We wanted to let the Story Warren community know that Inkwell: Story Warren’s Family Conference, will not take place in 2016.
We are grateful for this community and want to serve you in a variety of ways. Given the resources required to offer an exceptional Inkwell experience, we felt it prudent to take a break this year and are looking to 2017.
Inkwell 2015 has concluded.
We had a blast, though.
Why Inkwell?
Story Warren is all about an alliance. We’re on your side. Our heartbeat is serving your family as you foster holy imagination at home and in your church/community. Incarnation hints at magic. We wanted to bring the ideas and energy that make Story Warren special to a real space, to real flesh and blood.
Last year we wondered what it would be like if we asked God to give us a broadside of blessings in a one-day family conference. What if God gave us a day where our children could be inspired, mentored, and taught by some of the most amazing writers, artists, poets, and musicians on the planet?
What Happened?
A day of Kingdom Anticipation. A day of Unbottling Imagination.
And we’re praying for the same this year. This is our aim.
Your children will be…
Immersed in Incarnational Art
Connected to Winsome Mentors
Engaged in Practical Learning
Shaped through an Inspiring Experience
Children will be grouped by age. Each age group will experience four sessions geared to engage them in storytelling, poetry, music, and illustration. They’ll have fun, they will learn, and they will be inspired.
Inkwell is a perfect fit for ages 7 – 17. Younger siblings are welcome to hang out with mom and dad for no charge.
Important Things to Note
Age Groups
Attendees will be grouped as follows:
A) 7-8s
B) 9-10s
C) 11-12s
D) 13 +
*You may request for siblings to be in the same group, if that’s easier for you
The groups will rotate through the following sessions, going in-depth in each area of focus:
Storytelling
Andrew Peterson will explore storytelling from his expert vantage point as the award-winning author of The Wingfeather Saga. Winsome and wise, Andrew will share a vision and some practical tools for growing as a storyteller.
Poetry
Rebecca Reynolds will share her passion for the musical language of poetry, how accessible it can be, and how much joy there is in its appreciation and practice. Few people can match the intelligence and creative brilliance of Rebecca Reynolds. Attendees will learn and love.
Illustration
Zach Franzen is an incredible artist with the mind of an academic and the heart of a child. The cover art and illustrations for his book, The Green Ember, have been widely and wildly praised. He will encourage attendees to love drawing and to dig deeper into skills and vision for approaching art.
Songwriting
Randall Goodgame is the celebrated creator of Slugs & Bugs family music and an imaginative and hilarious songwriter. He will inspire and guide attendees in the art of song-craft, with his customary skill and warmth.
Parent Sessions
We plan to have sessions for parents that will run concurrent with the four sessions for kids. These are ideal for families with both parents attending.
Julie Silander will share about Books For Boys, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities facing our boys today and sharing a vision and an invitation to love our future men in the soul-shaping area of stories.
S. D. Smith will encourage parents to see our families not as just a distraction from creating our own art, but as our most potent art.
Helena Sorensen will share about making sense of your own story as a parent and how that impacts your approach to family, your own art, and all of life.
Ongoing Art
Illustrator Joe Sutphin will be drawing and interacting with attendees all day, answering questions and signing his books and prints. Joe is great with kids and will be an incredible resource to families seeking advice on fostering a love of art in their homes.
Session Lengths
We want the day to be enjoyable for all. Younger kids will have plenty of adult-led “wiggle time” and hands-on activities built into their sessions, while teenagers will have slightly extended, more intensive sessions. There will be four main sessions for kids, and the parent sessions will run concurrently.
Rough Schedule
8:00 Registration
8:30 Opening/Welcome
8:45 First Session
10:00 Second Session
11:15 Lunch
12:30 Third Session
1:45 Fourth Session
3:00 Closing/All Together
3:15 Hangout
Inkwell Shoppe
Meet Authors/Speakers/Signings
4:00 Event End
Inkwell Shoppe and Bookstore
We will have a wonderful bookstore featuring works from all the presenters and the staff, as well as much more. Books. Music. Art prints. Posters. T-shirts. Stickers. More. You will also have the opportunity to get your wares signed by the artists.
What’s New?
So, you came last year and you’re wondering what’s different? We’ll have a clearer schedule (not such a long lunch, etc.), no long message at the end (kids are too sleepy!), and we’ll have a year of experience under our belts that will help make the event run more smoothly from registration to the end. There will be focused sessions for parents. We also have some new ideas to help keep younger kids engaged (including slightly shorter sessions for them), and much more.
This is the basic plan. More things will be added as the day approaches.
What is the Cost?
We want to make the conference as economical as possible, so you get one discounted ticket with every full-priced ticket purchased.
First child registration is $90.
Second child registration is discounted to $65.
With a third child, the cost is back to the full $90, then back down to $65 for the fourth. (And so on.)
Parents come along for free.
Registration Notes
At least one parent (or assigned guardian) must attend with registered children and be responsible for them during the conference. This is a family conference meant to be enjoyed together! So, no drop offs. 🙂
You may purchase boxed lunches for $8 each when you register. They will be nut-free, but unfortunately we won’t be able to accommodate any other dietary issues. You may also make your own lunch arrangements (pack your own lunch or pick up something local). Our lunch break will be an hour long.
Cancellation: If you have to cancel, we’ll be sorry you can’t make it! We can offer a full refund minus a $15 cancellation fee as long as you let us know 30 days or more before the event. At least 7 days notice, we’ll refund 50%. After that, unfortunately, we will not be able to offer refunds.
Things To Do In Charlotte
If you’re coming from out of town, consider spending Friday in Charlotte, staying over, then being close by when things get started Saturday morning. There’s so much to do in Charlotte. Here are some of the options.
Discovery Place
U.S. Whitewater Center
ImaginOn
Billy Graham Library
Lazy 5 Ranch (Animal Park)
NASCAR Hall of Fame
Great Wolf Lodge
Hotel Arrangements:
Quality Suites at Carolina Place Mall – Pineville, NC
Regular rate is $99. We are getting it for $67.15 ($77.39 w/ tax and fees)
We have a block of 12 rooms on hold until June 5th. If they fill up, they’ll give us more.
“Inkwell Conference” is the “magic word” to get the rate when booking along with the event dates of June 19th and 20th.
Guests can choose to stay both nights or Friday night only and still receive the discounted rate.
Guests must book by calling 704-889-7095.
Here is the address: 9840 Pineville-Matthews Rd , Pineville, NC, US, 28134
Where
The Inkwell Conference will take place at Church At Charlotte, 2500 Carmel Rd., Charlotte, NC.
Last notes:
If you have any trouble with the registration process, contact Andrew Mackay at andrew@storywarren.com or 304.731.2247.
Spaces are limited and are first-come-first-serve. We expect tickets to go fairly quickly, so if you plan to come, don’t delay.
We hope to see you there!
These are a few photos from last year by Paul Boekell, who also created our event poster (above).
S. D. Smith
From what I can tell Inkwell only happened once in 2015, I would love to know if you ever run this conference again! 🙂
Rachael, we did hold Inkwell twice, but have lacked the manpower and other resources to do it since. I promise that if it’s possible to do again, we will make a lot of noise so you can’t miss it!