Meet Our
Guest Artists
Our Salons are enlivened by the presence of remarkable guest artists—writers, musicians, poets, and cultural creatives who bring their voices and vision into conversation. Their reflections below offer a glimpse into the inspiration, connection, and discovery that unfold when art and community meet.
George Saunders
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“One of the most memorable teaching experiences of my life. The deeply spiritual, beautiful, and gloriously under-touristed Greek island of Patmos seemed to both relax and inspire people (including Mary Karr and me). Our hosts, Jenny Yancey and Dan Siegel, have been doing this a long time and know just how to arrange things so that the artistic development of the participants is foregrounded. The format serves to give an aspiring artist a chance to really look at what might be obstructing her, and what real growth might look like and feel like—it’s something about the beauty and peacefulness of the setting and, if I can say it this way, the purity of intention that surrounds the Salon, which is designed for artists, by artists. I’ve taught in a lot of places and settings and I have to say that the bonds that came of out our 2018 experience were extraordinary—Mary and I are still in touch with many of our students. It was really something special.
Safiya Sinclair
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“This is the best writing retreat and salon I’ve ever been a part of! The other guest artists were amazing, the participants were fantastic, and the GoodWorld team is absolutely world-class. And Greece is amazingly beautiful and inspiring! There was such deep magic and beauty and fellowship here, such incredible memories that I will always carry with me.”
Ani DiFranco
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“ This experience has just been amazing. Like the coolest ten-day dinner party with the most thoughtful invitation list of guests gathered around the table. And with the most sumptuous meal laid out, created by the artists and writers gathered here to feed each other. What a rarity to slow down and sit with people and talk with them about everything you care about.”
Barbara Kingsolver
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“My ten days on Patmos at the GoodWorld Journey Salon are engraved on my memory as a sea-blue, sun-drenched dream. The time was filled with language and light, poetics and conversation and wonderful food and joyous dancing and kind hearts and the heartbeat of the ocean in my ears at night as I fell asleep. I left the island with a refreshed belief in people, art, and life.”
Anaïs Mitchell
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“ A GoodWorld Journeys salon is a spiritual reset for both guest artists and participants–an expertly organized temporary community of warmth and depth that encourages heart-forward intellectual exchange, creative growth and risk-taking, and friendship. I adored it.”
Fatimah Asghar
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“GoodWorld Journeys is an incredible place for both artists and mentors to gather and learn. The creative breakthroughs, sense of camaraderie, and adventure that exist in this space are unparalleled. For anyone who is looking to take their work to the next level, to breathe fire into their projects, to connect with other artists and creatives– this is for you.”
Krista Tippett
Founder of the OnBeing podcast
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“ This is an extraordinary program in an extraordinarily gorgeous and calming place — you are truly away from hurried, scheduled time and from travel as tourism. The ten days of Salon are structured spaciously — a wonderful mix of conversation and concentration and learning, and exploring and resting and play. The food and wine are fresh and lovely. The waters of the Aegean are indescribably lovely to gaze at and swim in. And the ancient speaks audibly to the present in the everyday — Greek mythology embodied and alive alongside the sacred Christian significance of the island.
The Salon became a singular space for both finding replenishment and pondering a world that calls us to so much. I am very glad that Dan and Jenny made this island their home so many years ago, and grateful to them for opening it to others in this way. ”
Ashley C. Ford
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“The right word for my time spent with Good World Journeys is “enchanting”. “Wonderful” is not enough, and “exquisite” doesn’t acknowledge the magic. My only criticism is that no amount of time spent doing this work with these people would be enough.”
Cheryl Strayed
Author of Wild & Tiny Beautiful Things
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“ My time leading the workshop for GoodWorld Journeys on the magical island of Patmos was among the best teaching experiences of my life. Gathering in a place of such beauty with so many open-hearted people heightened the already inspiring exploration of writing, storytelling, and creative expression. Patmos is famous for being a place of revelation and that history permeated everything my co-leaders, the workshop participants, and I did during our illuminating time together on the island.
Dan, Jenny, Satchel, and Weezie were the most gracious and helpful hosts, who made the experience a true pleasure and one I’ll never forget. ”
Mary Karr
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“Seldom have I had a more creative time than during the three weeks I spent on the gorgeous, inspiring island of Patmos, Greece, including the ten days the Salon put me before so many curious, open-hearted students. The ability to teach in the morning and write in the afternoon, with a handful of Salons in the evenings made an artist’s paradise for all of us.
Jenny and Dan are masterful hosts and have created a mobile university in one of the planet’s most glorious landscapes. A lifetime highlight as a teaching experience and as a writer’s retreat.
I’d go back in a heartbeat.”
Neko Case
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“I had the time of my life. It was so inspiring and relaxing at the same time. I felt so taken care of, which made it so easy to give more of myself. I was all-in and full of joy and awe. It’s a beautiful landscape where you can just let your creative mind run free. I needed it to replenish, reset my nervous system and creativity, and just rest.”
