Looking for America

A 20th Century Hero’s Journey

Storytelling Concert with Doug Elliott

Saturday, September 6, 2025

Earthaven Ecovillage
Near Asheville, NC

School of Integrated Living presents Doug Elliott, well-known storyteller, humorist, and naturalist!

We are all heroes and we are all on a mythic journey. Come on. Let’s go! The open road is calling! Grab your pack. Stick out your thumb. Climb aboard and join in on this modern mythic adventure.

Travel with master storyteller, Doug Elliott, on a journey of discovery. These true cross-country hitchhiking and freight hopping tales, delivered in his own outrageous storytelling style, explore not only this amazing nation, culture and era we are a part of, but also the universal Hero’s Journey we all embarked upon at birth.

You’ll be transported from congested northern freeways to sunny southern swamps and from the bowels of throbbing factories and big-city railroad yards to vast deserts and the high Rocky Mountains. You’ll meet astounding characters and hear rousing narratives and music ranging from gospel to 60’s rock, country and contemporary songs, including tunes by Leon Russell, Hank Snow, Jimmy Rogers and Country Joe and the Fish. It’s all textured with regional dialects, lively harmonica riffs, guitar, fiddle and soulful yodels. You’ll return from this rollicking journey of discovery with new insights, unusual perspectives and more than a few belly laughs.

We offer a special one-night camping option for Saturday evening after the concert. To round out your stay, register for the Saturday morning Earthaven tour.

Doug Elliott and Michael Ismario performing at Earthaven Ecovillage

Program

Fun for the whole family!

Saturday, September 6
6:00 pm (Optional) Dinner
7:30 pm Stories and Songs at Earthaven Ecovillage

Reservations and Cost

Show and dinner: Sliding scale $30 – $50

Show only: by donation

Saturday night camping: $40

Logistics

Food

Delicious, omnivorous meals are prepared by talented culinary artists from the Earthaven community. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options available. Snacks and beverages (tea, coffee) are provided.

As much food as possible is sourced from Earthaven and its surrounding farms and gardens, with some ingredients sourced from grocery stores. Our meals are created with seasonal, local, fresh, wildcrafted, humanely-raised, and organic ingredients.

***If you have dietary needs beyond the ones listed here, please be prepared to bring supplemental food to support your nourishment and well-being. Our kitchen cannot accommodate all diets.

Program Specific Info

Dinner is included in the ticket price and must be pre-ordered. Reservations, which include the storytelling concert, are sliding scale $25-$45 per person.

Cancellation & Refunds

If you cancel your registration, you may:

Donate your tuition to support our continued work
Request a refund per our policy:
- 90% refund for cancellations prior to 30 days before the start of the program
- 50% refund for cancellations prior to 10 days before the start of the program
All refund requests received within one week of the start of the program will be considered within two weeks of the end of the program.

If SOIL cancels this program for any reason whatsoever, you would receive a 100% refund.

Lodging

Camping Saturday night after the concert is available at an additional cost of $40 per adult. A bed in the Campground Cabin is $50 (all ages). If you want to camp additional nights, register for camping on the camping page instead of here.

Location

This program takes place at Earthaven Ecovillage. This permaculture-based community offers a unique living classroom where participants will engage with the natural world, eco-infrastructure, and the intimate experience of rural community living.

What to Expect at Earthaven

Storyteller

Doug Elliott

Storyteller, Faculty

Doug Elliott is a naturalist, herbalist, storyteller, basket maker, back-country guide, philosopher, and harmonica wizard. He has spent a great deal of time with traditional country folk and indigenous people, learning their stories, folklore and traditional ways of relating to the natural world. In recent years, he has performed and presented programs at festivals, museums, botanical gardens, nature centers and schools from Canada to the Caribbean.

Full Profile Page