Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering on April 2 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering on March 19 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

2nd Monday Zoom Gathering
March 11, 7:30p On ZOOM

Dustin will be leading our regular, second-Monday Zoom Gathering this evening, March 11 at 7:30.

Gather together your creative materials, your favorite holiday beverage, and join us in this time to connect with our Creator through expression, reflection, and centered discovery.  

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering on March 3 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering on February 20 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

2nd Monday Zoom Gathering
February 12, 7:30p On ZOOM

Dustin will be leading our regular, second-Monday Zoom Gathering this evening, February 12 at 7:30.

Gather together your creative materials, your favorite holiday beverage, and join us in this time to connect with our Creator through expression, reflection, and centered discovery.  

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering on February 6 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

2nd Monday Zoom Gathering
January 8, 7:30p On ZOOM

Dustin will be leading our regular, second-Monday Zoom Gathering this evening, January 8 at 7:30.

Gather together your creative materials, your favorite holiday beverage, and join us in this time to connect with our Creator through expression, reflection, and centered discovery.  

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering on December 19 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

*Please note that the 1st Tuesday of January (January 2) there will be no writing circle so that Dustin & J Kyle can celebrate the holidays.)

2nd Monday Zoom Gathering
December 11, 7:30p On ZOOM

Dustin will be leading our regular, second-Monday Zoom Gathering this evening, December 13 at 7:30. This will be my first opportunity to lead one of these gatherings, and I look forward to sharing an evening of Creative Meditation with you in community with one another.

Gather together your creative materials, your favorite holiday beverage, and join us in this time to connect with our Creator through expression, reflection, and centered discovery.  

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering on December 5 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering on November 21 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

2nd Monday Zoom Gathering
November 13, 7:30p On ZOOM

Dustin will be leading our regular, second-Monday Zoom Gathering this evening, November 13 at 7:30. This will be my first opportunity to lead one of these gatherings, and I look forward to sharing an evening of Creative Meditation with you in community with one another.

Gather together your creative materials, your favorite beverage, and join us in this time to connect with our Creator through expression, reflection, and centered discovery.  

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering on November 7 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

Open Studio
Thursdays, Oct. 12-Nov. 16, 4-6

This fall, in conjunction with the Subversive Saints of Seattle Project, we are going to begin a weekly Open Studio Time in the Northminster Presbyterian Church Library.

If you are participating in the Subversive Saints this is a great opportunity to meet with your partner, utilize supplies that you don’t have at home, and be in creative communion with others who are responding to the same prompt as you. If you are not participating, this is still a wonderful opportunity to be in an unstructured creative environment with fellow artists.

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering this evening, September 5 at 7:30.

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

J Kyle will be leading our regular, first-and-third-Tuesday Writing Circle Gathering this evening, August 15 at 7:30. Yes, it’s awkward that the third Tuesday is the day after the second Monday this month, but we’re just going to go with it...

This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

2nd Monday Zoom Gathering
August 14, 7:30p On ZOOM

Dustin will be leading our regular, second-Monday Zoom Gathering this evening, August 14 at 7:30. This will be my first opportunity to lead one of these gatherings, and I look forward to sharing an evening of Creative Meditation with you in community with one another.

Gather together your creative materials, your favorite beverage, and join us in this time to connect with our Creator through expression, reflection, and centered discovery.  

Writers Circle
Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7:30p On ZOOM

Join us every first and third Tuesday from 7:30-9pm for our new creative writing circle! This is meant to be a space where each participant can exercise and nurture their own writing skills at their own pace and share at their own comfort level, but also help one another work out fledgling ideas, hold each other accountable, or edit and brainstorm together. All writing styles and forms are welcome! Poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose, memoir, essays, criticism, short stories, playwriting, lyrics…whatever gets your juices flowing or nudges you toward fulfilling a dream or trying something you’ve been hesitant to try. This time is not about value judgments or “good vs bad” writing, but a wide-open space to activate curiosity and explore the possibilities of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to see what might come out! 

