An afternoon with Carrie Newcomer
The Beautiful Not Yet: Sustainable Hope
Time: Saturday, March 14, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 4:30PM
Location: The Chapel of St. Anne (18-20 Claremont Ave, Arlington Heights, MA 02476)
Join Bethany House of Prayer for a workshop with singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer. The first section of the workshop is filled with thoughtful exploration, reflective writing and conversation on The Beautiful Not Yet: Sustainable Hope.
In the second half of the workshop, Carrie helps the group to integrate and embody what was discussed and experienced in the first half of the retreat by creating a song together. This second half is a bit faster paced, meaningful but fun as we create language and music.
At the end of the mini retreat the group has a song that they can sing together as a community. It is designed to be a whole mind/body/spirit experience.
About Carrie Newcomer
Carrie Newcomer is an international touring and recording artist, poet, activist, and retreat facilitator. She has won an Emmy and is a songwriter on Nickel Creek’s Grammy Award winning This Side album.
Press includes the following quotes: “a prairie mystic” by the Boston Globe, “with a voice as rich as Godiva Chocolate” by The Austin Statesman, and “she asks all the right questions” by Rolling Stone. Bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver wrote, "She is more than a singer-songwriter. She’s a poet, storyteller, snake-charmer, good neighbor, friend, and lover, minister of the wide-eyed gospel of hope and grace."
Carrie has 20 nationally released albums, including A Great Wild Mercy and The Beautiful Not Yet, and three books of poetry and essays, including Until Now: New Poems. Carrie was a cultural ambassador to India, performing for Indian audiences and collaborating on her interfaith hunger relief album Everything is Everywhere with Indian Classical sarod master Amjad Ali Khan.
She has also worked in Africa and the Middle East supporting health and hunger initiatives and non-violent conflict resolution. Carrie facilitates retreats on songwriting, spirituality, personal growth, hope, and resiliency.
She co-hosts The Growing Edge Podcast with beloved author Parker J. Palmer. With prominent appearances on Krista Tippett’s On Being and PBS Religion & Ethics, Carrie has gained national recognition as a voice for the arts, authentic living, and progressive spirituality. Spirituality & Health Magazine named her “One of the 20 spiritual leaders for the next 20 years.”
She currently authors one of Substack’s top five music offerings, A Gathering of Spirits. Carrie lives in the wooded hills of South-Central Indiana with her husband and two shaggy rescue dogs.
Visit https://www.carrienewcomer.com/ for to learn more.
Our friend and neighbor, The First Church in Belmont, Unitarian Universalist, will be hosting a concert with Carrie Newcomer on Friday, March 13, 2026.