September 22nd- 28th, 2025

Come join us at Wildacres Retreat in Little Switzerland, NC during peak color season to “Renew” your creative spirit with a week of art, yoga, meditation and an excursion to Penland School of Craft. This art therapy/yoga retreat has class options for everyone. A week in the Blue Ridge mountains includes all lodging, meals, classes, yoga and live entertainment. Just bring yourself and an open mind.

 

Now Accepting $75 Registration Fee.

Class Deposits starting June 1st, final payments due by August 15th.

Choose one of the following three art classes as your focus for the week:

Option 1: Painting with Art Therapist Micah Goguen. Join Micah for an Independent Study in 2D Media. What is an independent Study? It is where you deepen your process or exploration of a current media while planning your own project. Goguen has provided the prompt “Spirit Animals” which can cover a broad range or you can also propose your own project or series. You will get two virtual meetings with Micah in order to talk out options and set a plan of action. On your second virtual meeting, Goguen will make sure that you have all materials and guidelines for project. During the week, Micah will assist and guide you with supporting exercises to help you obtain a deeper understanding of your practice. This will include color exercises, brush exercises and more. This intimate environment will allow time to focus and also will allow us to tailor the plans and directions to your needs in the moment. Class members will have daily critiques and progress reports with the other classmates. General discussions of shape, value and color will be covered but also symbolism and personal meaning. This is a new format but Micah will walk you through your idea, plan to execution. 

Option 2: Clay with Ceramic Artist Kathy Murphy from Macon Mud Studio. Kathy will guide you through making “Spirit Animals”, a hand-building sculpture class focusing on 3-D animals made of clay. We will reduce seemingly complicated forms down to simple shapes, building upon those shapes and add the details after we have made the basic structure of the animal.  In addition to the animal forms, there will be an option to select a directed/ independent study of wheel throwing for those who wish to hone their throwing skills instead of creating the animal sculpture. Time permitting, others may get the opportunity to attempt throwing on the potter’s wheel. (Note: There is an additional equipment/glazing/firing fee of $50 for the clay option.) 

Option 3: Paper Quilling on Canvas with Artist/ Teacher/ Muralist Michelle Newby Armstrong, from LuigART Studios in Lexington, KY.   Paper quilling can trace its origins back hundreds of years to the 15th century. In this class, you will learn how to make basic paper quilling shapes, discuss how contemporary artists are using the medium to create works of art, and you will create your own canvas using paper quilling and paper on edge techniques. We will also have the opportunity to create other paper quill pieces such as cards and jewelry. Open to all skill levels. No prior paper quilling experience necessary.

Additional opportunities include Plein Air Painting with Diana Dice or a Writer’s Workshop with Margaret South. Both of these options run concurrently with our retreat, however, these options go from Monday, September 22nd – Thursday, September 25th. These options are small by design, and spaced are limited.
If one of these options appeals to you, please contact Kathy at 478-954-7104, or by email at maconmud@gmail.com and I will have either Diana or Margaret talk to you about their respective offerings.

Let’s Talk Story: Memoir, Novel, or Screenplay: An Interactive Workshop

With Margaret South, Producer (Beaches), Co-Founder, (All Girl Productions), Publisher (All Girl Publishing)Contributing Author Frank South (Melrose Place, Cagney and Lacy)

They say everyone has a story to tell. In fact, we each have many stories to tell, don’t we? We struggle with deciding how to tell our story. How to discover our purpose in writing, and then to make our story understandable to others.

There’s an expression in Hawai’i, “Let’s Talk Story.” It means, I want to get to know you better. Tell me your story, and I’ll tell you mine.”

In this hands-on course, Margaret South guides you through the essential elements of storytelling. Throughout the workshop, we focus on a key building block of story, paired with prompts designed to move your writing forward with purpose. Whether you’re starting from scratch or refining an idea, you could walk away with a solid first draft—or even a polished project ready for submission.

Topics:

Protagonist and Friends: Characters who Support the Story: What makes a protagonist truly compelling? Margaret offers a checklist of five essential traits—and the questions to ask yourself as you build your hero.

Story Structure, Your Secret Weapon: Structure isn’t the enemy of creativity—it’s your secret weapon. Margaret shares the tools she’s used over three decades.

Get It Going: Act One sets the stage, introduces the major characters, and starts the story. We’ll look at how to begin with momentum, meaning, and optimism.

Downs and Ups: Discover how to create dynamic conflict and keep readers hooked by understanding The Dark Night of the Soul, the Epiphany, the Climax, and the Resolution.

Schedule: We meet in the morning for instruction on craft, including story structure, writing dialogue, and getting published. After lunch, Writers are free to work on their projects and/or meet privately with Margaret. (Each writer is guaranteed one hour of individual work with Margaret). We gather again after dinner to share our work.

About the Souths

Margaret South is a writer, story coach, and film producer best known for producing Beaches, the iconic film about friendship, ambition, and the ties that bind. She began her career in Hollywood as co-founder of All Girl Productions, where she developed projects that centered on women’s voices long before it was popular.

Now the founder of All Girl Publishing and creator of the Let’s Talk Story series, Margaret helps storytellers find structure, purpose, and heart in their work. Her workshops and coaching blend practical tools with encouragement, guiding writers from first idea to finished draft.

Frank South is an American playwright, television writer, producer, and author whose career spans theater, television, and literature. He first garnered attention in 1982 when acclaimed director Robert Altman staged his one-act plays, titled 2 by South, in Los Angeles and Off-Broadway productions, followed by ABC Arts.

Mr. South served as Executive Producer to several notable series, including the popular Melrose Place. Beyond his work in entertainment, South advocates for ADHD awareness. He authored the award-winning memoir A Chicken in the Wind, his collection of stories written for ADDitude magazine.