Washington State University faculty and graduate students are invited to attend a workshop with Helen Sword, author of “Stylish Academic Writing” and an international expert on writing across disciplines.
The virtual workshop is from 3–5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29. It is designed for career-track and tenure-track faculty, but open to all members of the WSU community looking to start off the academic year feeling inspired and motivated in their writing. Attendees will learn about misconceptions and success strategies of academic writers, based on Sword’s book, “Air & Light & Time and Space: How Successful Academics Write.” This workshop is organized by Creative Circles, a faculty-led Mentoring Innovations Initiative sponsored by the WSU Provost’s Office.
“We’re thrilled to host Helen Sword. She dispels any notion that serious writers aren’t supposed to be having fun,” said Melissa Parkhurst, associate professor of ethnomusicology and Creative Circles principal investigator. “She champions writing with pleasure: a deep, craft-based joy in the creative challenge of writing well.”
During the 2022–23 academic year, Creative Circles helped organize an interdisciplinary group of career-track faculty who made a commitment to meet weekly to support each other in writing and creative work. The system-wide group read Sword’s 2017 book, “Air & Light & Time and Space,” to facilitate and inform discussion about productive and enjoyable writing.
The workshop will include the four “BASE” habits of successful writers — behavioral, artisanal, social, and emotional — to help participants think about how to establish routines, build social support, and reconnect with writing in way that fits their life and goals. Faculty who participated in Creative Circles are excited to bring this workshop to a broader group of WSU faculty colleagues and others who engage in writing and creative work.
Registration is encouraged but not required. Please register by Aug. 25 to receive a calendar invite and related materials.
Attend the virtual workshop on Aug. 29 via Zoom.
