The Writing Center is offering several options for weekly graduate and undergraduate writing groups this semester, including registered writing groups that require regular attendance, and drop-in writing groups (attend when you’re available). Led by experienced instructors, these groups provide an opportunity for sustained writing practice within a community of other student writers. Fall 2023 writing groups take place in one of the following modes:
- in person
- online/fully virtual
- a hybrid format, with online/virtual facilitation, plus an option to gather in person if you would like a physical space in which to write
Undergraduates can choose between three registered (attendance-required) groups and are welcome to join at any point during the semester. Graduate students may choose from (a) registered writing groups that require regular attendance and (b) drop-in writing groups (attend when you’re available). Please see below for full descriptions of each group.
Fall writing groups begin meeting in Week 4 of the semester (the week of Sept. 25–29, 2023) and continue meeting through Week 14 (the week of Dec. 4–8, 2023). During the week leading up to Thanksgiving, groups will meet on Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 20–21, 2023). No groups will meet on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday of Thanksgiving week (Nov. 23–25, 2023).
To express interest in joining this writing group, please fill out this form:
To receive priority consideration for a Fall 2023 writing group, please complete this interest form no later than Friday, September 15, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Forms received after this date will be considered for additional openings or for our waitlist.
We will notify you about your writing group assignment by Friday, September 22. Your facilitator will follow up with a welcome message that includes information about your group’s plan for meeting. In the meantime, if you have any questions about our writing groups, please email Jenny Conrad, Writing Groups Coordinator.
About the Undergraduate Writing Groups
Do you have a lot of writing to do this semester? Would you like encouragement and a supportive space as you navigate your writing project(s)? Join a small group of other students from across the university at relaxed meetings where you’ll have the opportunity to log dedicated writing time each week and work through challenges with a community of your peers! A Writing Center instructor will help you set goals, structure your work time, and check in about your progress each week.
We are excited to share that the Writing Center is offering the following options for weekly undergraduate writing groups this spring. Led by friendly, experienced instructors, these writing groups will provide an opportunity for sustained writing support within a community of other undergraduate student writers. In each week’s writing group meeting, you’ll have plenty of time to work independently on your writing assignments or course projects.
Tuesday Afternoon Undergraduate Writing Group @ the MSC
Meeting time: 4 to 5:30 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week), plus drop-ins welcome
Mode: in person
Location: Multicultural Student Center, Red Gym
Facilitator: Ju Lim
Hey there, fellow writer! Working on a course paper, article, or some other writing piece? Or maybe you’re simply searching for some friendly folks to share your writing journey? If you need a nudge (or even a full-on push) to keep those words flowing, we’ve got your back.
Join us every Tuesday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Student Center (MSC). We’re all about creating a collegial, respectful, and welcoming space. Each section is broken down into three parts: goal setting, dedicated writing time, and closing thoughts. And if you’ve got questions or need some guidance, Ju, our group facilitator, will be on hand to help during our weekly meet-ups.Wednesday Afternoon Undergraduate Writing Group @ the Writing Center
Meeting time: 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Format: registered (same attendees each week), plus drop-ins welcome
Mode: in person
Location: Helen C. White Hall, Room 6162 (Writing Center Commons)
Facilitator: Helen Smith
In this undergraduate writing group, you will have the opportunity to work on academic writing projects of any type and at any stage with other fellow classmates. Each week we will meet in person, convening on the sixth floor of Helen C. White Hall, where we will foster a collegial, respectful, and welcoming environment. Each session is divided in three parts: an opening check-in, writing time, and closing thoughts. In the first part (15 min.), you will share your writing hopes for the session and write them down for yourself. In the second section (one hour), you will be working on your own academic writing projects, while the facilitator, Helen, will be available to chat about your work one-to-one. In the third part (15 min.), we will return to the opening conversation to reflect on the lessons we have learned not only regarding our individual writing practices (i.e., how we make arguments, organize a text, and arrange words in sentences), but also about the collective process of writing (i.e., how we form a diverse and inclusive community of writers).Thursday Evening Undergraduate Writing Group
Meeting time: 5:30 to 7 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week), plus drop-ins welcome
Mode: online / fully virtual
Facilitator: Sydney Goggins
This online undergraduate Writing Group provides you with a supportive environment to get your writing done along with fellow undergrads. You can choose to work on your weekly course assignments, application essays, an undergraduate thesis, or any kind of writing you’d like. Each Thursday evening, we’ll meet together on Zoom to establish our writing goals on a shared Google Doc (15 minutes), and then spend the majority of the time writing (one hour). At the end, we will talk about what we accomplished and our goals for the rest of the week (15 minutes). During the meeting, your facilitator (Sydney) will be available to talk with you about what you are working on, help you set goals and brainstorm ideas, and answer any writing questions you might have.
