Journal
God is Tired
It takes courage toRead the newspapers. Each monthMore bad news about Our failure to quitFossil fuels and buying cheapStuff that will end up On a barge at seaPoisoning the oceans…
Big Yellow/Little Blue Writing Retreats
Nerissa has hosted writing retreats from her home in Northampton since 2004. The writing space is magical, as anyone who’s written there will tell you.
Focus Chorus is a high level singing group composed of 10-15 year olds. An offshoot of the highly successful Local Chorus (kids aged 5-15), Focus Chorus is for advanced singers who are willing to work hard and learn 3-4 part harmony songs. (more…)
Local Chorus is a privately run chorus for kids aged 5-13. We sing a wide repertoire of folk, pop, rock and classical music in one-, two- and three-part arrangements. When possible, we incorporate strings played by the students, as well as guitar and percussion played by adults and students. (more…)
Late Summer/Fall Equinox Retreat starts at 5:30 Friday with dinner, introductions and a short writing session. Then two days of writing, with delicious home-cooked lunches on Saturday and Sunday. We will write from 9am-4pm, and then share new work from 4-5pm. (more…)
Weeding & Pruning is a manuscript group composed of six Writing It Up in the Garden writers. We have been meeting for the past 10 years, on and off, via teleconference. (more…)
Join Nerissa for a three-day intensive writing weekend from Friday November 8 to Sunday November 10. We will start Friday at 5:30 with a hot dinner, after which we will gather for introductions and a first writing session. (more…)
Come to Northampton MA and tap into your spring reserves for a weekend of writing, laughing, learning and growing. This yearly event is one of the favorites for aficionados of the Big Yellow retreats. Springtime is a great time to start a new project or go deeper into an existing one. (more…)
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Nerissa Nields holds amazing writing workshops out of her home in Northampton. She created these groups in 2003 when, as a single woman, she bought a Big Yellow House that was a bit beyond reach. (more…)
Nerissa teaches guitarists and would-be guitarists of all levels. In a warm, encouraging group setting, teens, adults, parents and grandparents strum together, learn chords, finger-picking patterns, rudimentary music theory, sing together, laugh, share their struggles with practicing after bedtime, and make amazing progress. (more…)
Nerissa is resurrecting her popular writing retreat in the mountains of the Adirondacks! Come for a weekend to a beautiful home in Keene, NY with views of the mountains, peace and quiet, old birch trees and small tree frogs. Pick wild blueberries and laugh with delightful people as your poems, stories, songs and memories take shape. (more…)
Finally–give yourself to your writing for one delicious week! This year, we will start on a Wednesday and end on a Sunday, so that folks who can’t take time off from work can join the group on Friday and have a regular weekend retreat. This is a fantastic opportunity (more…)