Engage Your Community

Sense of Place Concerts, Keynotes, Workshops, and Walks

Experiences rooted in story and grounded in place.

Every community holds a deeper story—
of time, memory, place, culture, and connection.

Erica’s programs invite people into that story, creating shared experiences that help people reconnect with who they are, where they are, and each other.

Through song, story, reflection, and guided exploration, participants encounter their own stories of place, with opportunities to exchange reflections with others.

For more than two decades, Erica has partnered with national parks, land trusts, museums, libraries, and community organizations to create place-centered programs that foster connection and stewardship.

For mission-based organizations, these sense of place events bring your purpose to life—making your mission felt, not just understood.

Looking for a meaningful way to engage your community?

Let’s start the conversation →

A winding paved path through a forest with autumn-colored leaves on the trees and on the ground.

“Particularly well suited for land trusts and other conservation organizations, as her art is intimately tied to the landscape and the sense of identity people derive from their surroundings.”
— Leigh Youngblood, Executive Director,Mount Grace Land Trust, MA

Mission aligned and customized

These programs are designed for organizations working to strengthen connection, stewardship, belonging, and well-being.

Whether your work focuses on heritage, interpretation, conservation, education, youth leadership, or community well-being, sense of place experiences support:

  • Place-based storytelling and cultural preservation

  • Community-driven stewardship and engagement

  • Intergenerational programs that foster belonging

  • Youth leadership grounded in identity and place

A woman standing at the front of a room giving a presentation to a seated audience in a conference room. The room has beige walls, a carpeted floor, and a window with blinds.

Ways to Engage Your Community

Sense of Place Concerts

Shared gatherings of song, story, and conversation that help people feel more connected to one another and to the places they share.

Writing and Story Workshops

Guided, reflective workshops where participants uncover personal stories of place, building creativity, insight, and connection across diverse backgrounds.

Sense of Place Walks & Saunters

Reflective walks that blend local stories, sensory awareness, and conversation—helping people notice what is often overlooked and enriching their connections with familiar landscapes.

Keynotes and Conversations

Dynamic presentations that inspire reflection, shared meaning, and renewed connection to place—ideal for conferences, celebrations, and community gatherings.

Youth Leadership

Sense of place programs that help youth build confidence, identity, and a sense of belonging through personal and shared experiences of story and place.

Rooted Leadership

Training for interpreters, educators, managers, and staff to feel grounded in story, meaning, and place—strengthening their capacity for the work they do.

Formats and Pricing

These programs are tailored to each organization’s vision for their event.

Pricing reflects the level of preparation, customization, and scope.
Rates range from $500 for a short local event to $6,500 for a multi-day residency or national conference-style event. Travel is additional.

A woman playing guitar and singing on an outdoor stage with trees in the background, at an event called bioblitz.
An elderly woman sitting on a wooden bench outdoors, holding an open notebook and pen, smiling. She has gray hair, wearing a beige jacket and khaki pants. Behind her, there is a grassy field, trees, and a red barn with a gray roof.
A group of eight women walking outdoors on a sidewalk next to a house, dressed casually with some wearing jackets and carrying backpacks or water bottles.
A woman standing in front of a large crowd inside a wooden barn, speaking or presenting. The barn is decorated with string lights and bunting, with large windows letting in natural light and a painting of a lighthouse on an easel to the side.


“We invited Erica out for a week to help celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Big Sur Land Trust with a variety of events. Her positive impact reverberated throughout our community and continues to this day. Erica’s ability to connect people and place beautifully aligned with our mission to strengthen communities and inspire stewardship.”
— Bill Leahy, Executive Director, Big Sur Land Trust, CA

Coastal cliffs with green vegetation, rocky shoreline, and blue ocean under a partly cloudy sky.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Erica has partnered with mission-based organizations nationwide, supporting initiatives ranging from National Endowment for the Arts–funded community events to National Park Service engagement programs.

Her work has included concerts, writing workshops, youth leadership programs, educator trainings, and community celebrations—each designed to help people rediscover their connection to place and to one another.

Selected partnerships include:

National Endowment for the Arts – Community workshops, concerts, NEA Big Read programs

Smithsonian Affiliate Programs – Customized sense of place keynotes and writing workshops

National Park Service sites – Public programs, celebrations, and community engagement

National and regional land trusts – Trust for Public Land, Big Sur Land Trust, Land Trust Alliance

Youth programs – Wyoming Youth Congress on Children and Nature, New Bedford Youth Leadership Academy, The Trustees

Educator Trainings - Approaching Walden, Promise of Place, Environmental Educator Conference

Let’s Collaborate

Whether you’re ready to book a program or just beginning to imagine what this could look like for your community, the next step is a conversation.

Ready to schedule an event?

Let’s talk dates and details →

Still shaping the vision?

Let’s talk about what’s possible →

A group of people outdoors reading papers or guidebooks in a grassy area on a sunny day.