2013 Schedule

Workshop Schedule – Subject to Change

~updated May 29, 2013~

* means participants are asked to bring tools or materials

$ means participants are asked to pay a materials fee

Friday

3:00-6:00 Arrivals, setting up
6:00-7:00 Opening Circle
7:00-8:30 Dinner
8:30 on Contra dance, swim, jam, sing, whatevs

Saturday

8:00-9:00

Breakfast

9:00-10:00 Yoga with Aerial Fabrics* Arts of the Sailor Making beer Computer Programming for Art and Justice* Bottle Cutting* Basic rock climbing and belay techniques
10:00-10:15

Break

10:15-11:15 Yoga with Aerial Fabrics* Yogurt Making Making beer Computer Programming for Art and Justice How to make a damn good chai (Mumbai chaiwalla style) Basic rock climbing and belay techniques
11:15-11:30

Break

11:30-12:30 How to build a fire (girlscout style) Improv Theater Games Using technology for productivity Dancing for people who think they can’t dance  Origami Open slot for last-minute additions!
12:30-2:00

Lunch

2:00-3:00 Crocheting $ Songwriting* Basic Backhoe A sharp tool is a safe tool Soldering pipes & basic plumbing Basic Bicycle Maintenance*
3:15-3:30

Break

3:30-4:30 Introduction to Wilderness First Aid for ANYONE Songwriting* Basic Backhoe Myofascial Release & Intuitive Massage* Soldering Pipes & basic plumbing Basic Bike Maintenance*
How to lobby public officials
4:30-4:45

Break

4:45-5:45 Introduction to Wilderness First Aid for ANYONE Cooking for Fun Talking about money Myofascial Release & Intuitive Massage Mentoring/ Eldering How to lobby public officials
5:45-6:30

Mingle and chill

6:30-8:00

Dinner

8:00 on

Contra dance, jam, swim, whatevs

Sunday 

8:00-9:00

Breakfast

9:00-10:00 Intro to power tools Aquatic Invertebrates Basic herbal medicine making $ Playwriting* Marimba Making Legal perspectives on starting a nonprofit
10:00-10:15

Break

10:15-11:15 Intro to power tools Aquatic Invertebrates Basic herbal medicine making $
Playwriting* Juggling Suicide Intervention
11:15-11:30

Break

11:30-12:30 Knot Tying Reproductive Solidarity $ Business skills for artists and musicians French Class solidarity and class action Hair cutting*
12:30-2:00

Lunch

2:00-3:00

Closing Circle

Until done

Packing up & goodbyes!

Skill descriptions:

Descriptions are written by skill instructors. The actual workshops may differ depending on participants, instructor inclination, etc.

Saturday:

Yoga with Aerial Fabrics. Learn how to use the same fabric that aerialists use in performance as a versatile prop for yoga. It can substitute for a block, strap, wall, bolster or even eye pillow. It can be used to make difficult poses easier and more balanced or used to add another level of strength and agility to other poses. Bring your yoga mat if you have one! Christine Texiera

Arts of the Sailor. Want to know some tricks to using a three-strand, natural fiber rope. Learn how to do some basic rope work and splicing. Skills covered will be how to eye splice, tie a wipping, and make a rope mat. These skills will allow you to attach a line to a bucket or make next years Christmas gift. Chris Cusson

Making Beer. Learn the process of making beer at home, with discussions of equipment, ingredient selection and sourcing, and the ins and outs of coaxing yeast into making tasty brews. Small batch brewing demonstration included (and maybe some pre-made samples of the end product). Bil Herron

Computer Programming for Art and Justice. The distribution of technological skills is a social-justice issue. I want to live in a world where everyone is empowered to use computers to analyze data, express themselves, and solve their problems! This workshop can be a baby step in that direction. Come learn about web-scraping, data analysis, visualization, or just about anything else you care to learn. Then go out and change the world! No programming experience needed. Participants may bring laptops if they choose. Jadrian Miles

Bottle Cutting. The focus of this workshop will be learning to cut wine, beer and other glass bottles to make glassware, decorative objects, light fixtures, etc. This involves using a tool to score the bottle, then using heat to manipulate it into cracking along the score in a controlled way. The final step is to sand and polish the cut edge (because no one wants to put a sharp broken piece of glass to their lips – that’s just asking for trouble). Jamie Pahigian

Introduction to Rock Climbing, The Gear, and Belay Techniques. Have you ever thought about rock climbing but didn’t know where to begin? This class will give you an overview of the 3 main types of climbing and the gear necessary for each. We will then take a more in depth look at two types: bouldering and top roping. Adj Marshall

Yogurt Making. Making yogurt is easy and doesn’t require anything more than a ball jar, some old (but not skanky) yogurt, and good clean milk. Meg Klepack

How to Make a Damn Good Chai. Enough with all that hippie/Starbucks/chai-in-a-box “chai”. Let’s get down and dirty Mumbai chaiwalla style! From creamy spiced winter brews to refreshing summer variations, we’ll share techniques and tricks for making a wicked cup of traditional chai (as well as some newfangled alternate milk and caffeine free alternatives). Bring a mug, adventurous taste buds and your own top tips and chai tales. Anaar Desai-Stephens

