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Between Starshine & Clay Registration

$125.00 $190.00
sold out

Between Starshine & Clay is a virtual two-day retreat that invites Black artists to slow down and cultivate an embodied writing practice. Through guided somatic meditation, Black feminist writing workshops, structured quiet time, and generative community support, we will nurture the writing practices that call and sustain us, spiritually and materially.

Each day, you will create room for a deeper connection to your work, form a community that nourishes your abilities, and leave with grounding creative tools to write your way forward. All career ranges and experience levels are welcome.

Sliding Scale is an honor system for community.

Sliding scale is available for all retreat attendees who need it and subcribers of The Undertow. This rate includes artists who work outside the United States currency or receive state benefits.

We use a good-faith honor system that allows attendees who cannot pay the full price of the retreat to pay an adjusted rate of $125.

See itinerary and more info below.

Between Starshine & Clay is a virtual two-day retreat that invites Black artists to slow down and cultivate an embodied writing practice. Through guided somatic meditation, Black feminist writing workshops, structured quiet time, and generative community support, we will nurture the writing practices that call and sustain us, spiritually and materially.

Each day, you will create room for a deeper connection to your work, form a community that nourishes your abilities, and leave with grounding creative tools to write your way forward. All career ranges and experience levels are welcome.

Sliding Scale is an honor system for community.

Sliding scale is available for all retreat attendees who need it and subcribers of The Undertow. This rate includes artists who work outside the United States currency or receive state benefits.

We use a good-faith honor system that allows attendees who cannot pay the full price of the retreat to pay an adjusted rate of $125.

See itinerary and more info below.

“Writing then becomes a way to embrace the mysterious, to walk with spirits, and an entry into the realm of the sacred. ”
— bell hooks, rememebered rapture: the writer at work

This retreat is for Black artists who:

  • Want to bring clarity and intention to their writing through somatic practices.

  • Value ritual, community building, and Black feminism as a creative framework.

  • Seek creative practices that honor their emotional well-being, spiritual grounding, and sense of social connection.

About Retreat Host

Retreat facilitator Ciarra Ross is a writer, trained meditation practitioner, and second-generation family historian turned artist living in New York City. As the founder of Querent Studio, Ciarra develops narrative strategies for organizations and emerging artists working toward land justice, immigrant rights, queer and trans liberation, reproductive justice, andadvocacy of sexual assault survivors. Over the last decade, she has given talks at Columbia University, Spelman College, University of Michigan, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on visual culture, media exploitation, and somatic healing.

Day One Itinerary

Welcome & Grounding 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  • Host Introduction + Retreat Overview

  • Group introductions: Each attendee shares about their work

  • Grounding Exercise: Collective Ancestor Veneration & Libation

  • Community Agreements: Shaping the container for how we will share and hold space together

11:00 AM – 11:10 AM Break

Session 1: On Reading Black Writers 11:10 AM - 12:30 PM

  • Interactive Teach-in

  • Solo Reading & Writing Practice

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

Session 2: Somatic Meditation & Solo Writing Practice 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

  • Regroup + Check-in

  • Guided Somatic Meditation Session

  • Guided Somatic Movement Session

  • Structured Quiet Writing with Optional Prompts

3:30 PM - 3:45 PM Break

Day 1 Closing: Somatic Group Check-In 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM

  • Group Reflections + Share

  • Closing Meditation - 15 min

Day Two Itinerary

Grounding Morning Meditation + Group Discussion 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  • Grounding Exercise: Collective Breathwork Session  

  • Group Discussion: Check In + Reflections

11:00 AM – 11:10 AM Break

Session 3: Writing as a Divinatory Practice 11:10 AM - 12:30 PM

  • Interactive Teach-In by Ciarra Ross

  • Quiet Reading & Writing Practice

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

Session 4: Somatic Meditation & Solo Writing Practice 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

  • Regroup + Check-In

  • Guided Somatic Meditation Session

  • Guided Somatic Movement Session

  • Structured Quiet Writing with Optional Prompts

3:30 PM - 3:45 PM Break

Day 2 Closing: Somatic Group Check-In 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM

  • Guided Grounding

  • Group Reflections + Share

  • Ancestor Veneration Closing: Honoring the Black writers who came before us

  • Optional kickback hour

This retreat is named after the bridge in Lucille Clifton’s invitational poem— won’t you celebrate with me. Attendees will guided by close readings of ancestor poets, including Lucille Clifton, Assata Shakur, Nikki Giovanni, June Jordan, bell hooks, and Essex Hemphill.