To be certain, the spiritual value of the practice of creative writing is both inherent to the task and not at all dependent on the content or subject matter of the writing being done. There’s no expectation or hope that we are exchanging ideas exclusively about God, religion, or spirituality more broadly, while those subjects are more than welcome as well! It’s more about learning how each one of us connects with the Divine in our own private ways through the practice and sharing of writing.  

Each session will include a quick check-in, a group exercise based on a single short prompt, dedicated time to work on our individual ongoing projects, and time to share our work with the group for feedback and encouragement in a no-shame zone. There’s no need to commit to attending every single time; this will be a “drop-in” style group. We will be happy to see you when you make it. We hope to make this a thriving cohort of mutual inspiration, motivation, and uplifting each other. See you on August 1st! 

Call for Art
(re)Creation

The Big PhinneyWood Art Walk is an annual celebration of local neighborhood art and food sponsored by the Phinney Neighborhood Association. This weekend is more than a gallery walk, it’s a neighborhood party with music and performances at participating businesses, in addition to artist showcases.

This year, our community partner Woodland Park Presbyterian Church will be hosting a Coastland Commons Showcase as part of the Art Walk on Friday, September 8, 6-9pm & Saturday, September 9, 12-5pm. I am calling on the artists of the Coastland Commons Community to participate in this group show. I am really excited to try to foster more events like these that are public facing and allow the broader community a chance to see and interact with us.

The Theme of the show will be (re)Creation, and I invite you to read that however it hits you. As I conceived of the theme, I notice that it could be read as “about Creation,” “recreation,” or “re-creation;” perhaps you see a fourth or fifth way of reading it (I hope you do). It is my hope that this theme will spark an overall show that holds the past with love and looks to the future with wonder in the same way that our Community is doing in this transitional season.

All forms and styles of art are welcomed and encouraged to participate. For now, I am going to ask for only one piece per artist to make sure there is room for all who would like to participate; however, if you would be interested in showing more than one, let me know and I will include additional pieces as space allows.

Please let us know of your intention to participate by signing up here by August 16. (You don’t need to know the details of your piece to sign up.) I look forward to showing the neighborhood our Creativity.

Summer Beach Gathering
Golden Gardens

Our July Gathering is Sunday, July 16th, at 3:00 pm. Come meet Dustin! 

What could be better than a day at the beach? We will be gathering on the beach at Golden Gardens this Sunday at 3 to enjoy snacks, drinks, a fire, and fellowship. I hope you will be able to join us.

This will provide a great opportunity to meet and get to know Dustin while also getting to spend some much needed in-person time together as a community. Please bring chairs to use or share if you are able. If you need help finding us, Kyle will be on call to lead you to us: text/call 253-820-7719.

June Creative Night!
Via Zoom

Our June Creative Night is Monday, June 19th, at 7:30 pm. Maggie Braun will lead us! 

• Grab your computer, art supplies, journal, or a good book on Monday. Snuggle up in a nice blanket, grab your favorite drink, and join us online from 7:30-8:45 pm. 

• Coastland Commons will reimburse up to $15 for art supplies. Just save your receipt and send it to Coastland.Commons@gmail.com.

• Our gathering rhythm: introductions & sharing, a short meditation, a creative prompt, individual creative time, and creative sharing and discussion. 

• Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85459513046 || Meeting ID: 854 5951 3046

Leadership team superstar Maggie Braun will be leading us this coming Monday and inviting us into reflection and art-making with the theme: Diversity in Community. Hope to see you there!

UPDATES!

Coastland Commons will not hold our usual Monday gatherings in July & August but is planning to host an in-person get-together at a local beach this summer. We don’t have an official date for that yet but will email everyone when that is solidified.

Also, we are working on some leadership changes at Coastland Commons. I will be rolling off my position as gatherings coordinator and we will be welcoming someone new into that role! I have accepted a year-long, full-time chaplain residency position at Harborview this next year, which will take my full attention. I will still be around and supporting CC’s work blessing the people with creative expression and spiritual living. My hope is for everyone to be able to meet the new gatherings coordinator at our in-person gathering; Again, date and location TBD.