About the Graduate Writing Groups
At the Writing Center, we believe that community and accountability, along with setting achievable goals, play a significant role in completing major writing projects. Past participants in our weekly graduate writing groups have finished proposals, chapters, articles, and have even defended their dissertations! Since the Writing Center wants to help you achieve these milestones, we offer graduate students space and time each week to maximize their productivity. Each three-hour meeting begins with goal setting and ends with brief discussions about writing strategies and accomplishments. The bulk of each meeting, however, is devoted to structured writing time so that you can make substantial progress on your writing projects.
Drop-in writing groups are open to all on a weekly basis, although we encourage you to fill out our interest form so that you can receive up-to-date information from your facilitator. Participants are welcome to attend drop-in groups in addition to signing up for a registered group.
Monday Morning Graduate Writing Group
Meeting time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week, attendance required)
Mode: online / fully virtual
Facilitator: Lisa Marvel Johnson
The Monday graduate morning writing group will connect each week at 9 a.m. on Google Docs, where you will note your goals for your writing. At 9:05, we will convene synchronously through Zoom to chat about a discussion question related to the writing process, time management, the technology we use to accomplish our writing tasks, and other relevant topics. We may answer these questions in small groups, through the chat feature of Zoom, or in large-group discussion. Between 9:15 and 11:45, you’ll get words down in order to accomplish your writing goals, and Lisa will be available for short one-to-one conferences. At 11:45, you’ll take a moment to note your progress on our Google Doc. Our final Zoom check-in will be from 11:50 to noon. In these closing minutes we’ll troubleshoot any writing issues that you may have encountered and will celebrate your accomplishments.Monday Afternoon Drop-in Graduate Writing Group for Multilingual Writers
Meeting time: 1 to 4 p.m. CT
Format: drop-in (attend when you’re available)
Mode: in person
Location: Helen C. White Hall, 6th floor
Facilitator: Antonella Pappolla
This drop-in graduate writing group aims to provide a supportive and generative space for graduate students who write in multiple languages. Led by a multilingual and international graduate student, this group especially welcomes graduate students who have experienced the benefits and complexities of working across language and cultural differences. Whether you’ve been writing in English for most of your academic life, recently started doing academic work in English, or anything in between, this group will provide you with a community of peers who bring a wealth of linguistic experiences and work towards similar academic goals. During the writing time, your facilitator, Anto, will be available in person for one-to-one conferences. At the end of each session, we will reflect on (and celebrate) what we accomplished during the session. We look forward to supporting you and your writing!Tuesday Morning Graduate Writing Group @ the MSC
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
Facilitator: Erika Gonzalez
This graduate writing group is intended to support students in any stage of their degree program, whether you are just starting your journey or nearing the end. The goal is to bring us together in community as we tackle the many writing demands of graduate school. Every week, we work alongside one another on our various writing projects, supporting and motivating each other to achieve our writing goals. The facilitator, Erika, will be available during the meetings for individual support and to answer questions.Tuesday Evening Graduate Writing Group
Meeting time: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week, attendance required)
Mode: online / fully virtual
Facilitator: Leslie Orrantia
This graduate writing group meets virtually each week and is dedicated to fostering a supportive environment for graduate students to work on academic writing projects of any type and at any stage. Led by a first-generation college graduate and woman of color, this writing group especially welcomes BIPOC and first-generation college graduates interested in furthering their writing skillset, developing their confidence with their writing process, and co-creating an encouraging writing community. The bulk of the session will be writing time (approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes) during which participants will have the opportunity to discuss their written work with the facilitator one-to-one. The opening and closing sessions will be dedicated to goal setting and reflecting on the progress that we make during our time together. We will also use opening and closing sessions to foster community, reflect upon our personal writing processes, share insights and best practices with one another, and further develop our skills for self- and community-care, through meditation, breathwork, celebration of our successes, and growing compassion for ourselves and others.Wednesday Morning Graduate Writing Group
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: Abby Letak
