Writers’ Retreats give postgraduate research students in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities the opportunity to devote a whole day to writing in a quiet, structured, and supportive atmosphere.

The retreats are facilitated by Dr Chad McDonald, the faculty’s Senior Academic and Study Skills Tutor. Chad was awarded his PhD in History in 2019, and he regularly took part in writers’ retreats during his postgraduate research.

You will need to arrive ‘ready to write’ but may, of course, bring any materials (laptops, books, data, etc.) with you for the whole-day session. You may access data online, but the retreat is a day free from active researching, mobile phones, or other internet access (emails, Instagram, online shopping, etc.) that steals away focus and attention from writing!

There will be some short discussion around good writing practice and how to approach your writing as a professional task, but much of the day will be devoted to writing without distraction. Whatever your writing project (e.g., annual report, paper, thesis), the retreat will provide a space away from your office or home in which to concentrate and reflect on the process of writing.

We hope the writers’ retreats will be a source of collegial support as you work alongside fellow PGRs who share similar goals—but also pressures and insecurities—in relation to academic writing.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please notify us of any dietary requirements no later than 2 weeks before the date of the retreat you are attending.

Places are limited so please email Fran Brooks if you wish to book a spot.