May Creative Night!
Via Zoom

Our May Creative Night is Monday, May 15th, at 7:30 pm. Kyle Turver will lead us! 

• Grab your computer, art supplies, journal, or a good book on Monday. Snuggle up in a nice blanket, grab your favorite drink, and join us online from 7:30-8:45 pm. 

• Coastland Commons will reimburse up to $15 for art supplies. Just save your receipt and send it to Coastland.Commons@gmail.com.

• Our gathering rhythm: introductions & sharing, a short meditation, a creative prompt, individual creative time, and creative sharing and discussion. 

• Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85459513046 || Meeting ID: 854 5951 3046

Change is a word that produces anxiety in many of us. We strive for stability, consistency, and normalcy, yet change is constantly knocking at our door and inviting us forward. Change is inevitable and without it we would not survive. Change is the agent of human creativity and resiliency. Change asks us to take the lessons of the past and steward them forward. Octavia Butler put it this way:

All that you touch

You Change.

All that you Change

Changes you.

The only lasting truth

Is change

God
is Change.

How are you changing? And in what ways have you changed throughout your life? How many different versions or phases of self can you remember? What do these memories make you feel? During our gathering this month, we’ll talk and create about change. I’ll offer a meditation that will invite us to consider our relationships with change and wonder about how we can embrace change to live in the present moment.

Living in the Gray
March Creative Night on Zoom

Our March Creative Night is Monday, March 13th, at 7:30 pm. Kyle Turver will lead us! 

• Grab your computer, art supplies, journal, or a good book on Monday. Snuggle up in a nice blanket, grab your favorite drink, and join us online from 7:30-8:45 pm. 

• Coastland Commons will reimburse up to $15 for art supplies. Just save your receipt and send it to Coastland.Commons@gmail.com.

• Our gathering rhythm: introductions & sharing, a short meditation, a creative prompt, individual creative time, and creative sharing and discussion. 

• Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85459513046 || Meeting ID: 854 5951 3046

Here’s a confession that will surprise literally no one: I love art. I love it for so many reasons, but primarily, I love it for its own sake. By this, I mean I love it for no other reason than it is worth loving. You may be thinking, “Sure, but why is it worth loving?” The answer to this question is actually quite simple. Art is worth loving because people are worth loving, on their own terms and for who they say they are. I love art because I am worth loving, and so are you. 

Art is self-expression and self-actualization. There is no art where there are no selves. I use the plural intentionally because art takes two. Even private art is not exempt. Art is always experienced with an-other in mind. We do not experience art—even our own—in a vacuum. We make it and see it through lenses that have been shaped by our context, our community, and ourselves. Art always assumes others even if no one ever sees it. 

Coastland Commons’ foundational assertion is that making art is something everyone can and does do, even if we don’t call it art. Sometimes we call it things like “sharing my story,” “crafting,” or “journaling.” These basic human art-making practices are deeply connected to how we see ourselves and each other. In short, they are relational.

I love art because by making and observing art, we come to know more about ourselves and share ourselves with others. Art, for me, is the process of staying curious, resisting absolutes, and learning to be kind to myself and others. In a world that elevates black-and-white, either/or thinking, art illuminates that our lives are not black-and-white but full of gray and infinite hues still beyond that.

Our gathering topic this month will be “Living in the Gray.” We’ll share stories about how black-and-white thinking shows up in our lives and invite each other to see the grey—that is, all the complexities that make our lives so much more than either this or that.

—Kyle Turver

Questions for reflection: 

What art have you experienced that leads you to see the gray complexities in life? What art have you made? What does your spiritual background teach you to believe about the gray in other’s lives and your own? What resources do you consult to expand your imagination beyond either/or ways of being? I hope to see you there!

