Upcoming Events
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Workshop sign-up is live!!
(Party RSVP coming early fall)
What is an Experiential Storytelling Workshop?
A chance to practice actively engaging in an element of ordinary life, reflecting on what it held for you, writing a story of your own, then sharing and debriefing in a small group. It will not be writing coaching or teaching. I am not an expert telling you how to write. I’m just creating space for us to practice together and learn from each other. It will be fun, weird, risky, insightful, and beautiful. I hope you can come!
What is a Storytelling Party?
Ever heard of the Moth? This mother of modern storytelling gatherings brings humans together to do what we’ve always done: share stories of who we are in community. Our party invites us to share stories of finding what matters most in our ordinary lives. We’ll have short open-mic slots for hopeful story-tellers to offer a snippet of their life. Unlike the Moth, no requirement to have stories memorized and any genre or format is welcome–this is a low stakes affair. You don’t have to attend a workshop or tell a story to come, but the more skin you have in the game, the more you’ll get out of it.
Who Should Attend?
Anyone who wants to practice paying attention to goodness in the ordinary, and sharing what they find. You don’t have to “be a writer” or even “creative,” just a human who wants to practice noticing and sharing. Workshops and party are family friendly events. Participating youth should be able to engage in reflection, discussion, and creating a story.
Details:
- Workshop dates, times and themes listed below.
- Workshop space is limited to allow for meaningful engagement in a small group.
- In person workshops will be held at 1819 Newton St. NW, Washington DC. Tasty nibbles provided.
- Sign up for one or more workshops now . . . add more later as you work out your schedule.
- Once you’re registered for a workshop, you’ll receive a confirmation email and a follow up email with details closer to the date.
- All events are free to register, with an opportunity to make a voluntary contribution following.
What is Ordinary Time?
Ordinary time in the Christian calendar is a time of steady growth, of allowing the ordinary routines of our life to shape the kind of person we are becoming. If you’ve never celebrated it, you’re not alone—it’s not a well-known season. But it’s the one we live most of our lives in, stretching on average half the year, from the North American late spring until Advent begins in late fall.
I think Ordinary Time holds vast unexplored riches. We don’t have to go anywhere or be anyone else, have or do anything special. We just have to open our eyes to pay attention to the things that matter most already waiting for us in our own ordinary lives.
To celebrate Ordinary Time this year, I am hosting a series of experiential storytelling workshops aimed at helping us pay attention, and when we find it, share. We will engage in ordinary activity from different spheres of life, reflect together on what we notice and where we see glimmers of the things that matter most hidden away in these ordinary acts. Then we’ll practice writing about what we notice and take time to share our reflections. These four workshops will run monthly from June to September, two virtual and three in person (one is a hybrid).
And then, the workshops will culminate in a party! In October, as Ordinary Time begins to wind down, we’ll gather to celebrate, to share aloud—in any genre or format—and bare witness to small stories of how we find what matters most in the ordinary of our own lives.
Come celebrate together!
Why Tell Ordinary Stories?
For the past decade, since my father’s death opened up space for big questions about what it means to live a good life, and even before that as a narrative non-fiction writer, telling stories about my daily life as an exchange student, or in my city-stories blog about daily life in New York City, I’ve been cultivating a discipline of paying attention to the everyday events and scenery of my life, noticing what is good, beautiful and true. By nature, I’m prone to all kinds of envy, from FOMO to wanderlust, to persistent grass is greener syndrome.
But this discipline has helped reshape my sense of what it means to lead a life well-lived. I’ve been amazed time and time again that the things that matter most don’t require me to have a different job or different family or go to some different place—they are present in the ordinary life I’m already living, when I pay attention. For me this discipline is intertwined with my Christian faith, and God’s varied goodness, beauty and truth is the treasure I find in the ordinary. I also believe this goodness, beauty and truth are available to anyone who is willing to seek it and pay attention, even if you do not know it to be a gift from or reflection of God.
Career Transitions Retreat
In this season of so much job-related change and uncertainty, many of us need space to work through what work looks like going forward, and sit with all the emotions this can generate. Co-facilitator Marlee Carlos of JourneyUp Solutions and I have created a retreat which can flex as whole or half day, and (Christian) faith-based or secular. We’ve hosted several iterations to date and looking to add more.
Sign up to be the first to hear about future offerings or request this retreat for your community.
Past
Career Transitions GUIDED SMALL GROUP RETREAT
Date: April 25, 2025, Noon – 4 PM
Location: Rock Creek Sanctuary, Washington DC
Cost: Free to register; following the retreat, an opportunity to donate
A faith-based retreat providing space to look back, savor, grieve and let go, before moving towards imagining and designing a new future. Co-facilitated with JourneyUp Solutions.
Career Transitions – Private Retreat
Date: March 3, 2025
Location: Rock Creek Sanctuary, Washington DC
A private, secular retreat providing a former leadership team space to savor, grieve and let go before moving towards imagining and designing a new future. Co-facilitated with JourneyUp Solutions.
La Sala Gatherings – Ojai
Dates: February 26-28, 2025
Location: Ojai, CA
A retreat for lawyers who want to unplug and connect with other lawyers that share their faith and who want to be a part of a deeper community to walk through career and life.
Church of the Advent Women’s Retreat
Dates: February 7-9, 2025
Location: Skycroft Conference Center, MD
Empty / Full / Overflowing
An Advent 2024 retreat
In Person Small Group Retreat
December 7, 10 AM – 2 PM
Time gathered at Rock Creek Sanctuary with a few other like-minded travelers, time to be alone with God, time to engage the ideas of empty / full / overflowing with different parts of your heart and mind, and a satisfying seasonal lunch.
Virtual Mini-Retreats
Mondays in Advent, 11:35 AM – 12 PM EST.
A non-interactive time of guided contemplative prayer.
Event Details
Dates: November 28, December 5, 12 and 19
Time: 3:00-3:30 PM EST
Format: Virtual (via Zoom)
Event Details
Dates: March 4, 11, 18 & 25
Time: 11:40-12:00 PM
Format: Virtual (via Zoom)