Coming Soon: Melody and Muse Songwriting Retreat

Melody and Muse A 3-Day Songwriting Workshop in the Ozarks

Follow your inner muse to the wooded hills of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, for an intimate songwriting retreat at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow. Led by acclaimed singer-songwriters Melissa Carper and Bonnie Montgomery, this workshop is designed to help you find, hone, and elevate your creative voice.

The Experience

Throughout the weekend, Melissa and Bonnie will share the secrets behind their own songwriting processes. Through open, conversational sessions, you’ll explore:

• Melody & Phrasing: Discover how to marry rhythm and tune.
• Form & Structure: Learn the architecture that transforms poetry into song.
• Creative Voice: Find and sharpen your unique lyrical perspective.

Whether you are writing your very first song or looking to deepen a lifelong creative practice, Melody and Muse offers the dedicated space, expert guidance, and serene inspiration you need to grow.

Event Details

• Dates: October 15–18, 2026
• Location: The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow | Eureka Springs, AR
• Tuition: $400 + tax per person (Note: Lodging is not included)
• Capacity: Strictly limited to 22 participants to ensure personalized attention

How to Register

Tickets will be sold securely online right here through our website.

🗓️ Mark Your Calendar: Registration opens Wednesday, July 15th at 5PM. A direct ticket link will go live on this page the moment sales open.

Because space is strictly limited to just 22 songwriters, we highly recommend booking as soon as registration opens!

About Your Hosts

This workshop marks a truly unique, first-ever opportunity: the first-ever in-person songwriting workshop co-hosted by Melissa Carper and Bonnie Montgomery. Because this is an intimate, small-group experience capped at just 22 participants, you will have unprecedented, direct access to these acclaimed artists in a close-knit, collaborative setting.

Melissa Carper

Celebrated for her deeply observational lyrics and a voice that curls like a croon from an old gramophone, Melissa Carper plays old-school country music that resonates across time and place. Her sound weaves together old-time, bluegrass, western swing, jazz, and blues—the very threads that built American country music. Veteran Nashville musician Chris Scruggs perfectly summed up her timeless, genre-spanning artistry when he nicknamed her “HillBillie Holiday.”

Bonnie Montgomery

Raised in White County, Arkansas, Bonnie Montgomery is a fearless creative nomad whose work ranges from polished parlor songs to barn-burning country anthems. With a poet’s phrasing and a soprano’s crystalline timbre, her repertoire moves freely between high romantic ballads, fiery anthems of dissent, and cinematic, spaghetti-western vignettes. Her work has been praised by Paste and The New Yorker, and she has received multiple Arkansas Country Music Awards, including 2020 Entertainer of the Year.

About The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH)

Located in the wooded hills of historic Eureka Springs, Arkansas, The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow has provided a peaceful, dedicated sanctuary for the creative spirit for over 25 years.

As a respected fixture in the regional and national literary arts nonprofit landscape, WCDH has had the privilege of nurturing more than 1,400 writers, composers, and artists from all over the world. Our mission is to provide a supportive, distraction-free environment for creators of all genres and at every level of experience. Whether you are just beginning your creative journey or are deep into a lifelong practice, WCDH offers the ideal space for your unique voice to flourish.