February Creative Night - Zoom Only

Monday, Feb 13th, at 7:30 pm, is our February Creative Night. We will be led by Kyle Turver! 

We'll be discussing meditative practices that help calm ourselves and connect to our intuition. One such practice that we will experiment with is a line drawing practice like the one in the picture above. Be thinking about practices (creative or otherwise) you employ to center yourself and be more present in the world around you.

We'll begin by sharing what has inspired or challenged you over the previous month. Everyone will be given a chance to share if they would like. 

On Monday, grab your computer, some art supplies, a journal, or a good book. Snuggle up in a nice blanket, grab your favorite drink, and join us online from 7:30-8:45 pm. 

Coastland Commons will reimburse up to $15 for art supplies. Just save your receipt and send it to Coastland.Commons@gmail.com.

Our rhythm will be introductions & sharing, a short meditation, a creative prompt, individual creative time, and creative sharing and discussion. 

Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85459513046
Meeting ID: 854 5951 3046

January Creative Night - Zoom Only

Happy New Year! I hope this finds you optimistic and joyful about the year ahead. If optimism is not you right now, we see you, and you are not alone! 

Monday, January 9th, at 7:30 pm, is our first Creative Night of 2023. 
It will be led by leadership team member Maggie Braun! 

Beginning this month, our leadership team has decided to move our gatherings all online. Since last spring, we have been trying a hybrid model, but we are noticing that Monday evenings are increasingly hard for people to go out. So, we are going to give all-online meetings another go, allowing us to connect with our creativity and community without having to add another evening out. Along with this change, the leadership team is discussing quarterly in-person gatherings. More on that later.

On Monday, grab your computer, some art supplies, a journal, or a good book. Snuggle up in a nice blanket, grab your favorite drink, and join us online from 7:30-8:45 pm. 

Coastland Commons will reimburse up to $15 for art supplies. Just save your receipt and send it to Coastland.Commons@gmail.com 

Our rhythm will stay the same, a short meditation, creative prompt, individual creative time, and finally, sharing and discussion. 
 

Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85459513046
Meeting ID: 854 5951 3046

Coastland Caroling! - Canceled

Due to a spell of COVID-19 in the Turver house we have decided to cancel our caroling event. We hope you have a joyful, safe, and healthy holiday season. See you in the New Year!

‘Tis the season for a Coastland Commons holiday tradition, Christmas Caroling!

We’ll be gathering at the Turver house on Friday, Dec. 9th, from 6-8:30 pm for dinner, then a Christmas carol sing-and-play-along! Pull out those jingle bells, bring a guitar, or join the chorus. Please share the word about this fun and festive event; feel free to bring your friends, neighbors, or family. This is a great event for the whole family! 

If the weather cooperates, we’ll end the night by heading out into the neighborhood and go caroling around the block, so be sure to bring some warm clothes. Dinner will be provided but feel free to bring a holiday drink or Christmas cookies to share.

Please note that this will be in place of our usual second Monday gathering and will be an in-person-only event. We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please reach out at coastland.commons@gmail.com.

Location: 2351 NE 128th St, Seattle, WA 98125

Nature is our Guide

“The pale flowers of the dogwood outside the window are saints…the bass and trout hiding in the deep pools of the river are canonized by their beauty and their strength. The lakes hidden among the hills are saints, and the sea too is a saint who praises God without interruption in her majestic dance.” – Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

Our time together this month will be led by Rachel Morris. She writes:

The poet David Whyte has a beautiful line in his poem “What to Remember When Waking” where he asks, “Why are we the one terrible part of creation privileged to refuse our own flowering?” During our time together, we will reflect on these quotes and how nature can guide us in becoming fully ourselves. We will participate in a meditation together of gratitude and will be invited to explore materials of creation in our open art-making time.

Our gathering will look something like this: 

7pm: Gather and mingle (light snacks and refreshments)

7:15: Drawing the Circle: Songs that build community (15 mins) (feel free to bring an instrument!)