Pádraig Ó Tuama
Podcast host of Poetry Unbound
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“ Being at a Salon in Patmos with fifty people — all of whom wanted to be in conversation, in relaxation, in engagement with the world and art and language and possibility — was a balm.
The setting was a consolation, and the pace of this salon was just right: plenty of time to get to know each other, plenty of time to be alone. The food is gorgeous, the water is a constant invitation, and the light itself is a healing thing. I met people on this retreat that I’ll be in touch with for years. I was moved to be one of the instructors and remain full of gratitude for the time. ”
Joe Henry
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“ My time in Patmos proved one of the most extraordinary teaching opportunities into which I’ve ever been invited; and as such, one of the great learning experiences of my life. I was unprepared for just how open, passionate, and vulnerable the participants were prepared to be — with the instructors, and with each other; and I marveled at how quickly such a relatively large group of strangers turned themselves into a community. I witnessed friendships being forged there that I am sure will sustain for years to come. And I was terrifically moved by the quality of the conversations — both formal and casual — as the ten days wore on. I was truly grateful for the opportunity & remain so. ”
Maggie Smith
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“ I have been traveling and teaching for decades now, but my experience with GoodWorld Journeys was absolutely extraordinary. The literary salon in San Miguel was part writing retreat and part cultural adventure, and I left there changed–by the people, the magical city, and our conversations about storytelling, art, and life. I can’t recommend it enough.”
Patty Griffin
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“ I think some places in the world make it easier to do creative work. You get there and you just feel like it’s easier to find an opening, easier to dare to get closer to the things behind the veil. I found Patmos to be highly charged this way. Many lovely and hospitable locals … warm-hearted beyond belief.
I was incredibly moved by the Salon attendees and the work they did. My one problem with the place is that swimming in the Aegean has spoiled me for all other oceans.
Thank you all! ”
Rachel DeWoskin
Fiction faculty, University of Chicago
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“ Teaching for GoodWorld Journeys was like stepping into a fantasy classroom, one shimmering with intellectual and emotional energy, one already a community. The participants made up the most curious, engaged and fiery group of humans I’ve ever seen assembled. We met in many places on the island of Patmos — in caves, under the salty Mediterranean, in sunlit classrooms, and in the countless books we were all reading and writing. Together, we investigated our own stories and revelations, as well as the myths & histories that run under all of us. To do that work in one of the most poetic and antique places on earth was an inimitable experience, one for which I’ll always be grateful.”
Zayd Ayers Dohrn
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“ Being in Patmos was a profound experience, for teachers as well as students. GoodWorld Journeys built an environment of shared curiosity, creativity, and community, allowing us to learn about each other and about ourselves, all on one of the most beautiful and mysterious islands on earth — the perfect place to read, write, think, and be inspired. ”
Judy Collins
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“ I’m so happy that I was invited to participate in the 2017 Salon event with Shawn Colvin & Patty Griffin. I have never done a workshop before and I found the experience of sharing music, memories, both personal & professional — an inspiration in every way. I feel lifted & inspired by hearing the work of our participants and my fellow artists.
Patmos Island was an inspiration in itself. Having never been to Greece, it was a revelation for me. This experience of being together with these amazing artists & participants was an important step in my own development and I thank everyone involved with GoodWorld Journeys. Love & gratitude.”
Rodney Crowell
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“At the behest of Jenny Yancey and Dan Siegel of GoodWorld Journeys, Mary Karr and I taught a memoir workshop on the Greek Island of Patmos. Those ten days stand out as one of the most creative adventures I’ve ever been on.
The Island is beautiful, the people generous and fun loving. Great food. Superb accommodations. Dan and Jenny provide the perfect setting for group interaction in service of singular artistic pursuit. It is said that the island of Patmos will change your life. It changed mine.”
Brian Lindstrom
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“ GoodWorld Journeys’ Salon on Patmos was a transformative experience for me both as a teacher and a student of storytelling.
The level of engagement with which the students approached the lectures and writing prompts created an atmosphere of personal, in-depth exploration that instilled in all of us a sense of community that didn’t seem possible given our relatively short time together — and all of this in the mystical, magical environs of Patmos which is the perfect backdrop for revelatory journeys both inward and outward.
I am deeply grateful. ”
Upcoming Journeys
Living An Examined Life
Join a creative pilgrimage into music, memoir, & myth with Neko Case, Ani DiFranco, Anaïs Mitchell, and Ann Powers.
- Patmos, Greece
The Stories We Tell
Explore the power of words and storytelling with Silas House, Barbara Kingsolver, Ada Limón, and Safiya Sinclair.
- Patmos, Greece
The Journey is Your Story
Dive into the craft of memoir, personal storytelling, and poetry with Fatimah Asghar, Ashley C. Ford, and Maggie Smith.
- San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
New Salons on the Horizon
We’re announcing our summer 2027 Salons this fall. Join our mailing list to be the first to discover what’s ahead—and to know when registration opens in October.