Living an Examined Life
June 4-14, 2026 • Patmos, Greece
A Journey Through Music, Memoir, & Myth
GoodWorld Journeys invites you to a ten-night Salon with three of the most compelling voices in contemporary music— Ani DiFranco, Anaïs Mitchell, and Neko Case—for an intimate experience of song, conversation, and creative exploration. Moderated by NPR music critic and author Ann Powers, this gathering offers a rare glimpse into the artistic journeys of these visionary singer-songwriters and storytellers, while providing participants with an opportunity to reflect, create, and connect in one of the most inspiring landscapes on earth.
We’re bringing together beloved artists who have delved deep to excavate the stories of their lives in their songs, poetry, plays, and memoirs. Songbirds and writers who have moved through darkness and loss to uncover light and beauty. The lyrics, poems, and narratives they have gifted to the world have opened the doors of perception to millions of listeners and readers, unveiling universal truths.
Dive into the Power of Song
At the heart of this Salon is the power of music to carry stories, stir memory, ignite transformation, and shape cultural myths.
The power of songs in our lives is indisputable. We turn to them in big and challenging moments. They can awaken a sense of wonder, stir the creative mind, heal the body, enhance the soul, create order out of chaos, bring people together, inspire social good, and help us navigate our way forward.
Songwriters tell their own stories through their creations, but also go beyond autobiography to shape vivid characters, respond to the times and places where they live, and build imaginative worlds. More and more, writers are telling their own tales of coming of age and other life passages through reflections on their relationships to music. Music lovers also tap into the work of their favorite artists to bring their own life stories into focus.
What to Expect
Morning craft talks & conversations: Salon sessions with Neko Case, Ani DiFranco, and Anaïs Mitchell on songwriting, storytelling, and the myths that shape our art and lives.
Evening life journey interviews: Moderated by Ann Powers, we’ll trace each artist’s creative journey—and their moments of breakthrough, struggle, and transformation.
Musical performance: Songs will be interspersed throughout our conversations and time together. While songs will be sung, this is not a performance tour—it is an immersive, participatory Salon where artists and participants come together in dialogue.
Community gatherings: Free space for participants to share their own stories, songs, and reflections in supportive circles.
Island exploration: Wander through Patmos’s labyrinthine alleys, join a cultural tour, swim in the Aegean, or find a quiet spot for journaling with the sea breeze at your side.
Who Is This Journey For?
This experience welcomes anyone drawn to the intersections of song, story, memoir, and myth. Whether you are a songwriter, poet, memoirist, or cultural creative—or someone who simply appreciates the power of good storytelling and the transcendence of song—this gathering offers a space to deepen your creative life in dialogue with others.
No professional credentials are required—only openness, curiosity, and a willingness to participate in a shared exploration of what it means to make and live with art.
Participation is by application only. With just 60 places available, we invite those who feel called to this unique creative pilgrimage to apply early.
Join us for what will undoubtedly be a memorable Salon experience!
Meet Our Salon Guest Artists
Ani DiFranco
Widely considered a feminist icon, Grammy winner Ani DiFranco is the mother of the DIY movement, being one of the first artists to create her own record label, Righteous Babe Records, in 1990. She has released 23 albums, traversing folk, punk, hip-hop, soul and electronic genres and addressing a range of autobiographical, political and social issues. DiFranco is also a poet, author and Broadway performer. She released a collection of poems and paintings titled Verses in 2007. Her memoir No Walls and the Recurring Dream was a New York Times Top 10 best seller in 2019, and her children’s books The Knowing and Show Up and Vote are out now. In 2024, DiFranco completed a 5-month run on Broadway as ‘Persephone’ in Hadestown.
Anaïs Mitchell
Anaïs Mitchell is a Vermont-based singer-songwriter and the Tony and Grammy award-winning creator of the Broadway musical Hadestown. She was named to TIME’s prestigious TIME100 list in 2020, and her first book, Working On A Song – The Lyrics of Hadestown was published by Penguin/Plume in the same year. Dubbed by NPR as ‘one of the greatest songwriters of her generation’, Mitchell comes from the world of narrative folksong, poetry, and balladry. She has released multiple albums and toured worldwide both as a solo artist and with her folk-rock band Bonny Light Horseman. Her Grammy-nominated recordings include the original studio album of Hadestown (2010); Bonny Light Horseman’s self-titled debut (2020); and her self-titled album Anaïs Mitchell (2022).
Neko Case
Neko Case is a singer, songwriter, music producer, visual artist, and writer — the consummate career artist — fearless and versatile, with a fierce work ethic and a constant drive to search deeper within herself for creative growth. “One of America’s best and most ambitious singer-songwriters” (Rolling Stone) and “essentially peerless” (NPR), Case has long been revered as one of music’s most influential artists, whose authenticity, lyrical storytelling, and sly wit have endeared her to a legion of critics, musicians, and lifelong fans. In addition to numerous acclaimed and GRAMMY-nominated solo records, Case is a founding member of Canadian supergroup The New Pornographers. She is the author of The New York Times bestselling memoir The Harder I Fight the More I Love You and the weekly Substack newsletter ‘Entering The Lung,’ and is currently composing the musical theater adaptation of the Academy Award-winning motion picture ‘Thelma & Louise.’
Ann Powers
Ann Powers has been a music critic for more than thirty years, working for NPR, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and other publications. In the decade she has worked with NPR, she has written extensively on music and culture and appeared regularly on the All Songs Considered podcast and on news shows including All Things Considered and Morning Edition. In 2017, she co-founded the award-winning NPR series Turning the Tables, which shed light on marginalized, underestimated, and forgotten voices in popular music. She is the author of four books, most recently Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell (2024), a memoir, Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America; Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music; and Piece by Piece with Tori Amos. She also co-edited the classic anthology Rock She Wrote: Women Write About Rock, Rap, and Pop (1995). Powers lives in Nashville.
