Help me tell Avery’s story!

My name is Ryan, and this year I'm putting more emphasis on working towards the parts of me I've put aside in previous years. But if you're reading this, you probably already knew that much.

So who's Avery? Avery's autistic, like me, but he can't talk like me. Avery uses a tablet as a communication aid, but the words and phrases that are preprogrammed into his autism-support program aren't able to say what he wants to say. So the story is about how he solves that problem and the consequences that follow.

Avery's story came to me in what was perhaps the most vivid dream of my life, and I woke up compelled to share. I thought I'd write it, like I usually do—you know, just words. But the more I ruminated on it, the more I realized it's a story that is ultimately about connection and emotion, and what is that but a musical?

I've written songs in the past, and I'd like to think they're pretty good. I even got through the lyrics and about halfway through the music for a rock opera. back in 2003. But I've never quite had access to the right money, connections, and time to make something like this happen. Those of you that know me are familiar with how busy I've been with family life; well, I'm starting to enter a period where things are a bit more stable and I have more free time. Great!

But with family life and the struggles that ensued, I haven't written more than a song a year or so. While it's getting easier, it is still a little difficult to get into the headspace where the words and music come. I've got a rough outline and the story beats and a few lyrics and melodies, but nothing solid as of yet.

And then in July, Rhett Miller announced a songwriting retreat to be held in upstate New York in early October. I've never done anything like this before. Similar retreats always seemed a bit weird to me: mostly people you've not heard of, expensive, like . . . why? But this is Rhett Miller, and his songwriting has been a real favorite of mine for 25 years. I play his songs more than just about anyone else. And Black Francis is going to be there, too. And Dave Hill, who you probably don't know by name, but you've definitely heard his song "Go".

Don't get me wrong: this one is expensive, too. But there was a scholarship application, so I filled it out. And they gave it to me. It covers about 2/3 of their cheapest ticket, which still leaves a gap for airfare and travel. And I could fill that gap with GrubHub (and I will be doing that), but GrubHub doesn't pay what it used to, so the chances of pulling that off in 3 weeks is . . . slim.

So, I'm throwing it out here. And as the musical gathers steam, I'll probably have a social media thing about it. Do you want to help? Can you help?

$1500 is the number that will get me there comfortably. That's my goal. Any help you're able to offer means more time I get to spend with the whole family, instead of the one riding along on my GrubHub rounds.