Jennifer Conrad

Meeting time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT on Mondays
Format: registered (same attendees each week, attendance required)
Mode: in person
Location: Round Room in the Morgridge Center for Public Service (MCPS), 154 Red Gym
Facilitator: Nicole Ramer

The Community-Engaged Writing Group, co-sponsored by the Morgridge Center for Public Service and the Writing Center, provides a supportive writing space for graduate students involved in community-engaged scholarship, including community-engaged research, grant writing, community-based learning, or projects that draw on community knowledge and partnerships. Each meeting includes a brief 15-minute check-in, an optional discussion or framing related to community-engaged writing, structured writing time, and opportunities to ask questions or meet one-on-one with facilitators. Meetings are held in the Morgridge Center, where participants write alongside others working through similar questions and commitments. Participants are encouraged to attend regularly to build accountability and momentum in their writing. Sign up here: tinyurl.com/communityengagedGWGSP26.

Meeting time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT
Format: drop-in (attend when you’re available)
Mode: in person
Location: Helen C. White Hall, sixth floor
Facilitator: Ileaha Anderson

This drop-in graduate writing group provides a dedicated space for writing each Friday of the semester, starting Week 3 (February 6). Drop in any time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to work on your writing project. Please feel free to come and go as your schedule permits, and attend as often as you like! We will touch base at the beginning of each session, allocating about 5-10 minutes for setting goals and fostering connections between writers. For the rest of the session, participants will write and work on their own individual drafts, with Ileaha available for one-on-one conferences. Participants can work on whatever makes sense for them. At the end of each session, we’ll debrief briefly to celebrate and reflect on the day’s work.

Meeting time: 2 to 4 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week)
Mode: online
Facilitator: Ellen Cecil-Lemkin

This writing group provides an opportunity for graduate students to gather, write, and make progress on program requirements, journal articles, and other projects with a supportive writing community. Group meetings will include check in and goal-setting, writing time, and check out. Weekly attendance is not mandatory, but we encourage group members to commit to consistent attendance as able to cultivate community and accountability.

Meeting time: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week, attendance required)
Mode: online / fully virtual
Facilitator: Erin Miller

This graduate student writing group meets on Wednesday evenings and is well-suited for students who are looking for structure, support, and the space to evaluate their writing habits. As a writing instructor and tutor, I (Erin) prioritize metacognition and reflection as two skills that aid writers at any stage of their writing project. I also strongly believe that the interplay between writing and talking helps writers understand and grow more confident in their abilities—and increases friendly accountability. Therefore, each writing group session will begin with a fifteen-minute warm-up discussion about a short reading on writing, writing tips, and/or goal setting. Then, we will transition into about two and a half hours of writing time, in which participants will have the option to write independently or consult with me as needed. Each session will conclude with roughly fifteen minutes of sharing what we accomplished in our time together, with emphasis on describing the specific skills worked on and how it felt to do this work. My hope for this group is that we will all get to know ourselves better as writers and celebrate the monumental progress we make in our projects this semester!

Meeting time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week, attendance required)
Mode: in person
Location: Helen C. White Hall, 6th floor
Facilitator: Sujash Purna

In this writing group we will address the rhetorical situation of our graduate-level writing. We will consider questions that help us explore different writing contexts such as grad-level course writing, research proposals, job application letters, etc. We will kick off each meeting with a few metacognitive questions and/or prompts intended to get deeper into the purpose and the meaning of our writing projects. We will then spend time freewriting as a way to reflect, which in turn should lead to materials to continue to expand on or develop or simply to brainstorm if you’re starting from scratch. I (Sujash) will be available during the rest of the time during each meeting to meet with you individually to listen to you and help you explore strategies to make your writing more effective and meaningful to your audience—whether it is your dissertation committee or your future employer.

Meeting time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week), plus drop-ins welcome if registered beforehand
Mode: in person
Location: Multicultural Student Center, Red Gym (Room 243)
Facilitator: Jay Lowe

This graduate writing group is designed to support students across a wide range of disciplines and in any stage of their degree program. Each week, participants will work alongside one another as they complete their respective writing projects, supporting and motivating each other to work toward achieving their writing goals. The facilitator, Jay, will be available during the meetings for individual support and to answer questions.

Meeting time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week, attendance required)
Mode: online/fully virtual
Facilitator: Helenia Quince

This writing group is an intentional space for graduate-level students to work toward their writing goals in community. In this group, we will collaboratively explore the structure of your writing process by offering a 15-minute check-in to set your intentions for the session and a brief 5-minute reflection to provide strategies to maintain focus during this process. This writing group is a collaborative space, welcoming writers and learners of all styles. I (Helenia) will give you one-to-one time to answer questions or offer the space to reflect on your written process. Writing can be accessible to everyone, regardless of your starting point, whether you need the space to organize and figure out your structure or are in the editing phase of the process.