This graduate writing group is dedicated to fostering a supportive environment for graduate students to work on academic writing projects of any type and at any stage. Feeling isolated in the writing process? Looking for some weekly accountability? Each week we will meet in person, convening on the 6th floor of Helen C. White Hall. With a focus on the intersection of writing and wellbeing, we will open each session by setting writing goals as well as discussing and reflecting on the ongoing role that factors such as stress, guilt, boundaries, and self-care play in the writing process. We will then have sustained writing time for the bulk of the session, during which the facilitator, Abby, will be available to chat about your work one-to-one. We will close by sharing our progress and reflecting on the session.Thursday Afternoon Graduate Writing Group for Writers with Disabilities
Meeting time: 1 to 4 p.m. CT
Format: registered (same attendees each week), plus drop-ins welcome if registered beforehand
Mode: online / fully virtual
Facilitator: Ellen Cecil-Lemkin
Co-sponsored by the McBurney Disability Resource Center, this writing group offers a supportive community of writers for anyone who identifies as having a mental health concern, Disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent, and/or are affiliated with the McBurney Center. (Being affiliated with the McBurney Center is not a requirement to join this group.) During our first meeting together, we’ll establish our group’s goals and structure beyond having dedicated time for setting writing goals and writing. Additionally, during the allotted writing time, the facilitator (Ellen) will be available for brief one-to-one conferences with participants to help them think through writing strategies, set goals, brainstorm ideas, and get an outsider's perspective on their writing.Friday Morning Drop-in Graduate Writing Group
Meeting time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT
Format: drop-in (attend when you’re available)
Mode: hybrid / online participation via Zoom, with an option to gather in a physical space
Location: Helen C. White Hall, sixth floor, and online
Facilitator: Seth Umbaugh
The Friday morning graduate writing group will provide a flexible setting for graduate students to write in community with their peers. This writing group will meet in a hybrid format, with virtual participants joining the meeting via Zoom and in-person participants convening in 6172 Helen C. White Hall. Attendees can choose how to participate on a weekly basis. Synchronous opening and closing sessions will include both large- and small-group discussions of daily writing goals and topics related to the writing process. All participants will be given access to a shared goal-setting document. Seth will also be available for brief one-to-one conferences during this group's meeting time over the course of the semester.
What people are saying about writing groups
“I took part in graduate writing groups four semesters in a row and going once a week to these groups is what kept me writing and eventually what allowed me to graduate. I loved being part of a community of writers who inspired me and kept me accountable.”
—Sandrine P., Second Language Acquisition
“Throughout my time as a grad student, writing group has been a vital space to get work done without destroying myself in the process. Beyond offering a dedicated space and time, it gave me a compassionate, endlessly inspiring group of facilitators and peers with whom I have commiserated and celebrated just about every part of the writing process, from outlining seminar papers to submitting dissertation chapters.”
—Luke U., Spanish & Portuguese
“The Writing Center writing groups provided me structure, accountability, community, all of which helped me write my prelim, dissertation proposal, a (funded) grant application, and two journal articles. In my last semester, the Tuesday morning writing group was instrumental in finishing my dissertation. I am so grateful for the support of my fellow graduate students and to the writing center staff!”
—Emma, School of Social Work
“I decided to apply for the graduate writing group this semester because I know that I write best when working while surrounded by other quiet, hard-working people. I was looking for a space and time I could dedicate to writing that could provide those requirements, and the grad writing group definitely fit the bill. I would recommend the grad writing group to anyone who is struggling to carve out a time and space for writing on any project.”
—Sarah G., Chemistry
“I used the writing group as a way to be accountable and to have a positive and supportive writing space. The writing groups helped me prepare for and tackle prelims because I had a dedicated space and time for them. Talking at the beginning with other students really helped to see that I wasn’t alone in the process, and I really enjoyed the little ‘tidbits’ of information and writing strategies we did at the beginning of sessions.”
—Kate M., Curriculum & Instruction
“I use the writing groups to incorporate accountability into my weekly writing. By checking in with colleagues at the start and end of each group meeting, I have a mechanism for recording my progress, identifying challenges, and troubleshooting difficulties.”
—Fred B., Biostatistics
“I joined the writing groups to get a fixed block of writing time every week as a dissertator. These groups help me reach my goals by “forcing” me to think about writing goals and sit down and write for 2.5 hours per week. I would recommend these groups to others because it is so hard to protect one’s writing time and writing groups have been an effective solution for me.”
—Junhao L., Risk and Insurance