The 2023 BK Authors Retreat, held September 28-October 1 at Pendle Hill, “a Quaker center welcoming all for Spirit-led learning, retreat, and community” near Philadelphia, was an enriching and renewing experience. I’ve attended and participated in a number of BK retreats, going back to 2009, when Berrett-Koehler published my first book, Living in More Than One World: How Peter Drucker’s Wisdom Can Inspire and Transform Your Life.
The retreat is not produced by the company itself, but by the organization BK Authors, described on its website as “a 501 c3 non-profit community of authors published by Berrett Koehler. Our mission is to help authors get their message out to the world, connect with each other to revitalize our spirits, collaborate on mutual passions, and to provide a supporting community to aid in creating a world that works for all.”
I’ve written about the retreats often, most recently in 2018, my previous in-person retreat, also held at Pendle Hill. I later participated in BK’s virtual retreat, in 2020. While I enjoyed and found considerable value in meeting online that year, my return in-person, after missing the two previous years, reminded me of the value of a face-to-face retreat, even while the pandemic is still fresh in our minds.
While some of the informational sessions (as opposed to group experiential activities and breakout topics) ran concurrently and we could choose which one to attend, some were for the entire group, including:
- How AI is Going to Shape Our Future, by Tony Saldanha
- The State of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, by Steve Piersanti (Berrett-Koehler founder)
- The Fight for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, by Celeste Warren
- It’s Time for Us to Co-Evolve with Technology, by Pat McLagan
- Change Your Life by Changing the Way You Think About Questions, by Marilee Adams
- Becoming a Catalyst for Organizational Change, by Tom Devane
I was given the opportunity to facilitate one of the small group breakout topic sessions on Saturday morning, “How to Craft ACT III of My Life,” in the cozy Brinton House Sitting Room. I built the discussion around the following four questions, which I hope you will find to be valuable for your own life reflections:
- When we consider the potential meanings and implications of Act III, is it possible we are undergoing ‘terminology fatigue’ about creative/positive/productive aging/longevity? For instance, we’ve encountered Modern elders, second acters, life reimagined, un-retirement (as well as retirement), halftime, refiring, transitions, passages, midlife, and others. Do you find some of this terminology unhelpful, confusing, or contradictory?
- How much has personal/professional reinvention played into crafting different acts of your life? And related to that, do you find that your views on this and related terms has changed in different decades of your life?
- Is there a dichotomy or tension between how you craft a new act in life, and your work in this area, whether it is writing, consulting, organizational leadership, or a mixture of this activities?
- In terms of continuous awareness of these topics, what books/articles/podcasts/videos, etc., have you found helpful and useful (your own and/or others)?
I had to miss some of the concurrent presentations/discussions that ordinarily I would have liked to have attended. Besides the activities open to all, and the one I facilitated, I attended/participated in:
Friday September 29:
- Group Relaxation Sound Bath (soundscape), by Carol Metzker
- The Challenge of Helping People Wake Up to Their Own Power and Responsibility, by Pat McLagan
- Can We Cool the Planet? Challenges and Emerging Technologies, by Gerald Harris
Saturday September 30:
- Group Walk/nature walk on Pendle Hill grounds, by Steve Piersanti
- How Happy Are You?, by Alphonsus Obayuwana
- “Open discussion” on intergenerational relationships, by John Kador
I also liked that time was mostly regimented, but with loose periods, so that not everything felt scripted. Breakfast was held from 7:30-8:30; lunch from 12:00-1:00; and dinner from 6:00-7:00. Most of the sessions lasted from 45-60 minutes; and the fun, night time activities (icebreaking networking on Thursday, Talent Show on Friday, game night on Saturday), ran for 90 minutes each.
The schedule allowed for ample “Unstructured Time,” from 4:00-6:00 each day. The latter provided opportunities for things I had enjoyed at the 2018 retreat, such as walking the grounds on my own and visiting the Pendle Hill Library.
Unlike the annual BK book marketing workshop (which is still being held online), the retreat is only open to authors published by Berrett-Koehler. BK author Rob Jolles encouraged me to participate in the Friday night talent show, in which he was the super-high-energy emcee. I had not entered BK talent shows before in person; only online in 2020. I decided to draw on my experience from that year, when my contribution was the somewhat tongue-in-cheek entry Was This Poem Written by Artificial Intelligence?
I’ll write soon, in a separate blog post, about how I approached this year’s poem, “Beyond AI: Three Curated Existential Fragments,” but the real value was in Rob’s challenging me the day before to liven up my presentation, make it more dynamic and special, and to make sure it lasted at or under six minutes. I took on a somewhat different persona during my slot, not only reading the poem, but giving a bit of flair that I might not have otherwise.
As I’ve written previously, a major benefit of retreats is reconnecting with old friends, and making new ones. This was especially important during the communal meals, which were simple and delicious. And I had forgotten about a particular aspect of the meals from my previous time at Pendle Hill. In 2018 I wrote that “… before meals were served, the chef called us all together at the front of the dining room and described what would be served, followed by a moment of silence. I found these to be subtle, meaningful moments in the day.”
Who knows what further travel and in-person meeting restrictions might be down the road? Take advantage now to look into the possibility of a retreat that matches your personal and professional interests, and meets your values.