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The Barn Project

Day 33-Roof Almost Finished, Ditto Dry Wall

  OK, I am done being an optimist. I hate this weather. BUT. Today I watched the men swarming the building, roof and interior, and as I let myself hate…

April 19, 2018

The Barn Project

Uncategorized

Day 32: Good Things About Not-Spring

Well, this is exciting! Roofers are swarming Little Blue, putting sheets of metal in neat rows. The second coat of paint is on the cupola, and the rest of the…

April 18, 2018

The Barn Project

Writing Process

Day 31: Just Write

  With the first crocus, all possibilities open up. Finally the ground is beginning to shift. The siding is going up. There are chimneys in the roof for the two…

March 29, 2018
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Big Yellow/Little Blue Writing Retreats

Nerissa has hosted writing retreats from her home in Northampton since 2004. The house (affectionately dubbed “Big Yellow” by retreatants) is magical, as anyone who’s written there will tell you. She also brings the “Big Yellow” spirit to retreats in other locations.

Retreat Schedule 2018

March 9-11 2018 Northampton MA

June 29-July 1 2018 Adirondack retreat, Keene NY

July 9-13 2018 Summer Writing Camp, Northampton MA–in our new Little Blue!

November Kali Retreat still to be scheduled

Weekly Writing Workshops

On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Nerissa Nields holds amazing writing workshops out of her home in Northampton. Write. Be entertained. Laugh. Cry. Foster community. Drink hot beverages. All kinds of writers are welcome. We are poets, novelists, songwriters, memoirists, journalers and scribblers.

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Regular, 10-week Courses
Spring 2018
Northampton, MA
COST: $350

March Satisfaction & Completions Retreat

March 9-11, 2018 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…

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March 9-11, 2018
5:30pm Friday - 5pm Sunday
Northampton, MA
COST: $300

Summer Writing Camp

Finally–give yourself to your writing for one delicious week! We will meet from 9am-4pm. Mornings will be dedicated to writing in my beautiful house, inside or out on the porch, or patio, or in the secret spot in the center of my labyrinth…or even on the second floor of my barn.

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July 9-13, 2018
Northampton, MA
COST: $400

Local Chorus

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…

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10 weeks starting April 9, 2018
Mondays from 4:15-5pm
Montessori School of Northampton
COST: $125/$200

HooteNanny Parent Guitar

All levels welcome! Singing encouraged! Nerissa teaches parents how to bring HooteNanny home. In a warm, encouraging group setting, parents and grandparents strum together, learn chords, finger-picking patterns, rudimentary music…

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Next Session Starts in September 2017
COST: $250

November Kali Retreat

Deep retreat for women only. Work on NaNoWriMo, 30 Poems in November, or focus on how far we have come since last November.

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Nov. 10-12, 2017
5:30 Friday-5pm Sunday
Big Yellow, Northampton MA
COST: $300

January Three Day Retreat

By popular demand, we’re going to have a mini-replica of the Summer Writing Camp in the deep midwinter! Join Nerissa for a three-day intensive writing weekend from Friday January 12 to…

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Jan 2019
5:30 Friday
Northampton, MA
COST: $300