Workshop with Brooke Shepherd
Dye Workshop: Indigo or Shibori
Learn about different dyes and how they relate to the weather and temperature. The appropriate technique will be determined by the instructor (and the weather) and then all will have hands-on instruction.
Thurs Sept 8 10am – 1pm Workshop with Dierdre Spahr
Felted “Paintings” with Naturally Dyed Wool
Natural dyes presentation and workshop – Wool painting design planning through drawing or painting, Begin felted pictures through laying down base layers using multi-needle felting tool, Finalizing felt paintings through using single needles to add fine detail
Materials: $55 each for natural dye materials, wool roving, wool backing, foam felting pads, felting needle tools and felting needles – participants would take home a felting needle tool, felting foam and a handfelted “painting”
Brooke Shepherd
Growing up on the West Coast with the Pacific Ocean in my backyard has most definitely shaped my creative processes: salt air, the rhythm of waves crashing, the cycle of the tides and the moon…these are the memories that I invoke which inform most of my work. Seawater Studio is my textile arts studio based in Portland, Oregon. I create a seasonal collection of garments and accessories as well as collaborate with other artists in order to produce one-of-a-kind handwoven yardage for the fashion, interior design, and costuming industries. I aim to use only sustainable and organic yarns, dyes, and fabrics in my work and am especially inspired by the mission of the Fibershed movement.
Deirdre Spahr, Deirdre’s love for the outdoors began as a child in Pennsylvania where, from a young age, she and her little sister had free range of the farm fields, woods and creeks surrounding their home. Her parents are both active environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts who have long supported her interests in sustainable development. Before becoming a Waldorf school teacher and moving to Portland, Deirdre worked with non-profit groups in New York to develop educational programming for children and adults, on environmental and humanitarian issues. It is Deirdre’s hope to reawaken conscious connection with nature and community through fun . . . and a fair amount of goading people into putting away their cell phones to engage directly with mud, bugs, skipping stones, stinging nettle, the pouring rain, climbing trees and more, as much as possible.
Cost $75 for all three days or $30 each day paid to the Sou’wester. This workshop is open to the public.
Please bring additional material fees noted in class description paid directly to the instructor. All skill levels welcome, no art experience needed. Please bring a sack lunch and/or snack. Hot tea and coffee provided.
Please RSVP souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360 – 642 – 2542
Creative Writing Retreat with Nick Jaina
Nick’s first Summer Art Camp workshops went so well that we are adding another workshop. This time in Artist-In-Residence style in which the entire lodge is set aside for students in this workshop and all students may book a room in the lodge for $50 a night.
Mon Sept 12 th – Thurs Sept 15th 10am – 1pm or 2pm – 5pm
This set of workshops focuses on all the good things that writing can do for your mental and emotional state, how it can bring you closer to people, and how it can help you understand the world. Rather than just trying to make something marketable, we will work on discovering the interesting, funny, and wonderful ideas that are sitting inside of us.
Students sign up for the workshop and then pick the time slot they prefer.
Sign up for 1 day or all 4. Pick one time slot for each day.
We are offering Writer Retreat prices for any suite in the lodge: $150 for the week or $50 a night (potentially shared accommodations). Students do not have to stay at the Sou’wester to take any of these classes.
Nick Jaina is a musician and author from Portland, Oregon. His book Get It While You Can is a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in Creative Non-Fiction. He has taught writing workshops for ten years at Pendleton Rock Camp.
Cost $100 for all four days or $30 each day.
Please bring a laptop or pen and paper. Please bring a sack lunch and/or snack. Hot tea and coffee provided. Workshop for students ages 15+. All skill levels welcome. Max # of students:10 (5 in each session, morning or afternoon.)
Please RSVP souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360 – 642 – 2542.
Call the Sou’wester to book your stay – all lodge rooms have been set aside for this retreat.
We are located at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644
Join us for an exploration into the worlds of two renowned medicinal mushrooms coexisting in the forests of Cascadia. This workshop includes: an introduction to the classification of fungi, identification techniques for Reishi and Turkey Tail (including distinctions from common look-a likes), an overview of the medicinal constituents of each species and their histories in healing, conscious and sustainable wild harvesting skills, as well as medicine making techniques for tinctures, balms, and teas.
$30. Includes handouts and a balm sample.