7:30: Opening meditation and discussion (15 mins)

7:45: Creative time (30-45 mins) - Arts supplies will be available (feel free to bring your own as well)

8:15: Re-gather to share

8:30-45: Close

Meeting Info

Date and Time: November 14th, from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM IN PERSON AND ON ZOOM**

Location:

Northminster Presbyterian Church

7706 25th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117

Zoom Info

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85459513046

Meeting ID: 854 5951 3046

“The Method is the Message”

I (Kyle) recently came across this maxim: “The method is the message.” When I saw it, I thought, “That is exactly what Coastland Commons has been saying!” At Coastland Commons we engage in the creative practice for many reasons, but chief among them is we have found the creative process is worth doing for its own merits, not merely for the product we hold at the end of the process. Those who have participated in Coastland Common’s approach over the years have stories about the benefits of creativity. A common refrain I hear from people is the work of creativity helps them to explore their inner landscape, bringing it to the surface in a way that allows it to be observed, held gently, and used as a tool for individual and communal flourishing.

 Our method is certainly our message, but what does our method say about us? What does the work of creativity teach us to value? How does the creative process shape us, and in what ways does it shape us?

 For our gathering this month, we’ll look a little deeper at “the method is the message” and use our creative time to explore our individual and communal values and what they might have to teach us about building a community and world we want to inhabit.

Our gathering will look something like this: 

7pm: Gather and mingle (light snacks and refreshments)

7:15: Drawing the Circle: Songs that build community (15 mins) 

7:30: Opening meditation and discussion (15 mins)

7:45: Creative time (30 mins) - Arts supplies will be available, as well as an optional exercise

8:15: Re-gather to share

8:30-45: Close

Meeting Info

Date and Time: October 10th, from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM IN PERSON AND ON ZOOM**

Location:

Northminster Presbyterian Church

7706 25th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117

Zoom Info

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85459513046

Meeting ID: 854 5951 3046

Fall Kick-Off! Song Circle

Fall is always a season of newness for Coastland Commons. As summer winds down, we turn our focus to the year ahead. So much fun, creativity, and connection lay before us. This month we will begin our gathering by sharing a bit about some new things that are taking shape in our community. New and returning leadership, visions for the future, and more. After that, we will host a song circle! 

Years of not being able to sing communally have left us thirsty for a chance to hear our voices together. This Monday, we’ll spend our creative time sharing songs. A song circle is a format where people bring their voice, instrument, and any songs they want to play. In a song circle, we share them with each other and play/sing them as a group. Dust off that guitar, violin, percussion instrument, or any other instrument you have stored away, and we’ll take turns sharing and teaching each other songs that we love. We’ll use the book Rise Up Singing as a guide, but you are welcome to bring any song you’d like to share. If you don’t play an instrument, that is not a problem, you can still bring a song (if you want to) and your voice! This is a fun, no-pressure environment. Kyle will have more than enough songs to keep us going if need be! Just come ready to sing, laugh, and enjoy the songs that have touched our lives.

Meeting Info

Date and Time: September 12th, from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM IN PERSON AND ON ZOOM**

Location:

Northminster Presbyterian Church

7706 25th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117

Zoom Info

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85459513046

Meeting ID: 854 5951 3046

Losing, Leaving and Letting Go

In a world the measures us in terms of how much we can acquire, attain, or achieve, it is hard to be present to what it means to lose, to let go, and to leave. How do we understand these experiences as part of what it means to be human, and to embrace them in their complexity and ambiguity? How do we learn to not live in denial of them but to make space for them in our spiritual, emotional, and communal life? How can we experience letting go as a way to create more margin for beauty, creativity, and imagination?

For our July creative gathering on Monday, July 11th from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM at Northminster Presbyterian Church, we will be experimenting with a form of print making to help us explore these ideas. Print making can be done in various ways, but the method we will use is a type of relief printing, in which material is removed gradually and carefully to produce an image. Rather than adding pen strokes or paint lines, we will instead carve out what doesn’t belong to form the art we are creating. This process of removal represents a different approach to living and creating each day as a way to embody losing, leaving, and letting go.

