Songs from the Jemez

5:15am: Morning meditation (optional)

7:00am: Breakfast

8:00am: Discussion/co-write pairing

9:00am-12:00pm: Writing

12:00pm: Lunch

12:30-1:00: Work-Meditation ‘Samu’/Chores:

1:00-2:00pm: Naps/Relaxation

2:00-3:30pm: Writing

3:30-5:00pm: Share Song ideas/Song Circle

5:00pm: Dinner

6:00pm: Evening meditation (optional)

After meditation: hot pool soak (optional: outdoors, bathing suit required) and relaxation

Meredith Wilder: Meredith has been interested in songwriting for over twenty years. From an early age, it became her guide to understanding the world around her. She wrote, recorded, and released a solo album in 2008 ("Self-titled") and fell in love with the process of collaborating with friends to fine-tune the songs she wrote on her own. Her second solo album "The Coming of the Night" was released in 2016, where she was lucky enough to sing the album from start to finish in a cathedral in Albuquerque, NM.

From 2011-2016, she wrote with the band Wildewood and recorded three albums ("While the Light Lasts," "Wildewood," and "The Other Side"). They toured throughout the US and, most notably, opened for The Handsome Family on the west coast. Meredith has written and recorded with numerous songwriters from New Mexico and Colorado, including the one and only Kristina Jacobsen, and continues to feel grateful for and inspired by the songwriters that take the time to go on retreats and share their ideas. Her music can be found on meredithwilder.bandcamp.com.

Kristina Jacobsen: Sing Me Back Home director and facilitator Dr. Kristina Jacobsen is a singer/songwriter, anthropologist, country artist and former Park Ranger who lived and worked on the Navajo Nation for twenty years. In July 2022, she completed the Camino Francés and received her “Compostela” (certification of completion) when she walked from Burgos, Spain to Santiago de Compostela, Spain (498 kilometers).

As a Fulbright Artist and Scholar, she lived in Italy for two years (Trento and the island of Sardegna). Kristina is also in training to become a Community Dharma Teacher in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Buddhism. At the University of New Mexico, she leads the Songwriting major. Kristina has toured and given research talks in the U.S., Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Cyprus, and the United Arab Emirates.

She is excited to provide a safe and creative environment for writers and musicians wanting to deepen their craft through culturally immersive experiences.

The Bodhi Manda Zen Center embodies American Rinzai Zen Buddhism through compassion and selfless service. We are a thriving and committed community of practitioners that supports our diverse sangha with inspiration, education and Zen practice. You do not need to identify as a Buddhist to attend this retreat, and all faith traditions are welcome at the Bodhi.