About the Glen Workshop
Each day at the Glen follows a similar format: classes in the morning and a variety of optional faculty lectures, readings, interviews, concerts, field trips, open mics, and worship services incorporating the arts in the afternoons and evenings. After morning classes, Wednesday is wide open to rest, create, and explore. A detailed schedule will be available this spring. A basic outline of our week is available here.
Craft classes are hands-on, craft-based classes in which artists working at all levels can enhance their skills. Seminars are immersive, discussion-based classes that offer both artists and patrons opportunities for critical engagement with art, mystery, and faith. Take a class if you mostly want to make art at the Glen. Take a seminar if you mostly want to think about art at the Glen.
The Glen Workshop is an experiment in creativity and community. It only lasts a week, but for many it’s also a source of friendships that continue for years. The Glen means a lot to people who feel split between two worlds—an art or literary world that seems baffled by, indifferent to, or suspicious of their interest in God, and a church world that feels similarly about their identity as artists. If your life feels that way, the Glen is where you might find your people. If you’re lucky enough not to feel this divide at home, well, savor it—and bring your friends along! Read How to Glen to learn more about our community, values, the vulnerability we seek to honor, and our expectations for one another during our time together.
At the Glen Workshop we espouse a vision of art that emphasizes discipline, excellence, and high standards, but we also want developing artists to receive the positive reinforcement they need to continue to grow in their craft. The Glen staff and faculty understand that you make yourself vulnerable when you participate in a class, and we want the environment to be one of safety, understanding, and respect.
Our faculty have been chosen not only because of their excellence as writers or artists, but also because they are sensitive and effective teachers. They work extremely hard to maintain a positive atmosphere in the classroom and they strive to give everyone—whatever their level of achievement may be—the kind of feedback they need.
Open mics are opportunities to share your work, and they’re a highlight of the Glen. We usually host multiple open mic opportunities throughout the week, and all are welcome to attend. If you’d like to perform or present your work (all genres welcome!), you can sign up for a five-minute slot on a first-come, first-served basis at the Information Desk.
NOTE: If we have more demand than capacity and you sign up for multiple open mic nights, you may be asked to give up a spot so that we can provide as many people as possible an opportunity to share their work.
ALSO: Glen staff are unable to format slideshows. Visual artists are responsible to format their own presentations.
The Glen is framed by Image’s commitment to incarnational humanism, rooted in the Christian tradition. But that compels us to welcome fellow travelers and seekers who might not share our convictions. We offer opportunities for daily worship that are optional. These opportunities for prayer and contemplation tend to reflect our Christian heritage, but we try to be mindful of ways that all of us—Jews, Christians, Muslims, and those of other faith and even no faith—could be joined together by prayer. Sometimes it’s messy, or puzzling, or confusing, but we think it’s good practice for encountering mystery.
Yes. Read Care & Keeping: A Guide to Image Groups to learn more about our community, values, the vulnerability we seek to honor, and our expectations for one another during our time together.
Travel & Transportation
The Glen is being held on the campus of Seattle Pacific University, 3307 3rd Ave West, Seattle, WA 98119.
For those who need to fly, SPU’s campus is just a 30-minute drive from Sea-Tac International Airport. And for those driving, convenient on-campus parking will be available for free.
There are a number of ground transportation providers operating from Sea-Tac International Airport, including options for public transit, rideshare, and taxis.
Yes! Convenient, free, on-campus parking will be available in the commuter parking lots and on the street. Parking is conveniently located near residence halls and Glen programming.
Glen participants are responsible for their travel to and during the Glen. The vast majority of events will take place on the campus of SPU and will not require a vehicle. Many participants will fly into the area and take an airport shuttle to and from campus without need for a car. However, please bear in mind it’s likely some optional afternoon and evening events will take place off campus and require carpooling, cabs, and/or nominal additional fees for group transportation. For those who choose to drive to the Glen, free on-campus parking will be available.
Getting Ready
Dress is casual at the Glen. Be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes, and pack a rain jacket in the event of a summer storm. And here are a few other items you may want with you:
- an alarm clock
- headphones
- a water bottle
- a coffee thermos
- your favorite linens, towels, and/or mattress pad (see the Lodging FAQ for more info about on-campus accommodations)
- hangers
- shower shoes or flip-flops
- bathrobe
- a yoga mat
Your teacher will provide details via email about how and when to submit your work when the time comes.
A campus map is available here.
Accessibility
Absolutely. Contact us and we’ll sort it out.
Short answer: We sure hope so. Longer answer: Hospitality is central to the mission of the Glen and it’s a pleasure and honor to create space that is accessible to people with a wide variety of experiences of embodiment. If you have any concerns about the Glen being accessible to you, please contact us ASAP so we can discuss the details and make arrangements for you to be here with us.
