Hello dear friends—The time has come again to think about how you’ll spend the last week of August 2023. We’ve got six—count ‘em six—workshop groups for you to pick from, plus SoLaTiDo.
Judy Goldman, though retired, is coming for a daytime visit during the week. She is still talking about that Table Rock Valentine.
All the details are at: tablerockwriters.com and solatido-workshop.net.
Denton Loving and Robin Hemley are coming back, as is the long-missed Darnell Arnoult!
Oh, and did I mention that non-dominant hand writers will be happy to know Abigail DeWitt will be with us? Phillip Shabazz will return with all his rhyming razzmatazz.
And let us not forget the Kid’s Table with John Badass Bemis!
Now I also have to confess, just like everyone else, we’ve had to raise our prices. But we do have some scholarship funds to help you out—even if you just need a little help, so please just ask for what you need, if it is less than the max. Those details are on the website.
Wildacres is still very much committed to our safety and health, and you can read their guidelines here. And here’s the rest of the news that’s fit to print…
The Table Rock/Solatido Scholarship Program Is Going Strong
By Laurel Ferejohn
In the spring of 2015, Georgann and I sat down in a Carrboro restaurant and tossed around ideas for establishing a scholarship fund. Soon we met with Jeanette Stokes of Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South, which became the fiscal sponsor. Two fellow TR writers, Greg Screws and Tony Tallent, joined me on the scholarship committee, and at that year’s gathering on the mountain, we announced the program and happily accepted the first donations.
As we begin the program’s eighth year, Greg is taking a much deserved break, and Tony and I are excited to welcome Vicki Brumback and Roberta Schultz to the team. Greg, bottomless thanks to you for the great energy, wit, and love you’ve poured into this endeavor. As you can see, it takes at least two to replace the one and only you!
The committee serves by reading applications (with generosity in mind, not competition), spreading the word about the opportunity, and fundraising. And having fun! You might recall the oddballs who used to call out transmuted lyrics to old rock ‘n’ roll songs from the stage of an evening (remember the 1962 anthem “Shout! Shout! Knock Yourself Out”? Its refrain became “Give, give, you know it’s hip—put another dollar in a scholarship” … and we’re ready for our Grammy anytime!).
Thanks to the amazing generosity of students like you, the program is successful. We’ve been able to offer scholarships each year we’ve been on the mountain. Some donors have given during the workshop week, some online or by mail, and some have set up monthly donations. Over time, two named scholarships were established to honor TR folks who have passed: Cindy Campbell and Amy Lavore Elliott.
Tax-deductible gifts of any amount can be made by mail or online. See the scholarship page on the Table Rock Writers website, and follow the steps given below the RCWMS logo link. Best of 2023 to you all, and thank you for being the coolest, most supportive writing and songwriting community.
Barefoot has socks knocked off!
Stephen Barefoot’s film, SLOANE: A Jazz Singer, just won top documentary honors at the Santa Fe Film Festival and you can watch the film from the comfort of home for a small fee. Here’s how:
Please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have questions about this year’s workshop and if you see something on the website I missed or need to fix. Donna says “hey!”
—GE georganneubanks9@gmail.com