Photos by Ilana Bar-Av

Fern Fest offers a week of communion for those living on the feminine spectrum

JENNY BLOCK | Contributing Writer
jennyeblock@icloud.com

I’m not sure how old I was when I started going to summer camp. But I do know that I have always loved it. The story goes that the first time I went, I called home crying — not because I wanted to come home., but because I wanted to stay longer. It’s been pretty much the same story ever since.

I love the feeling of camp. For one week or two months or whatever the time frame is, you are your own community, your own little world with your own rules and rituals and inside jokes.

It has always felt like a place of safety and belonging that I have never felt anywhere else.

The thing is, when you’re a grown-up, there can be less opportunity for that sort of experience. And then I stumbled upon Michigan Fern Fest.

My friend Connie Lane posted that she would be stage managing what looked to be a really cool new music festival — in the woods. I reached out to the founder, and, before I knew it, I was on the bill.

It was an incredible week — more than I could have ever hoped for or expected. The days began with cello sound baths and ended with performances and parties and dances and campfires and gatherings.

There was so much talent — singers and musicians and DJs and comedians.

In 2022, performers included Elvira Kurt, Crys Matthews, Saja Butler, Trinity Wilbourn, Misty Lyn, Sara Nova, Patrice Pike, Dj Aloha, The Gnomies, E Nina Jay, Laura Goldhamer, Mimi Gonzalez, Ubaka Hill Mayyadda, Dj Unecc, Kate Peterson, Kaleena Zanders and Dj All the Way Kay.

And in between, all throughout the day, were all of these workshops. Everywhere you looked, people were doing yoga, making art, laughing and talking and singing and dancing and connecting in the sun, among the ferns and amidst the woods.

I made so many connections and friends — REAL friends. The kind of friends who message you throughout the year to check on you. The kind who drive hours to see you when you happen to be in the same state. The kind who come to your home and stay the weekend and remind you what love and kindness and friendship and community really look like.

Then in 2023, things really blew up. The stage was bursting with the most incredible talent including Bitch, A Kay A, Cathy Grier, Congress of Starlings, Gabriel O’neil, Genesis Ripley, Abibi Dancers, Hearth & Hymn, Heather Mae, Hit It Honey, Meet the Bug, Mya Byrne, Nuabaa-Sorelle, Ohrystin, Sariyah Idan, Dj Sarah Akawa, and DJ Three Thirteen.

For those first two years, Michigan Fern Fest was held on the The Land, home of the legendary Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. That event is no more, but the woods are coming back to life with all kinds of events.

This year Fern Fest will be held just outside of Trufant, Mich. We’ll be camping in cars, tents and RVs, and I hear there are Air BnBs in the area in case camping isn’t your cup of tea.

(Truth be told, it’s not generally mine. But there’s something about the people and the music and the vibe that makes it worth it — chilly nights and port-a-janes and forest friends and all.)

Michigan Fern Fest is a festival for women, trans and non-binary folks and those that live on the spectrum of the feminine spirit. It’s a place of inclusion and generosity of spirit. It’s a moment in time when everything is right in the world.

It’s the kind of space that everyone deserves the opportunity to dwell and grow and thrive in.

This year’s festival is July 9-14 and will include performances by Alisabeth Von Presley, Angel Davanport, Bride, DJ all The Way Kay, Fighting Futures, Jes Kramer, Liquid Testimony, Mermaid, Natalia Zukerman, Noemi Rose, Psalm One, Sug Daniels, The Rebel Eves and Zdan.

The only real problem with Michigan Fern Fest is that it’s only five nights. When I’m there, it feels like an eternity in an instant. It feels like the rest of the world disappears, and, for those six days, the only thing that matters is this little world that founder Abra Wise and her team have created.

It’s a world that we should all strive to live in, where diversity and kindness and joy and inclusion are the guideposts. Where the Four Agreements (1. Be impeccable with your word; 2. Don’t take anything personally; 3. Don’t make assumptions; 4. Always do your best) rule the day. Where no one wishes they were anywhere else.

Where you can breathe and be without wondering what anyone else thinks.

Fern Fest is where my spirit resides. And, when it comes to that, Dorothy was right: There truly is no place like home.

For more information on and tickets to Fern Fest, visit MichiganFernFest.com.