January 24, 2005
I was going to do a house concert this past Saturday at my friend Jeff Wasilko's house in Wakefield MA (North west of Boston) but the Storm Of the Century came, with it, 35 inches of snow, so we decided to reschedule for Friday Jan. 28 at 8pm. The original ticket holders have first dibs, but some may not be able to come to the new date, so if you want to hear me sing new songs and read from my novels, email Jeff or call him at (781) 820-0882.
I also have two new writing retreats coming up at my house, plus a songwriting workshop at Passim. Here are the dates:
Feb. 5 at Passim Cambridge, MA 1-3:30 contact them at (617) 492-7679 or www.passimcenter.org.
Feb. 25-27 Northampton, MA *
March 18-20 Northampton, MA *
* Costs for retreats are $125 and include continental breakfasts on Sat. and Sun. and dinners on Friday and Saturday. Retreats start at 5:30 Friday and end at noon on Sunday.
I had an idea to aim the March one, which falls on the Spring Equinox (the most wonderful day of the year — the day when you have nothing but more light to look forward to for months...what the Romans used to celebrate as New Year's) at setting intentions, while the February one is going to be aimed at beginning writers and anyone who feel blocked creatively. Both will be wonderful, and frankly, both will depend entirely on who shows up. A reminder: you do not have to be an experienced writer to benefit from a writing retreat. If all you've ever written are holiday cards or e-mails, you can use a retreat to get to know yourself, home in on your true intentions, desires, plumb your depths and all that jazz. On the other hand, if you are more experienced, come here to work on a draft of your novel or play. Email me privately and let me know your needs and I can set up a weekend routine tailored to you. But the real fun of a retreat is getting to know and interact with others. We are a friendly bunch.
To find out more about retreats and see if they are for you, go to my website (brand new! I am learning HTML!) www.nerissanields.com. If you click the link to "Nerissa's Home Page" you will see more links, like "Eating and Retreating" with retreat menus (by popular demand, at the last retreat people wanted to know recipes. We are working on getting those up on the web page, but for now, we are merely tantalizing you with titles) and also a list of suggestions on where to stay if you are coming from far away. Also, check out Katryna's new cartoon!
Stay warm, dear friends. Keep the lamp burning steady.
Love, Nerissa
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