How to Build a Fire (Girl Scout style). Following the guidelines of the Girl Scouts of Western Washington, we will discuss and practice building safe fires. Skills will include identification of materials, setting up a safe fire circle, building a fire, tending a fire, safe extinguishing, and fire basics in suboptimal conditions. The session will begin with discussion of basic concepts, followed by hands-on practice with demonstration and support. You aren’t required to bring anything to the session, just a cheerful, brave, and true Girl Scout can-do attitude! Mollie Pepper

Improv Theater Games. We’ll start with easy improv games like Freeze Tag and Party Quirks–to get the creative juices flowing, and to learn how to support each other in improv scenes. Meghan Kallman

Using Technology for Productivity. Do you wish that you could find a way for technology to help you be more productive, rather than just suck your time? Come to an instructional session on productivity software, calendars and e-mail management. Brainstorm ideas to have technology serve YOU rather than rule you. Jasmine Walker

Dancing for People Who Think They Can’t Dance. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to move your body to music. We’ll go over some basics such as: how to find the beat; moving from your core; responding to the music; basics of dancing with another person, and “what the heck do I do with my arms?” The goal of this workshop is to empower your own improvisation and sense of play so that you can dance anytime, anywhere, to any type of music! Participants should wear clothes they can move freely in. Alison Nihart

Origami. Learn some origami basics, make something cool, and demystify all those funny symbols in the books. Carrie Cappizano

Crocheting. I know how to make granny squares and basic things in crochet. You can too! $5-7 for materials. Eloise Rarey

Songwriting Workshop. Unleash your creativity, and learn to express some the those things swirling around inside. You’ll learn several tools for mining your own creative abilities, as well as how to overcome blocks. Bring your instrument, or if you are not a musician, just bring yourself and you can write a poem. Participants are also to bring a recording device for recording tune ideas (a music recorder, phone, iPod, etc.) John Linn

Basic Backhoe. The basics of machine safety and operation. You will then be dangerous to rent a back hoe for a home project. Seth Kallman

A Sharp Tool is a Safe Tool. The nastiest blade-related accidents are rarely from carelessness. Typically the edge is dulling and cutting slowly, so you learn into it white knuckled. Then the material gives way and the chisel, kitchen knife, or box-cutter’s tip is somewhere it was never supposed to be. No Cut-Co here, just you, a sharpening stone, and dexterity. We’ll cover blade sharpening, maintenance, and safe handling. Bring what you want to sharpen OR just watch, learn, and give it a shot on a demo knife. Jacob Mushlin

Soldering Pipes and Basic Plumbing. One of the most intimidating processes for the DIY plumbing is soldering (or “sweating”) copper pipes. For a lot of people, this is is the moment to call in the professionals. But it doesn’t have to be. This workshop will cover the basics of cutting and soldering pipes, and should give you the skills you need to make repairs or re-route pipes for new fixtures. Jamie Pahigian

Basic Bicycle Maintenance. Learn how to change a tire, true your wheel on the go, adjust your brakes and many other things you can do if you break down on the road. People are encouraged to bring bicycles to work on, since having lots of bikes to work on will make the workshop more fun. Sean Salazar and Fred Letson

Introduction to Wilderness First Aid. Providing first aid medical care in the backcountry.

Cooking for Fun. Want to uncover (or express) your love of cooking? We’ll talk about how to make meal preparation a fun, creative, and healthful part of your life. Some ideas include: improvisation, inspiration, cuisines and cultures, seasonality, flavor combinations, prep techniques, scheduling, budgeting, CSAs. Jadrian Miles

Talking About Money. Money, politics and religion…the three no no’s. As a community, we talk about politics and religion much more than we talk about money. At this workshop we will bring mindfulness to a conversation about how finances and ways of thinking about money can serve us. This is somewhat a repeat of last year’s discussion, though it could go in many directions: how to think about finances for a business, how we help each other with finances, how to think about budgeting/tracking are all options. Jasmine Walker

Myofascial Release and Intuitive Massage. I’ve discovered how to break up knots in the body, almost every time! And I do a lot of massage. I’d like to teach body workers to get a little more out of time they are working. Participants are invited to bring tables or sheets. Diane Tellier

How to Lobby Public Officials. There are many modalities of social change.  This workshop will focus on one: influencing the decisions of elected officials.  The most effective way to influence the decisions of your elected officials is to build a long term relationship with them.  This relationship building process is called lobbying, and it’s not as scary as you might think.  In this workshop we’ll look at how citizen lobbying fits into the mix of social change and what the power relationships are that underlie officials’ decision making processes.  We’ll learn the most effective ways to build that long term relationship and we’ll get specific about what a good lobby visit looks like.  Highly participatory, we’ll do role playing and peer critique and I’m sure have a bunch of laughs about politicians. Jay O’Hara

