There is a cry that belongs to no language —
a voice that rises from the bones,
the sound of grief, of longing, of love too great to be contained.

Across time and cultures, lament has been our way of carrying sorrow, of calling to those who have gone, and of giving voice to what the heart cannot hold in silence.

Lament — the ritualized vocal expression of grief — appears in some form in nearly every traditional culture in the world. For centuries, it has been a sacred act: a way to shape grief, speak what words cannot, and connect the living to the dead. Yet in contemporary times, the practice of gathering together and giving voice to our deepest feelings is all but lost.

This three-day workshop explores lamentation as both an ancient tradition and a powerful contemporary personal practice. We will enter the art of crying through the voice — from whisper to wail, from the trembling breath of song to a full-bodied holy scream.

Through listening to traditional laments from around the world, exploring the techniques of cries and screams, and guided improvisation, we will open the voice to hold sorrow, longing, love, and memory.

Together, we will create and share our own ritual laments — offerings to our loved ones, our ancestors, or to the earth itself.

We will bear witness to one another in a space of trust, closing with a ceremony of shared voices.