// Stories
Building Human Bridges – In Memory
I write this piece in honor of Ana Rouse-Chatman and Adan Olid, two Veterans who wrote songs with us at the November 2014 retreat in New York, and who recently passed away. Our hearts go out to their families. The songs written by Ana and Adan live on as beautiful...
Farewell to a Friend
Sometimes life makes no sense. We have learned of the passing of Adan Olid who attended our retreat in November. He had been ill last week. His family told us he died from natural causes. We are deeply saddened at the loss of such a wonderful man. We do know that he...
Participant Post – Navy Veteran
I have been affiliated with SongwritingWith:Soldiers for about 2 years now and have had the opportunity to be present both on the participant side and volunteer side. Believe it or not, both instances have provided and continue to provide a sense of healing...
Songs of Families
Imagine being a child and saying goodbye to your parent who is going off to war. Or being a parent, and saying goodbye to your family before you head off to combat…not knowing when, or if, you will make it home. When SW:S was asked to hold a retreat specifically for...
Mary Gauthier On Writing Songs with Soldiers
What would happen if you put 15 soldiers and 4 professional songwriters in a retreat center for 2 1/2 days, and asked them to write songs together, with the sole purpose of getting the veterans to open up and talk about their time in the service? So the...
Special Feature — Guest blog from Retreat Visitor, a Veteran
“That is exactly what I felt after this weekend, open, with light shining through armor. I'm hoping to see more veterans share their light; to break out of the box as one participant phrased it. The songs bring a complicated voice to the invisible soldier, allowing...
Heading Home
"Chasing meaning is better for your health than avoiding discomfort." – Kelly McGonigal “I never leave my house…” No matter how many times we hear these words from veterans arriving at our SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreats, it is always a jolt. We want to ask...
Bridging the Gap with a Song
SongwritingWith:Soldiers was deeply honored to be invited to the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s special event at the Hay Adams Hotel in Washington, DC. Not only were we able to thank our BWF friends in person for their guidance and support, we were also able to help them...
“I am changed because of this. I am a deeper person.”
These words were said to me earlier today when I asked Peter, one of our SW:S Veterans from Albany, NY, how he felt listening to the songs he had written. “I still feel more release, even now. We need more of this for veterans,” he said quietly. Peter is a Vietnam...
Something That Happened To You
So, what do you see when you look at this photo? A bunch of men eating lunch, right? Maybe co-workers at a picnic, a ball team after a game? They are US Veterans from various wars sitting around the table with professional songwriters from Austin, Nashville and LA....
"Pillar Of Peace" performed by Will Kimbrough
SongwritingWith:Soldiers
632 Fogg Street, #8
Nashville, TN 37203
Let's stay in touch!
Sign up for our newsletter.
© 2022 SongwritingWith:Soldiers, Inc,, a nonprofit, 501c (3) organization. All contributions are tax deductible. Tax ID # is 26-1626709.
SongwritingWith:Soldiers transforms lives by using collaborative songwriting to expand creativity, connections and strengths.
If you or a veteran you know is in need of other assistance beyond the programs of SW:S, please call the confidential Veteran's Crisis Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK or dial 911. If you are in need of immediate help or if this is an emergency, please go to your nearest emergency room or dial 911.
Recent Comments