RSVP souwesterwellness@gmail.com OR call our front desk @ 360.642.2542
Space is limited to 10 folks
Let’s meet @ the wellness camper!
In this special event we will come together in a cooperative effort to educate ourselves and make healthy plans for minimizing stress, living fuller and healthier, with endurance and spacious awareness. As a group we will come together and learn how to create personal refuges based in stress prevention and relaxation techniques. A general overview of stress and anxiety in human health will be met with yoga techniques, breathing methods, recommendations for natural therapeutics, creative outlets, mindfulness meditation, a discussion on diet, grounding techniques, and more. Participants will walk away with a toolbox of resources of personal empowerment, allowing them to improve mood health with understanding and confidence.
$30 per person. Handouts included. Space limited to 10 people.
RSVP souwesterwellness@gmail.com OR call our front desk @ 360.642.2542
Space is limited to 10 folks
Let’s meet @ the wellness camper!
Ora Cogan’s music is deliberate medicine for fresh sorrows. Her voice is hypnotizing as a candle flame. This music demands our full attention, in a tender way. Cogan’s versatile, haunted voice opens up a mystical reality; hallowed, forlorn and full of promise. She has let her curiosity lead her into many genres over the years, combining the intricate guitar picking of Americana with grunge and psychedelic dreamscapes. She has been compared to 70’s folk legend Karen Dalton and Angel Olsen, while still setting herself apart in her own unique way.
Ora became a part of Vancouver’s eclectic music community at the age of 19, co-producing her 2010 album The Quarry with Jesse Taylor at Nite Prison and collaborating with a multitude of artists participating in Fake Jazz Wednesdays & Her Jazz Noise Collective. Cogan has released six full-length recordings to date and has shared the stage with the likes of Chelsea Wolfe, Hope Sandoval and Grouper while touring extensively across Europe and North America for the past 10 years. She has appeared on radio shows, such as WNYC’s Spinning on Air, and played numerous festivals including Vancouver Folk Festival, The Festival of Endless Gratitude in Denmark, and Tanned Tin in Spain.
In the winter of 2011, Ryan was asked to write the score for a musical adaptation of Woyzeck by Georg Büchner. He incorporated the talent of Joel Andrew, Cristina Cano, Amanda Lawrence, and Paul Seeley to musically paint the haunting story of a man driven to madness. The group decided they were too in love to leave each other after the play was over.
From then on, they were Albatross. Now here are some lies about each of them:
The play had a cowboy theme so he naturally brought on his old shooting partner Paul, to shoot guns at drums so they make that cool ricochet sound (pwing!).
Cristina was interning at Jurassic Park until it shut down, with a focus on velociraptor calls, she barely made it out alive. She was initially brought in as a consultant for the band but human-made velociraptor calls are dazzling so she stepped up to piano and vocals.
Amanda was on the trail with Apache Ghost Warriors as the band’s leader. Responding to a craigslist ad for a different kind of band leader she was surprised to find music much more rewarding and less gruesome. She’s currently happy she made the switch but true warriors never change so she plays viola to sooth her own beastly heart.
Joel plays bass and together they played a benefit show to help the play make some extra cash. About halfway through the second practice for the show Ryan said, “OK, ok, OK! Fine! Let’s just make it a band.
Website http://4everalbatross.bandcamp.com
Eight years ago you would’ve seen Chuck Westmoreland onstage, a busted sprinkler head of awkward and endearing gyrations, gesticulations, and sweat who came, as he put it then, to “rock [your] balls off.”
Eight years ago he would’ve been preaching psycho-sexual pop songs with his band, The Kingdom. Singing conceptually interconnected, insanely catchy nuggets about cars, gender metamorphosis, Dog Day Afternoon, and—somehow—Johnny Unitas in a warbling falsetto caught somewhere between the pearly gates and a truck stop.
Eight years ago. Before he walked away from it all. Before marriage. Before his wife’s cancer fight brought him to his knees. Before the birth of his first child chiseled away whatever remained of that almost-famous man that used to bounce around under the spotlight.
Nearly a decade later, Westmoreland returns with his self-titled solo debut, a powerful album that takes his gift for character sketches and deconstructions and turns the focus squarely, and unblinkingly, on himself.
Owing more to Gordon Lightfoot than Guided by Voices, Chuck Westmoreland shears away all outré influences for a singer-songwriter’s lunch pail full of bare-knuckle blood and guts.