“THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO”
Drawing, Writing, Creating and Collecting Small Joyful Things to Delight Our Future Selves
August 15-18, 2024
Join Sophie Blackall for four days of creative exploration based on chapters from her book, Things to Look Forward To. We’ll start with coffee and stop for tea. We will write and draw and make things. We will mend something old and learn something new. We’ll walk in the meadows and wade in the stream*, foraging for wildflowers and pebbles to paint. We’ll collect ideas, and share our stories and accumulate small joys that will brighten the days ahead.
Each participant will go home with a signed copy of the book; a signed, limited-edition print; and a long collaborative list of things to look forward to.
This workshop retreat accommodates 10 people and is open to any and all creative adults, in and outside the children’s book community..
Prices include accommodations and all meals from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.
Single rooms are $2,100. Two bedrooms offer the possibility of double occupancy, at $1,750 per person.
*You don’t have to wade in the stream.
Sophie Blackall is the author and illustrator of Things to Look Forward To and Missed Connections: Love Lost and Found, and has illustrated over 50 books for children, including the New York Times best-selling Ivy and Bean series, the 2016 Caldecott Medal winner, Finding Winnie, and the 2019 Caldecott Medal winner, Hello Lighthouse, which she also wrote. She is the five-time recipient of the New York Times Best Illustrated Picture Book Award and has worked with UNICEF and Save the Children UK on global health and literacy initiatives. Originally from Australia, she now splits her time between Brooklyn, New York, and the Catskill Mountains.
DAILY SCHEDULE for WORKSHOP RETREATS
Thursday
3:00-6:00 PM — Arrival and check-in
6:30-7:00 PM — Appetizers and cocktails in the library
7:00 PM — Dinner in the dining room
9:00PM — Introductory assignment
Friday
7:00-9:00 AM — Breakfast in the dining room
9:00 AM-12:00 PM — Workshop
12:00-1:00 PM — Free
1:00-2:00 PM — Lunch in the dining room
2:30-5:30 PM — Workshop
5:30-6:30 PM — Free
6:30-7:00 PM — Drinks in the open-air pole barn
7:00-9:00 PM — Cookout dinner in the garden
9:00 PM — Dessert around the fire pit
Saturday
7:00-9:00 AM — Breakfast in the dining room
9:00 AM-12:00 PM — Workshop
12:00-1:00 PM — Free
1:00-2:00 PM — Lunch in the dining room
2:30-5:30 PM — Workshop
5:30-6:30 PM — Free
6:30-7:00 PM — Appetizers and cocktails in the upstairs bar
7:00-9:00 PM — Dinner in the hayloft
9:00 PM — Show & Tell by guests in the hayloft
These Show & Tell presentations are short, informal, and voluntary. This is your chance to preview new work, sing a song, tell a story, entertain or amaze your fellow retreaters. We have a microphone, music stands, a projector and screen, and a sound system.
Sunday
7:00-9:00 AM — Breakfast
9:00 AM-12:00 PM — Workshop
12:00-1:00 PM — Free
1:00-2:00 PM — Lunch
2:00 PM — Check-out and farewells