Mentoring and Eldering. Conversations on how we might create and sustain intergenerational mentoring relationships. Meghan Kallman and Charis Boke

Sunday:

Intro to Power Tools. Hand work is important. There is no substitute for intimately knowing the character of your materials and the power & finesse of your hand on it. There is, however, much value in employing electricity for the task and in doing so safely. Intro to Power Tools will cover the cordless drill, impact driver, jig saw, circular saw, and miter saw (chop saw). Each tool will be explained, modeled and open for practice in a challenge-by-choice setting. Bring eye and ear protection, or meet your future lover by sharing! Jacob Mushlin

Aquatic Invertebrates. Learn to identify Aquatic Invertebrates while playing in the local waters. These cute little critters can be used as a biotic indicator in understanding the health of freshwater ponds or streams. You’ll learn cool factoids about the members of this amazing community: did you know that the nymph stage of a dragonfly is one of the most voracious predators in the water? Or that mayfly nymphs typically have three feathery “tails” while stonefly nymphs have only two? This is the opportunity you have been waiting for! Beth Frost

Basic Herbal Medicine Making. Love taking care of yourself and your friends? Want to know the super basics of how to make a tincture or a salve? Come to this workshop, and walk away with one tincture we’ll make together, and possibly also a salve! Nettles, hawthorn, calendula, lavender, oatstraw, schizandra berries….if these planty words strike joy into your heart, come explore basic medicine making with us! $5-8 materials fee; bring a Mason jar if you want to bring tinctures home. Charis Boke

Playwriting. What makes a great play tick? Ever wanted to try your hand at writing one yourself? We’ll use a series of writing exercises to dig into dialogue, character, and plot. We’ll create short pieces that are uniquely suited for the stage. We’ll practice jumpstarting creative inspiration instead of waiting for it to come find us! Bring paper and pencils and come play. Sarah Mantell

Marimba Making. Making awesome xylophoney instruments with common materials. Will even teach you a tune! Joshua Lantzy

Legal Perspectives on Starting a Nonprofit. When does it make sense to turn an informal operation into a legal entity? How does one distance oneself from liability should something go wrong? What are the first steps to giving a festival, foundation or other venture legal status? What are the costs/benefits? Sue Buckholz

Juggling. Throw balls in the air and catch them! We’ll start with one and maybe make it to three! Those who think they have no hand-eye coordination are welcome! I can supply some juggling bean bags, but if there is a lot of interest folks may need to bring their own. Round objects that aren’t super bouncy like hacky sacks or oranges are easiest but tennis balls work as well. Mike Seeger

Suicide Intervention. When you know people who struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide, it’s often hard to know how to help. What do you say? What do you need to do? What *can* you do to help? Suicide intervention is everyone’s business, and I’d like to help you get started. We’ll look at suicide intervention through the QPR and ASIST models, as well as my own–built after years taking calls on a suicide hotline. We’ll talk about the kinds of help people at risk need, and we’ll practice supportive listening. I hope you’ll join us! Hollis Easter

Knot Tying. A lot of people we know have been tying the knot lately. I don’t know anything about that, but if you need to tie things to the roofs of cars, to your bike, or affix anything else together using a piece of line this is for you. Jay O’Hara

Reproductive Solidarity for All Genders: Radical Care Series. This workshop will take the form of an informational conversation about the ways to destigmatize conversations about reproductive issues and their effects in our lives, from contraception to STIs to abortion to issues arising in trans communities. How do we best support our friends and families in having the information and conversations we need to have around issues that affect us all? I would love to co-teach this course with a male bodied person or a trans person so as to allow for more voices, and more ability for all of us to support one another in informed ways. $1-2 for handouts. Charis Boke

Business Skills for Artists and Musicians. Are you a performer or an artist looking to earn some money? Wondering how to deal with taxes, how to set prices, how to get paid for your work? Join us as we talk about practicalities of pricing models, getting your name out there, negotiating with customers, advertising and crafting your image, and avoiding the pitfalls in the art-business world. Hollis Easter

French. Practice your French or learn some French! Katie Fairhead

Class Solidarity and Class Action. Social class status and socioeconomic class pervade our daily experience of the world and yet they remain the elephants in the room. The silence on the subject not only impacts us but all those we interact with, particularly individuals from differing class backgrounds. Come to this workshop to gain language for discussing class from a personal perspective, learn about models of cross class dialogue currently in action, and to engage in a discussion about personal struggles with class in daily life. Adj Marshall

Hair Cutting. In this workshop we’ll give you pointers on how to give or get a great haircut, even if you have “difficult” hair. We’ll discuss how to have the conversation about what you’re looking for. (And what you’re not looking for!) We’ll look at different hair types and how they react to different cuts. And how to get the scary new cut you always wanted without it actually being so scary. We’ll do a couple of demonstrations during the workshop. Demonstration included. If you want to try with a friend, bring a scissors (sharp craft scissors are usually best), a brush, a hair tie, and a shirt you don’t plan to wear for the rest of the weekend. Alison Nihart and Sarah Mantell