Life On A Star 1
August 16 - 23, 2026
Theme: A More Perfect Union
Join LOAS1 in 2026 for A More Perfect Union, a week of learning, reflection, and community marking the 250th anniversary of the United States and exploring the enduring promise—and unfinished work—of American democracy.
We begin with Dr. Robert Allison, PhD in History from Harvard and Professor of History at Suffolk University, one of the nation’s leading scholars of early America. Through engaging storytelling, Dr. Allison will trace the revolutionary ideals of liberty and equality and the struggles that tested the young republic from the American Revolution through the Civil War.
Later in the week, Professor Jim Ryan, former Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and President of the University of Virginia, will explore the role of education in shaping democracy—examining what schools, universities, and civic learning can teach us about forming a more just and inclusive union today.
Together, their insights invite us to reflect on our past, understand our present, and imagine a more hopeful democratic future—within the beauty and tradition of the Star Island community.
Minister of the Week
Rev. Patricia (Tricia) Hart has been an active Unitarian Universalist for more than 35 years, serving as a lay leader, congregational consultant, and—since 1997—a parish minister. She has served ten congregations, primarily in transitional ministry, across New England, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, including nine years as co-minister with her spouse, the Rev. Peter Newport.
Tricia first came to Star Island in 1995 to lead a workshop at Religious Education Week and has returned many times since, most often to that conference—now known as Lifespan Faith Development. She looks forward to getting to know the LOAS1 community.
Conference Chairs
Doug & Kelley Housman
Doug and Kelley Housman are honored to serve as Chairs of LOAS1 in 2026 and are excited to help lead a week filled with insight, engagement, and fun. They have been part of the Star Island and LOAS1 community since 2011, when they first arrived with their daughter Emma, a former Pelican, and their son Henry. Doug has spent nearly 30 years working in the software industry, while Kelley volunteers her time as Board Development Chair at their local food pantry. Doug and Kelley live in South Salem, New York.
Registrar
Please reach out to Rebecca with questions about accommodations and the registration process.
Youth Program
LOAS is alive with children’s laughter, creativity, and discovery. Children and youth are an essential part of our community. Youth groups meet each morning and afternoon to explore the island, create and perform, play and learn, and build friendships that often last a lifetime. Intergenerational activities weave children, youth, and adults together throughout the day and into the evening.
Star Island and the LOAS Conferences are committed to creating a safe community for all guests and adhere to a "Safe Community Policy.” This includes conducting background checks of all SIC staff and volunteers who work with children and implementing child-abuse prevention policies. In addition, the LOAS Policies and Procedures Against Child Abuse (PPACA) Committee ensures that policies are adhered to. For more information please visit Safe Community Policy.
Youth Staff
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Youth Coordinator
Fiona DeVito
youthcoordinator.loas1@lifeonastar.org
Fiona DeVito will be a familiar face to many of you—she has been part of the LOAS 1 community since age seven. Her experiences in the youth groups fostered a lasting love for Star Island and inspired her career in childcare and education. She began volunteering at children’s social hour in middle school and was a LOAS 1 Youth Floater for several years before becoming a Pelican. Fiona has worked in preschool and elementary school settings since 2015 and is excited to be our Youth Coordinator in 2026.
Workshops
Week-long workshops are offered each day, with three gathering in the mornings and three in the afternoons. Some workshops welcome drop-in or casual participation, while others invite a deeper, shared experience through full-week involvement.
Morning Workshops
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Morning Yoga
Chloe Kostman
Chloe will be leading a morning “all levels” yoga class. These classes will be grounding and calming, with unique and accessible flows designed to find balance and openness. Start your day with an open mind, spirit and body. The goal is to facilitate a supportive and judgment free zone that is rooted in the belief that movement and breath are healing both for the self and in community. Start your morning with some movement and breath to the sound of the seagulls and the ocean. See you on the porch :) -
Star Singers
Adam Podd
Let’s sing together — every day — for a whole week — surrounded by the singular natural beauty of Star Island!Whether this is your first time singing with others or you’ve spent years in choir rehearsals of one kind or another, you’ll find yourself right at home, making vibrant music, learning by doing, and connecting with a generous, joyful community through song.
Adam Podd is a Brooklyn-based musician and composer with more than two decades of church, choral, and collaborative music-making experience. As Music Director at First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn, he leads the choir, and plays organ and piano, creating musical experiences that blend classical, traditional, jazz, gospel, and folk influences. Adam is equally comfortable with a group of amateur volunteers, and no plan at all, as he is with seasoned professional singers, polishing a meticulous choral masterwork. -
Fast Film: Digital Short Storytelling
Hally McGeahan
Layering photography, typography, poetry, and sound to create a short film inspired by Star Island. Participants will make their own short film by layering their own still photography, their own words, their own typography, and their own sound design, all on their phones. Elements will be created in real time on-island. Prompts will be given in each session to promote skills and creativity for each layer. No experience is necessary!Filmmakers will need a smartphone and will be required to purchase and download a lightweight and inexpensive photo editing app and iMovie or Android equivalent. Phones will be employed around the island only as cameras and we will only be staring at them together in our workshop space.
Afternoon Workshops
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Book Club on Island Time
David Whitford
Join us this summer as we carry on a LOAS1 tradition that began in 2012. Each day, we will read and discuss one or two notable examples of long-form magazine journalism or short fiction—connected, however tenuously, to this year’s theme, A More Perfect Union. I will provide daily assignments chosen with the reading habits of porch-rockers and rock-sitters in mind.Together, we will consider questions of craft, execution, and meaning, always striving to connect what we read to the distinctive wisdom and lived experience each of us brings to the island. Full texts will gradually become available HERE, though I typically do not finalize the lineup until a couple of weeks before we gather. I will bring a limited number of hard copies, but participants are encouraged to print their own or download digital versions.
Looking forward, as always.
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Découpage
Bowie and Jeff Barnett-Zunino, Jeila Gueramian
Join us for a fun and relaxing series of art workshops where you’ll learn the art of Découpage— a technique for decorating surfaces like glass, wood, and more. In this class, we will be making découpage under glass, using historical imagery from Star Island, our own personal archives, and more.We will visit Vaughn Cottage Museum and Library, do independent research, and scan images from historical Marine and Botanical textbooks. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own archives either as scans or as original images that we will scan on the island and print on découpage paper.
Guided by Wassaic Project Founders, Bowie and Jeff Barnett-Zunino, and artist, Jeila Gueramian, you’ll design, and create stunning works of art under a glass plate that at the end of the week you will be able to bring home to hang on your wall, use as a functional object, or give as a gift.
This is a perfect opportunity to get creative, meet new people, and enjoy a supportive and creative environment while making beautiful art!
Registration is required and there is a $30 material fee per person.
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Workshop 3
Ken Keech
Starbursts & Other Activities
In addition to week-long workshops, LOAS offers a variety of other activities. Starbursts are 45-minute, one-time afternoon mini-workshops—perfect for learning a new skill, trying something different, and enjoying a bit of spontaneous fun alongside the day’s other offerings.