Most likely! Visit the SPU dining website for daily menus, and to learn more about how they accommodate food allergies and sensitivities. The staff is well versed in accommodating typical food allergies and offers gluten-free options. If you have a concern about food allergies or have more stringent dietary needs, please write the Glen team directly at glenworkshop@imagejournal.org. We’ll work with the SPU team to confirm they can accommodate you. In rare cases, attendees might need to provide their own meals.
The answer is: somewhat. SPU is a modern campus with attention to certain areas of accessibility. However, the campus is based on hills which make wheelchair access particularly challenging. If you are hoping to attend and use a wheelchair, please contact us and we will review our accessibility options and the challenges you might face during the Glen.
Once we have confirmed our residence halls and meeting spaces for this summer, we will draft on their work to create Glen-specific accessibility maps and resources. We will make those available as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns that you would like us to keep in mind during this phase of the work, please contact us at glenworkshop@imagejournal.org
Registration
Yes. When you register you’ll be given two options:
- Pay in full.
- Pay in five monthly installments, starting with 20 percent down at registration. You’ll be billed for the balance in four monthly installments concluding no later than one month before the Glen begins. If you register within five months of the Glen, your monthly payment percentage amount will be increased accordingly so as to complete your payment plan prior to the start of the week.
Yes, you may modify your registration and add the optional housing or meal plan if you wish. Housing is subject to availability though, so we cannot guarantee there will be space. All housing and meal plan additions should be requested by June 30.
Note: because guaranteed minimums must be given to the university before June 30, while we can add new attendees, we are unable to offer refunds except as outlined in our refund policy.
We endeavor to be as flexible as possible, but the following policy is necessary to ensure we can meet our compensation commitments to our teaching faculty and featured guests as well as our contract with our host site.
Before May 1:
Attendees who choose to cancel their registration to the 2025 Glen can choose either a 50% refund of total registration fees or rollover all fees paid to their registration for the 2026 Glen Workshop or other Image programming in 2025 or 2026.
Between May 1 and June 15:
Attendees who choose to cancel their registration to the 2025 Glen can rollover all fees paid to their registration for the 2025 Glen Workshop. These rollover funds expire at the end of 2026. Between May 1 and June, no refunds are available.
Between June 16-July 5:
Registrants can transfer their spot in any class to another person until July 5. The sooner any such changes can be made, the better as late additions are likely to miss some pre-class communication. After June 16, no refunds or rollovers are available.
After July 5:
After July 5, no refunds, rollovers, or transferred registration are allowed.
All Glen cancellations—including concerns over Covid or a positive test—are subject to the above refund policy. In case you must change your plans at the last minute, external travel insurance is encouraged. There are many travel insurance providers available who offer "cancel for any reason" or "interruption for any reason" coverage.
If you contract Covid during the Glen, Image cannot offer refunds or rollover funds if you must depart early. Any expenses for alternate food or lodging are the responsibility of the attendee. Image cannot be held responsible for alternate lodging or meals required, nor for transportation off campus or other travel modifications.
To initiate a refund, rollover, or class change, please send an email to image@imagejournal.org.
Yes. We open up scholarship applications in the spring. Most scholarships require a modest amount of volunteer work during the Glen, but there are a variety of different service options available.
Yes! You can give the Glen via this link and we’ll create a custom e-card you can send to your lucky friend.
Covid-19 Contingencies
Refund policy:
We endeavor to be as flexible as possible, but the following policy is necessary to ensure we can meet our compensation commitments to our teaching faculty and featured guests as well as our contract with our host site.
Before May 1:
Attendees who choose to cancel their registration to the 2025 Glen can choose either a 50% refund of total registration fees or rollover all fees paid to their registration for the 2026 Glen Workshop or other Image programming in 2025 or 2026.
Between May 1 and June 15:
Attendees who choose to cancel their registration to the 2025 Glen can rollover all fees paid to their registration for the 2025 Glen Workshop. These rollover funds expire at the end of 2026. Between May 1 and June, no refunds are available.
Between June 16-July 5:
Registrants can transfer their spot in any class to another person until July 5. The sooner any such changes can be made, the better as late additions are likely to miss some pre-class communication. After June 16, no refunds or rollovers are available.
After July 5:
After July 5, no refunds, rollovers, or transferred registration are allowed.
All Glen cancellations—including concerns over Covid or a positive test—are subject to the above refund policy. In case you must change your plans at the last minute, external travel insurance is encouraged. There are many travel insurance providers available who offer "cancel for any reason" or "interruption for any reason" coverage.
If you contract Covid during the Glen, Image cannot offer refunds or rollover funds if you must depart early. Any expenses for alternate food or lodging are the responsibility of the attendee. Image cannot be held responsible for alternate lodging or meals required, nor for transportation off campus or other travel modifications.