Step Inside the Journey
Get a glimpse into some of our past Salon experiences.
10-Night Island
Stay & Program
$5,450 per person, double occupancy
- $1850 for single room supplement.
- $150 discount per person, for friends/spouses sharing a room.
- Scholarships are available.
For more information visit this journey’s FAQs.
Application Process
We seek to curate a diverse and creative mix of Salon participants, and attendance is by application only. Once you submit your application, you’ll be notified of your acceptance decision within 10–30 days. Learn more about the application process in our FAQs below. GoodWorld Journey Salons typically sell out, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Includes:
10-Night hotel stay (with breakfast)
Opening Welcome Reception & Dinner
6 Morning Salons
5 Evening Salons
Dance party under the Stars
Day boat excursion to nearby isle
Guided tour of the Patmos Monastery & Cave
Closing Farewell Reception & Dinner
Transport to Salon events & excursions
Does Not Include:
Airfare and transport to/from Patmos
Dinners/lunch off site
Taxis/buses into town on free time
FAQs
What criteria are used for selecting Salon applicants to participate?
We aim to bring together a vibrant and inclusive mix of participants for each Salon. This includes diversity across nationality, age, gender, race, lived experience, professional background, and creative interests.
We welcome both accomplished and emerging voices—writers, storytellers, songwriters, cultural creatives—as well as passionate readers, music lovers, curious travelers, and changemakers. You do not need to identify as an artist or writer to participate.
Each Salon is enriched by the presence of thoughtful, engaged individuals who value meaningful conversation, shared inspiration, and intentional retreat time.
How does the application process work?
We receive more applications than we have available spots for each Salon. To help us get to know you, we ask that you answer a few questions thoughtfully and thoroughly.
Once you submit your application, you’ll receive a confirmation email, and will be notified of your acceptance decision within 10–30 days. Some applicants may be placed on a waitlist.
If you’re accepted, you’ll be required to make a deposit within 10 days to secure your spot, followed by a final payment.
What are the accommodation options and associated pricing?
All participants are accommodated at the same seaside 3-star hotel where the Salon sessions take place. Once you’ve been accepted, we’ll share additional details about the hotel.
The standard Salon fee is $5,450, which includes a shared double room with another Salon participant.
If you prefer a private room, you may request a single room upgrade for an additional $1,850 (subject to limited availability).
Friends or spouses participating together and sharing a room are each eligible for a $150 discount off the Salon fee.
Please note that while most hotel rooms have a sea view, a few rooms have a garden view. Rooms are assigned based on the date on which participants paid their deposit.
My partner/spouse wants to come but doesn’t wish to participate in the Salon programming. Is this allowed?
Yes, non-participating partners or spouses are welcome to join you, space permitting. A non-participant fee of $1950 applies. This fee includes sharing your room at the Salon hotel, enjoying the daily hotel breakfast, participating in the welcome and farewell dinners, and a joining the guided excursion to the Monastery of St. John and the Cave of the Apocalypse.
Can I pay in installments?
Yes—payment options depend on when you’re accepted and whether you receive a scholarship.
If you’re accepted on or before January 15, 2026:
You may pay in two installments:
A $1,450 deposit is due within 10 days of acceptance.
The remaining balance is due by February 1, 2026.
If you’re accepted after January 15, 2026:
The full payment is due within 10 days of acceptance.
If you receive a scholarship:
Installment payments are available. Details about your payment timeline will be included in your scholarship acceptance email.
Do you offer scholarships?
Yes, we offer a limited number of partial scholarships for each Salon, awarded based on both need and merit. Scholarship applications are due in January 2026. Scholarship amounts range from $1,000 to $4,000 and apply only to the Salon program fee. They do not cover international travel to or from Greece.
When completing your Salon application, you’ll be asked if your attendance is dependent upon scholarship assistance. If eligible, you may receive a separate scholarship application form via email after the initial review of your materials.
How many participants typically attend each Salon?
Salons typically include 40-60 participants, with a maximum cap of 60.
We’ve found this size enables the ideal balance: intimate enough to foster meaningful connection and community, yet large enough to offer a rich shared experience.
Can I arrive early/stay late?
Yes, you’re welcome to arrive in Patmos before or after the Salon program dates. However, you’ll be responsible for arranging and covering the cost of your accommodations for any extended stay.
Additional nights at the Salon hotel may be possible based on availability. If you’re interested, please let the GoodWorld Journeys staff know your plans in advance—we’ll do our best to help you:
- Access discounted room rates, if available
- Stay in the same room assigned to you during the Salon
How do I get to Patmos?
Since Patmos does not have an airport, travel to the island requires a combination of transportation—usually involving a ferry or connecting boat. Your route can be tailored to your budget, schedule, and comfort preferences.
Once you’re accepted into the Salon and the summer ferry schedules are released, we’ll send detailed travel guidance to help you plan.
In general, there are two main ways to reach Patmos:
Option 1: Ferry from Athens
Take a large ferry from Athens to Patmos. Shared and private cabins with ensuite bathrooms are available, depending on your preference.
Option 2: Flight + Catamaran
Fly from Athens to a nearby island—Kos is usually the best choice, as it offers the most frequent boat connections to Patmos. From Kos, take a catamaran or large ferry to Patmos.
If you’re arriving from elsewhere in Europe, you may also find direct flights from major European hubs to Kos or Leros, both of which have good boat connections to Patmos.