ABOUT
The Troubadour Storytellers Retreat is a place for writers who are interested in learning more about and developing their craft of storytelling through the mediums of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, screenwriting, and lyric-writing. Hear from experts in the editorial field and in publishing, enjoy special musical guests, partake in the opportunity to perform your material, and receive one-on-one feedback of your work.
CLASSES
Includes:
Love Language and Lyrics
Manuevering Metaphors
Poetry & Creative Nonfiction
Writing with Clarity Revision
Fundamentals of Fiction
Master Your Memoir
Secrets of Story Structure and Character Development: Story Beats for the Ages
Pitching Your Screenplay
Story-time with Tolkien
WHO YOU’LL BE LEARNING FROM
Cindy Morgan is a two-time GRAMMY® nominee, a 14-time Dove winner, and the recipient of the prestigious Songwriter of the Year. She has 21 number one songs in her long history as a songwriter.
Cindy has authored three books, Barefoot on Barbed Wire (Harvest House Publishers, 2001), Dance Me Daddy (HarperCollins, 2009), and her memoir, How Could I Ask for More (Worthy Inspired, 2015)
She received the 2024 Hollywood Independent Music Awards for Americana Song of the Year , “Jubilee” from the soundtrack created for her 2023 coming of age novel , “The Year of Jubilee”
Most recently was awarded The Josie for the 2024 Inspirational Artist of the Year”
She is currently working on a second novel and lives in Nashville Tennessee with her husband Jonathan, and teaches as an adjunct professor of Songwriting at Belmont, University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Savannah Brouwer is currently getting her Master's in Divinity at Lipscomb University. She graduated from Lipscomb with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and an English Writing Minor. In her earlier years, Savannah studied writing through Vanderbilt Summer Academy from 2015 -2019. During undergrad, her focus was mostly on Poetry and Creative Non-Fiction. She won second place at the Southern Literary Festival for her Creative Non-Fiction piece titled, "How Sundays Became Sabbath." She has since moved into more academic writing, being nominated as the Stone-Campbell Scholar of the Year in her graduating class. She plans to continue to Doctoral Studies to focus on the narrative lens of theology and making academic resources more accessible through clear writing.
A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, Cova Brouwer Gentry is a Dutch Canadian screenwriter based out of Los Angeles, California and Nashville, Tennessee. Cova primarily writes features with a focus on adventure, nature, and history with her Alberta screenwriting production company Sincerely, Bigfoot Productions. She is the recipient of the 2024 "Judge's Choice" for the Hard Faith Film Festival's Pitch Fest. She currently works as the executive assistant and head of story-critique at American Talent Management in Beverly Hills, Califronia, who also represents her as a screenwriter.
A lifelong Southerner, Pamela Terry learned the power of storytelling at a very early age. An avid reader, Pamela’s love of books inspired her to find her own creative voice. and in 2008 began her blog, “From the House of Edward”. (Edward was a snow-white Chow Chow/Wheaten Terrier mix, and a beloved companion throughout Pamela’s blogging years.) “From The House of Edward” quickly gained a loyal readership and went on to be named one of the top ten home blogs of the year by London’s “The Telegraph”. It was a natural progression then when Pamela began writing fiction, and her first novel, “The Sweet Taste of Muscadines” was published by Penguin/Random House in 2021. She followed that success with her next book, “When the Moon Turns Blue”, which like her first release was once again set in the fictional southern Georgia town of Wesleyan. Her next novel, “Through an Open Window” will be released in August of 2025.
Pamela currently lives in her hometown of Smyrna, Georgia, with her songwriter husband, Pat, and their two dogs, Andrew, and George. She travels to the Scottish Highlands as frequently as possible and is currently at work on her fourth novel.
Andrew Greer is a filmmaker, author, and songwriter. Andrew grew up in rural Texas, graduated from Belmont University, and continued to live in the Nashville area for nearly two decades, where he published two books, released multiple chart-topping recordings, and in the fall of 2024, made his directorial debut with the PBS documentary PLAINSPOKEN, a film about the legacy of President Jimmy Carter within the ongoing conversation about equality and race relationships in everyday communities in America. Inspired by the making of documentary, he currently resides in the small southern town of Plains, Georgia, the hometown of the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. He has also been featured nationwide as a TEDx Speaker.
Ashley Cleveland is a career musician, a speaker, author, storyteller, spiritual director and soul
friend. Originally from Knoxville, Ashley has lived in middle Tennessee since 1984. During her musical career, she recorded 10 albums, won 3 Grammys and 2 Dove awards and continues to perform and write songs occasionally. Ashley is the author of two books: Little Black Sheep and Learning Burney, A Map of My Mother and Me; she is an active member of the 12step recovery community. Ashley has a certificate in Franciscan spiritual direction and is working towards a second certificate in Ignatian direction. She and her husband Kenny Greenberg have been married 33 years and have 3 adult children: Rebecca, Henry and Lily.
Ashley currently serves as a pastoral associate and spiritual director at Church of the Redeemer in Nashville.
Karen Watson is the Publisher at Tyndale Fiction. With almost 30 years in the industry, she has had the privilege of working with every product team in the company—from Children's products to Bibles to Non-fiction, and for the last 20 years in Fiction. Some of the products she worked on include the Left Behind franchise, Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Gary Chapman, and Beth Moore. she still loves the hunt for the next new voice as much as working on the long-term relationships with established Tyndale authors. She is wife, a mom of three adult kids, and is known as Bee to four grandkids.
She is the only person on the fiction team with a Southern accent and only rarely requires an interpreter.
THE LOCATION
Enjoy the many offerings of beautiful Henry Horton State Park, only an hour outside legendary Nashville, Tennessee: The natural scenery, nature museum, a plethora of restaurants within walking distance, local farmer’s market every Saturday, golfing & frisbee golf, hiking, canoeing & kayaking, and swimming.
Location: Chapel Hill, TN
Nearest Cities: Murfreesboro (45 min.), Nashville (50 min), Chattanooga (120 min.), Jackson (130 min.)
Henry Horton State Park is a perfect location for creativity and community! Featuring a beautiful natural backdrops and full-service facilities, plus activities such as hiking, paddling, and disc golf course. We’ll be staying in their cabins, nestled on the shores of the historic Duck River.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
A sneak peek at what’s on the agenda!
THURSDAY
Check in (afternoon)
Chili dinner
Get-to-know-you session
Sharing & music
FRIDAY
Morning liturgy & lattes
Guided morning hike & journaling session
Morning sessions
Lunch break
Afternoon sessions
Free time
Dinner break
Evening sharing & s’mores
SATURDAY
Morning liturgy & lattes
Guided morning hike & journaling session
Morning sessions
Lunch break
Afternoon sessions
Free time
Dinner break
Evening sharing & s’mores
Special Musical Guest
SUNDAY
Morning liturgy & lattes
Sharing time
Benediction session
Check out
PRICE
$850 per person (early bird pRICING; COST GOES UP APRIL 30)*
DEPOSIT: 50% due at registration, remaining 50% due by Oct. 1
*PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE ACCOMODATIONS OR MEALS. ROOMS MUST BOOK DIRECTLY WITH THE HOTEL.