To initiate a refund, rollover, or class change, please send an email to image@imagejournal.org.
Our 2025 Covid precautions and requirements will be influenced by Covid data, local and federal mandates, and SPU policy. Because of the rapidly changing nature of information and policy, we are not yet announcing these requirements, but we anticipate being able to do so in spring. We are encouraged that our host institution, Seattle Pacific University, has held events and classes for the last year with very little spread of Covid-19. We will have their expert guidance along with that of health officials.
You can visit SPU’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Expectations website for the most up-to-date information about expectations that apply on SPU’s campus for all students, employees, contractors, visitors, and volunteers.
If you have any particular concerns about health and safety during your time at the Glen, please contact our team directly at glenworkshop@imagejournal.org to discuss.
While attending a large-scale event and staying in communal housing always brings some risk, this year at our host campus we are offering only single suite on-campus accommodations. While there is a shared bathroom between two rooms, we are seeking to mitigate the risks of sleeping and close interactions in a shared space. Exceptions to the single rooms may be requested by partnered couples who wish to sleep in the same space, though there is no adjustment in pricing in these cases.
We realize that people may test positive for Covid-19 during the Glen week.
For commuting students, unfortunately we must ask you to abstain from all Glen activities if you test positive during the week. We also ask you to refrain from participating in activities off-campus with Glen attendees if you're positive for Covid-19, so that we do not risk unnecessary exposure for other attendees.
If you are staying on campus, our host institution requires that you isolate in your campus room immediately upon your positive test, and arrange to leave campus within a "reasonable time" (within 48 hours). Please alert Image staff if you test positive and are on campus. We will attempt to faciliate food delivery and help as we can.
Any expenses for alternate food or lodging are the responsibility of the attendee. Image cannot be held responsible for alternate lodging or meals required, nor for transportation off campus or other travel modifications.
Image cannot offer refunds or rollover funds if you test positive after the start of the Glen.
Dining
This year, we’ve decided to offer Glen attendees the option to decide whether or not they purchase a meal plan. If you opt for a meal plan, all meals from Sunday night through Saturday morning will be included in the meal plan (except Wednesday night's dinner, our free night). This meal plan is available to attendees staying on or off campus.
However, if you choose to skip the meal plan, you can opt to pay for meals on an à la carte basis and still join your new friends in the dining hall as you desire. Seattle Pacific University also offers a variety of other on-campus dining options, including coffee stands, a bagel bar and small grocery store, and a quick food service center in the student building. Campus hours and availability vary.
We will take our meals in Gwinn Commons, a buffet-style dining hall, that serves a wide array of food service options. Visit their dining website for daily menus, and to learn more about how they accommodate food allergies and sensitivities. The staff is well versed in accommodating typical food allergies and offers gluten-free options. If you have a concern about food allergies or have more stringent dietary needs, please write the Glen team directly at glenworkshop@imagejournal.org. We’ll work with the SPU team to confirm they can accommodate you.
Most likely! Visit the SPU dining website for daily menus, and to learn more about how they accommodate food allergies and sensitivities. The staff is well versed in accommodating typical food allergies and offers gluten-free options. If you have a concern about food allergies or have more stringent dietary needs, please write the Glen team directly at glenworkshop@imagejournal.org. We’ll work with the SPU team to confirm they can accommodate you. In rare cases, attendees might need to provide their own meals.
Lodging
Residence halls feature suite-style rooms, a comfortable main lounge, community kitchens, sweeping views, and in some buildings, rooftop access. And their central location provides easy access to most campus buildings where classes and seminars will be held, as well as convenient dining hall access. Attendees will be able to enjoy single-room, suite-style accommodations with one bathroom per two rooms. Each building also has laundry facilities and free parking in the university's commuter parking lots or on the street.
Basic linens, a pillow, and a towel are provided, but you’re also welcome to bring your own towels, linens, pillow, and/or mattress pad to make your stay in the dorms more comfortable. Bars of soap will be available for those who desire them, but you should bring any other desired toiletries.
Not at all! If residence hall life isn't your cup of tea, you can skip the optional housing and handle your own accommodations. If you wish to eat on-campus you can select to include a meal plan even as a commuter, or if you prefer to pay for your meals as you go, you can also pay with a card in person during the week. (Image does not handle billing for meals to your account.)
Whether you live local or you prefer more tailored accommodations, you’re welcome to stay off campus while attending the Glen. There’s an extraordinary array of housing options to choose from in Seattle, from modest AirBnB rentals to plush hotels. The Courtyard on Westlake is one of the closest options to campus.
Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate either early arrivals or late departures from campus due to our contract with the university. This policy is strictly enforced.
We can make arrangements for early checkout, but we are unable to adjust the housing surcharge if you decide to leave early.
Still have questions? Contact us! We would love to help!
