A message from Kimberly Johnson~
I am thrilled to invite you to Arc + Craft: An Exploration of Creativity and Culture Making.

A 5 day gathering with Stephen Jenkinson, Tad Hargrave and me in November 2025 at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico.

This event is years in the conceiving and conjuring. Last year was really touch-and-go with Stephen’s health and there was a sense of doors closing and less being possible.

With great fortune, some of the dense fog has lifted making a multi-day gathering possible.

Tad Hargrave and I have spoken about how we love hearing Stephen talk about craft and composition.

What are the mechanics of storytelling and conducting- and how do we conjure lift-off?

How does an event become ceremonial, become culture work?

What are the mechanics of building an arc- a beginning, middle and ending- of a composition, a song, an evening, a retreat?

We plan to live these, not just analyze them.

In August, Stephen’s long awaited book Matrimony: Ritual, Culture, and the Heart at Work (Sounds True) will make her appearance. We will use this text as a center point. You’ll be asked to read it and work it prior to the gathering. So your questions and longings will be influenced by what you’ve read, and we will weave those into our days together.

We have two other written, not-yet-published, works- The Rite of No More, and the Green Book: A Thinking Man’s Dance with Neurodegeneration – that we will make there way in, and you will get some first “glimpses.”

There will be other surprises.

These gatherings are evocative, emergent, generative, devastating, multi-generational, time-traveling and unforgettable.

We will honor New Mexico and her people through a Feast.

This invitation probably would sound a little too cheerful for SJ’s liking. (or spunky, as he likes to describe me)

He would say something like:

It’s time to disseminate a sense of burden.

A critical mass of people in the room brings a degree of survivability to the times.

I’m saying:

We need you for that critical mass. You are Never Landers/ Sever Landers

Who are you?

This might be a call for you, if you are a:

  • Culture maker
  • Storyteller
  • Men’s or women’s work leader
  • Workshop/ retreat facilitator
  • Wilderness guide
  • Ceremonialist
  • Counselor or professor
  • Coach or teacher trying to bridge into more explicit culture work
  • Birth doula or death doula
  • Person trying to proliferate presence in an attention deficit time

WHEN: Nov. 16-20, 2025.

Arrival Sunday afternoon November 16 at 3pm

Departure Thursday morning November 20th at 10am

WHERE: Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico

COST: $2500 USD

Includes accommodations and food.

Accommodations are simple, and almost all housing is shared. Single housing options are few and reserved for those with special needs. Reach out to Juli so that we can accommodate you!

The retreat location is beautiful, elemental and rustic. The land is stunning and powerful. Little to no cell phone service. Vast horizons. Red earth. Quiet starry nights.

Ghost Ranch will provide breakfast, lunch and dinner in a dining hall, shared with staff and other visitors. The meals are basic and can accommodate most dietary preferences. One night, we will share a catered feast with traditional New Mexican foods. We recommend bringing snacks and elements of nourishments that you know you need (e.g. protein bars) to supplement the simplicity of the meals.

There are a few non-residential spaces available also. Reach out to Juli to inquire.

REGISTRATION

Secure your spot by sending a one-time payment of $2,500 USD or by signing up for the payment plan (5 monthly payments of $500) here.

Refund policy: $500 non-refundable deposit. Refunds due to unforeseen extenuating life circumstances available till September 30th. No refunds after September 30th 2025.

Upon signup, a member of our team will send you a welcome email within 24 hours (this is not an automated email).

We will be gathering to apprentice leadership, eloquence, elderhood, culture work, and alchemy.

What you can expect:

Overall, our intention is to craft a time together that is responsive to what’s happening in the room.

We have the bones of the thing but are leaving the rest of the details until we know who’s coming and then the final polishings until we are all together in the room.

  • A typical day will include:
  • A two hour session with Stephen and Kimberly that will weave in questions arising during the days.
  • A work session
  • Space to have deeper conversations about the nature and needs of culture work and get opinions from others with time in the trenches
  • A seat at the table for your biggest culture-making failures to feed something beautiful
  • An evening surprise.

You in?

– Kimberly Johnson