What are people saying about Wild Goose 2016?

Ever since the closing moments of Wild Goose 2016, we’ve heard from many who had profound experiences at the festival this year. Who found community. And communion. Not to mention, really good coffee.

We wanted to share some of the blog posts and other things we’ve run across in social media about the 2016 festival, with this wider group. So you’ll find links below.

And if you’ve written something, or will be writing something soon, please send us the link so we can pass along your thoughts, too. You can share that in the comments section below.

For a great all-round summary of the festival, take a listen to Steve Ray’s podcast from the event. He interviews Science Mike and Michael Gungor and many others who were there, and asks them what the Goose is all about and why it matters.  

Laura Parrott Perry, one of the presenters at the festival, blogs about wandering into OPENINGS, the late night worship event, and finding space to lament all that’s going on in the world, and to find hope again.

Jade T. Perry, another Goose presenter, reflects on her experience, particularly as person of color, about sitting with and holding both peace and grief together there. Read her full post here.

Rev. Susan Rogers, writes about all the stories she heard at Wild Goose, and also of the shared story we created together, and leaving with the sense that we are not alone.

Author, therapist and spiritual director, Marshall Jenkins, tells about his experience of discovering sacred space in the community and communion he found by the French Broad River.

Blogger, Austen Hartke, the creator of the YouTube series “Transgender and Christian,” made a short video blog about the festival, you’ll definitely want to take look at.

Melanie Lynn Griffin, in her blog, Writing With Spirit, shares some images that stayed with her the first day or so after the festival, here.

And here’s a reflection from Drew Downs,  an episcopal priest, blogger and also a dad — who came to the Goose with his 8-year-old daughter, an experience filled with minor miracles and moments he might have missed otherwise.

Amy Rutledge Vaughan wrote the poem, “Re Entry,” about coming home after Wild Goose and wondering: “How do we make this more than simply a wonderful moment in time? How do we make this a movement?” You can read her poem on our Facebook page, here.

Gareth Higgins, who helped birth the Wild Goose Festival in 2011, was back with us this year, and shared a blessing on Sunday from the main stage that was quite powerful. You can find that blessing at this link on Gareth’s site.

And, finally, Gina Marina wrote a wonderful piece on her Facebook page, looking back at all she learned and experienced.  And how she managed not to have any “cotton candy conversations” the whole four days. Read her post in full here.

Another easy way to tell us your stories of Wild Goose this year, is to share them in this space we’ve set up specifically for gathering them. We hope you’ll do so, because telling our stories and hearing each other’s stories matters. As the author Sue Monk Kidd wrote, “Stories have to be told, or they die. And when they die, we can’t remember who we are, or why we’re here.”