Taylor Swift: Cape Cod, Massachusetts

November 8th - 11th, 2024

This November, we will gather at AutoCamp’s unique retreat on Cape Cod for a pilgrimage dedicated to Taylor Swift and two of her albums: folklore (2020) and evermore (2020). Led by Margaret H. Willison, participants will approach these albums as sacred texts, meditating on them through the theme of storytelling. Using Common Ground’s traditional combination of rigorous discussion, structured reflection, contemplative walks, and journaling, pilgrims will learn how to use Taylor Swift’s music to better understand their own values, goals, and histories.

Written and recorded in secret and released as surprises, folklore and evermore stand apart from the rest of Swift’s catalog: Instead of being cast as her “side” of any given tabloid feud, these albums were presented as works of imaginative fiction.  In the songs they contain, we hear from misguided teen lovers, righteous murderers, love-struck con men, zany heiresses, and a vast array of other characters– some like figures from grand fables, others heartbreakingly normal. Rather than holding listeners at a distance, Swift’s characters give her a way to explore feelings, needs, and fears that Taylor Swift, the public figure, could not directly own. Inspired by Swift’s ability to create emotional connection without sacrificing privacy, pilgrims will reflect on questions like: What does thinking of my life as a story allow me to see in a new way?Do I have stories or memories that might be easier to share through a fictional framework? And: What fables do I wish existed to guide me right now?

What’s Included:

• 3 nights in AutoCamp Cape Cod, in one of their private Airstream Suites

• All meals from when we meet on November 8th to breakfast on the 11th

• Transportation within the Cape from the afternoon of the 8th to midday on the 11th

• A one-on-one literary chaplaincy session with our trained support faculty

• Private walking tours, picnics, and lots of cozy campfire time.

• Customized journal

PRICING/LOGISTICS:

• We will be meeting in Cape Cod on November 8th.

• Each pilgrim is responsible for handling their own travel expenses and arrangements prior to the our meeting on the 8th and after we say goodbye on the 11th.

• We will be walking up to 10 miles each day, occasionally on muddy terrain. It might be mild and sunny, or wet and windy, sometimes all in the same day. We won’t rush our walks, but we expect to be tired at the end of each day.

• The total cost of the trip is $3,800.

• We are offering a payment plan for this trip (read below).

• People who have attended another Common Ground pilgrimage will receive a 5% discount on the cost of the trip.

• Once you register, spots are offered on a first come, first served basis.

• Within 48 hours of your registration, we will send you a link to complete your payment for the trip, along with a Participant Agreement for you to sign. You will then have 48 hours to fulfill payment, sign the Agreement and officially reserve your spot.

• If you cannot fulfill payment, we will offer the spot to the next registrant on the list until all the spots are full.

• At that point, we will notify any remaining registrants that they are now on our waitlist for this trip. If any spots become available, they will be the first people given an opportunity to buy it.

• If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at commonground@notsorryproductions.com.

Payment Plan

We’re thrilled to be able to offer a payment plan that breaks the cost of the pilgrimage into three parts:

Details:

$1,200 Deposit Upon Registration

May 1, 2024: $1,300 Automatic Withdrawal

August 1, 2024: $1,300 Automatic Withdrawal

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Total Cost of Pilgrimage: $3,800

If you’re interested in a payment plan, fill out our registration form here and, when asked how you wish to pay, select “Through a payment plan, making a deposit within 48 hours of submitting this registration.”

Within the time specified, the Common Ground team will email you at the address you have provided with all information needed to activate your payment plan and reserve your spot.

Note: Past pilgrims will receive 5% off the cost of the trip, even through payment plans.

More About the Trip

Speaking of how the album was written in her introduction to folklore, Swift said “In isolation my imagination has run wild …Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory.” With our choice of location and time, we are seeking to provide pilgrims with this kind of generative solitude. Visiting Cape Cod in late autumn is a special experience: by traveling outside the Cape’s damn season, you are able to serenely delight in views and landscapes normally overwhelmed by jostling crowds. It is almost as if a public fairground has become your private garden.

As with all Common Ground pilgrimages, the trip will feature daily hikes designed to immerse you in the landscape, allowing you to place yourselves in the “folklorian woods”of Swift’s imagination. Pilgrims will share communal meals of delicious food, heartfelt conversation, and campfire bonding. At the end of each day, they will retreat to one of AutoCamp’s gorgeous Airstream Suites, private trailers where they can be fully immersed in nature without sacrificing any material comfort. We want this pilgrimage to provide a moment of deep peace and reflection for those that partake, a space where they can catch their breath and center themselves before being plunged into the welter of commitments that characterize the end of the year. We are so excited to share this trip with you.

Trip Faculty

Refund Policy:

Please be sure you can attend the event before booking. If an unforeseen circumstance does occur, we will do our best to find a replacement for you. If we are able to get someone to take your place, we will refund your full payment minus a service charge (10% of the full payment). For cancellations within six weeks of the beginning of the trip, we are not able to find replacements. We strongly urge you to purchase travel insurance in the event of a personal conflict, health issue, or unexpected circumstance.