Press release from Southeast Wise Women:
Asheville, NC—June 1, 2018—Over a thousand women of the Southeast Wise Women Herbal Conference will gather at their new venue, Kanuga Conference and Retreat Center, on October 12-14. Founded by Corinna Wood 14 years ago with 200 women in attendance, the growing conference has met at a youth camp in Black Mountain the last nine years.
“The Wonder Woman Island of Happy Herbalists,” as conference teacher Lucretia VanDyke fondly refers to the group, will be gathering this fall on 1,400 acres of biodiverse woodlands, nestled around the tranquil 30 acre Kanuga Lake in Hendersonville, NC.
A lovely site for herbal education, the conference will span Kanuga’s main conference center campus as well as their two adjoining youth camps. “Appreciating our focus on ecological stewardship and empowerment for a diverse group of women and girls, Kanuga is eager to collaborate with our women’s herbal event,” says conference director Corinna Wood.
“For years we have been very aware of our participants’ long-standing desire for more comfortable, private, and accessible (especially for elders) housing options. We are delighted that this venue will better than ever meet the wide range of housing desires for our whole group,” Wood shares.
The conference welcomes back Rosemary Gladstar this fall, a foremother in the women’s herbal conference movement which began around the country 30 years ago and inspired the Southeast Wise Women Herbal Conference. “I am delighted to support the transition to this new venue,” shares Gladstar. Friday night’s featured session will be an evening with Gladstar, a star elder figure in the field of modern herbalism, internationally renowned for her technical knowledge and stewardship in the global herbalist community.
At the conference, participants can explore the many aspects of the Wise Woman Tradition through over 50 classes and intensives on a wide range of topics from herb walks and medicine making to many aspects women’s physical and emotional health. Dozens of leading regional herbalists and instructors will share their skills, including Sobande Greer, Ombassa Sophera, Jody Noé, Amanda David, EagleSong-Gardener, and Suki Roth.
Ubaka Hill, master drum teacher for over 30 years, will bring song, drums, percussion and melody, “as an energy source that supports body-mind wholeness, wellness and balance,” describes Hill. She and other talented performers will help to facilitate a joyful, ongoing celebration of sisterhood and community that includes music and dance.
The Southeast Wise Women Herbal Conference offers a unique opportunity to participate in a vibrant gathering of women who are dedicated to health and wholeness for their communities, the planet and themselves. As conference participant Leah Stickels from Fairview, NC suggests, “There is hope for the future when a multi-generational event can provide the joyful and intimate environment for sharing ideas, stories and passing the torch to the next generation!”
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.