We will continue to offer a virtual option for our gatherings, and will start our program portion of the evening at 7:30 PM for those joining online.

For those who plan to join us virtually and wish to join in on this kind of print making, we will reimburse you for materials up to $30 per person. We have ten virtual spots available that will be eligible for reimbursement. If you’d like to get a list of materials for purchase, email us at coastlandcommons@gmail.com for more information. You are also more than welcome to attend our gathering virtually even if you would prefer to work on your own creative projects.

Meeting Info

Date and Time: July 11th, from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM IN PERSON AND ON ZOOM**

Location:

Northminster Presbyterian Church

7706 25th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117

Zoom Links

Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/768143631

Meeting ID: 768 143 631

One tap mobile:

+16699006833,,768143631# US (San Jose) +13462487799,,768143631# US (Houston)

We Had Hoped

As we emerge from these years of isolation, we have each experienced loss. For some, the loss has been like the death of a loved one. For others, the world feels foreign and hostile. For all of us, these experiences have been personal and painful. For our May creative gathering we are invited to consider our losses through a familiar story.

The story of Emmaus is commonly told in the church during the Easter season. A curious tale to tell after the resurrection, two disciples journeying away from Jerusalem express their loss with a phrase we all can relate to: “We had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel.”

We had hoped.

Kyle Turver will lead us by offering a sermon examining this story alongside some of his own experiences. You are invited to share your stories of loss, and in the end, we may find that our losses are doorways to the present moment where life is found.

We will gather on May 9th at Northminster Presbyterian Church at 7:00 PM, and will offer our Zoom option for those who prefer to join us online.

For those coming in-person, we will have charcuterie and wine at 7:00 PM. We invite those joining on Zoom to log on at 7:15 PM when we start our program portion of the evening.

Meeting Info

Date and Time: May 9th, from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM IN PERSON**

Location:

Northminster Presbyterian Church

7706 25th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117

Zoom Links

Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/768143631

Meeting ID: 768 143 631

One tap mobile:

+16699006833,,768143631# US (San Jose) +13462487799,,768143631# US (Houston)

Being “In-Person”

Virtual has been our “new normal” for two years now. We have all done our best to connect on screens, trying to use these tools to capture what we missed about being together in physical space. We were forced into it, stumbling our way through while we discerned what worked and what didn’t. We made it up as went along.

The virtual has given us a lot to discern. It smoothed the boundaries of distance and enabled people from different locations to find their way into our community space. It provided an option for those who wanted to control and mitigate their own sense of risk. It gave people a chance to re-evaluate what kinds of spaces they actually wanted to be in and what communities they were willing to commit to.

Every part of us that moved through the world had no choice but to try and answer the question: how will we “be together” without “being together?” Even as mandates lift and restrictions ease, this question remains.

To that end, we have decided that Coastland Commons will resume meeting in person for our monthly creative nights on April 11th at 7:00 PM at Northminster Presbyterian Church, with wine and some light snacks. We will also be experimenting with the best ways to provide a hybrid experience for those who are not able to join in person.

During our time together, we will reflect on these questions to engage our creative being: what does it mean to be “in-person?” What does that require of us? What does it feel like after two years of separation? How do we understand the importance of physical space in relation to the virtual? What lessons have we learned? 

We invite you to bring an object, a story, a piece of art, the written word, or any creative medium that inspires you, to tell the story of the last two years with these questions at the foreground.

Meeting Info

Date and Time: April 11th, from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM IN PERSON**

Location:

Northminster Presbyterian Church

7706 25th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117

Zoom Links

Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/768143631

Meeting ID: 768 143 631

One tap mobile:

+16699006833,,768143631# US (San Jose) +13462487799,,768143631# US (Houston)

2022 Gathering Schedule

Monday, April 11th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM IN PERSON at Northminster Presbyterian Church

Monday, May 9th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM IN PERSON at Northminster Presbyterian Church