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Pinecones, Portals, and Poets
No small thing is small, or so it seems to this human found by a pinecone on a warm January day. Continue reading
Tag: love of trees
Sourwood Forest Artist Residency 2026
“The house itself was lovingly built. Smooth trunks of trees made up the support beams of the house, rocks lined a wall with an inbuilt stove, and everything glowed with natural light. The windows looked out onto the garden, and at any given time I could see a vignette of flittering butterflies on a bush, nesting wrens in a flower pot, or wily squirrels trying a bird feeder. At the turn of the day to the evening, more hummingbirds than I personally have ever seen in one place whizzed around the back porch to drink their sugar-water. The architecture of the space seems to encourage remembering that we are a part of the ecosystem we inhabit.” Patricia Walbertson, artist in residence June 2024 Continue reading
Fall and Faith
What is it that seems to be held to the center of me and reaching out at the same time, like my heart is attached to the world beyond me– to the birdsong, the dripping wet leaves after the much needed rain, the goats in the barn, the sky that opens and closes as I move among the trees. Faith is an embrace.
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Insurgent Imagination Days June 2025
On June 7, the aim was to experience writing as a way to kindle creative capacity, cultivate well being, and uncover connections to the more-than-human world. On June 8, we were tuning in to nature as inspiration for original songs, with nature (especially birds, it turned out) as a collaborator. Each day’s small group of participants varied in age from 35 to 65 and in vocation from attorney to poet. Participants engaged with nature and with each other to nurture regenerative, relational vision in these challenging times of human disconnect, upheaval, and dissembling. Continue reading
Giving Thanks for Sourwood Forest
“I have just had the most creatively enjoyable mini-residency (3 nights) at Sourwood, and am stepping back into reality to write this brief testimonial. I am a 70-year old artist, working on canvas and paper, and driving here my head was filling with potential works, which were supplemented by the many vistas within an easy trek from the house. Judy is … an excellent host and her house is warm and comfortable. Give it a go: escape the Urban, immerse in the Sylvan. An experience awaits.” Follow Marek Mierzejewski on Instagram @Marek6060. Continue reading
What matters most?
“What matters most?” is a question I ask myself frequently, as I choose and rearrange priorities for how to spend my time, daily, hour by hour. Even minute by minute. It has taken sixty years for me to recognize this question’s power and necessity in my life. And I’m only just beginning to see how slippery its answers can be. Continue reading
Pedlar River Institute’s Sourwood Forest Residency Program Begins!
“We’ve just begun to imagine what could happen here,” Judy said, remarking on the positive responses from her guests to the event and to possibilities for Sourwood Forest in the future. She had started with a list of six invitees, and several of those had reached out to their contacts, resulting in a wonderfully diverse group–one that will likely help Judy find more creatives to take part in future residencies. Continue reading
A Place to Connect, Create, Inspire
Sourwood Forest in Western Amherst County, Virginia inspires through direct experience in nature, fostering curiosity, artistic expression, and wellbeing. The spacious home is on sixty acres of untrailed forest, where the nearest human neighbor is a mile away. For more information and to apply for a residency, see Frequently Asked Questions about Sourwood Forest and Sourwood Forest residency application. And see what this summer’s writers in residence said about Sourwood Forest. Continue reading
A Cool May at Sourwood Forest
After lunch we gathered on the front yard deck under a circle of old oaks to hear Grant Kittrell read poetry. And we engaged in a discussion that wandered from the subject of black snakes to the powers of old trees, both real and imagined. Birds sang, a slight breeze whispered through the young leaves in the forest canopy, and the spectacular light of a May afternoon made everything (including us!) glow with the light of spring. Continue reading
Melody Creek in Winter
It hasn’t snowed here this winter, but finding these old photos made me remember how beautiful it can be around here when it does. Let it snow! Continue reading