This Spring 2025 we’re offering a range of online programming to provide you with writing support.

March

Freewriting

Tuesday, March 25 @ 1pm; register here.

Do you ever feel like you are having trouble coming up with ideas at the start of a research project? Do you find yourself mid-project, full of ideas, but unable to face the page and write?

This workshop will present freewriting as a tool for brainstorming and as a tactic for working through common writing obstacles like fear of the blank page. Though an excellent tool, many writers face confusion about when it is most helpful to use freewriting as a technique, and the different ways to apply it. In the workshop, participants will learn the basics of freewriting, and how to use this exercise effectively to make progress in their work. Participants will explore how freewriting can apply to specific writing scenarios and will leave the workshop with a thorough understanding of the different applications of freewriting. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to successfully use freewriting as a brainstorming and (re)thinking tool.

 

April

Writing a Conference Abstract

Tuesday, April 8 @ 1pm; register here.

Do you see a conference in your future? Here we will review the best practices of responding to a CFP. We’ll look at graduate school conference CFPs, as well as regional and national conference CFPs—each has its own peculiarities. We’ll provide examples of successful critical and pedagogical abstracts. We’ll also take a look at a few abstracts that failed to effectively navigate the sometimes-idiosyncratic language of a CFP and discuss why we think they failed to qualify for their panel.

Taking Smarter Notes

Tuesday, April 22 @3PM; register here.

When doing research, many people take notes in ways that don’t help them enough. Less organized people jot down their ideas on loose papers that can easily get lost, and more organized people gather their notes into project-based books and folders that may never get consulted again when that particular project is finished. This webinar introduces participants to a particular note-taking system, the Zettelkasten, that can serve as a life-long research and learning companion. It is a way to take and store notes so that the ideas you develop over your entire career are always at hand and never get lost. Whether you are taking courses, reading for orals, or already writing your thesis or dissertation, consider the enormous long-term advantages of taking smarter notes.

The Anatomy of a Good Hook

Tuesday, April 29th @ 4pm; register here.

When drafting a seminar paper, dissertation chapter, or article, many graduate students know that they want to start with “a good hook.” But what makes a hook “good?” What makes it “hook” the reader? In this webinar, we’ll cover the underlying principles of one kind of hook used in many disciplines: one that is sometimes called a vignette or anecdote. This kind of hook descriptively drops the reader into a scene or moment before going on to reveal the purpose and argument of the piece. By the end of the session, participants will have a clear understanding of a good hook’s elements and organizing structure.

May

Understanding the Publication Process: Humanities and Social Sciences

Thursday, May 01 @ 4pm: register here.

Are you interested in publishing your first article but not sure how the process works? Have you submitted articles before but still have questions about the nuts and bolts of placing an article? This informational webinar walks participants through the publication process, including an overview of how peer review works, some insider perspective on how journal editors approach their role, and tips on dealing with reviewer comments in the most effective way.

Structuring Argument-Based Writing

Tuesday May 6th at 1PM: register here.

Writing a long paper can be challenging, especially when it comes to organizing all the reading and thinking one has done into a coherent progression of paragraphs and sections. This webinar introduces participants to some of the fundamental principles that help guide decisions about structuring a longer academic essay.

Reverse Outlining

Thursday, May 15th @ 4pm; register here.

When it comes to academic writing, that actual process of putting one’s research and thinking down on paper tends to derail even the best-laid plans; no matter how clear one’s initial outline or mental blueprint, things happen and, as a result, many people end up with a first draft that’s anywhere from a bit unruly to a total mess. In this webinar, participants will be introduced to a reverse outlining technique that can help to gain a clearer view of a draft’s current paragraph-by-paragraph structure in order to figure out what is and isn’t working, and thus to make a plan for structural revision. There will also be a brief introduction to other outlining techniques.

Revising for an Article-length Publication

Monday, May 19 @ 3PM; register here.

Do you have a seminar paper, dissertation chapter, or conference presentation that you’d like to turn into an article? If this is your first time revising something you already have into an article manuscript you can submit, or if you want to learn more about a process you’ve already attempted, join us for an informational webinar on revising for an article-length publication. We’ll review the key elements of an article, identify the criteria reviewers look for in a strong article, and help you understand how to strategically prioritize when revising your way toward an article manuscript that has the best chances of receiving a “revise and resubmit” from reviewers.

PAST WORKSHOPS

February

Goal-Setting and Time Management 

Thursday, February 6 @ 3pm; register here.

In this webinar, designed for students in varying stages of the writing process, we will discuss how to schedule time and keep oneself accountable to writing goals and deadlines. We’ll discuss habitual writing goals and project-based goals. Participants will make a plan for completing their writing objectives, breaking down long-term goals into manageable short-term targets. We’ll also go over some web apps that can help with this process.

Writing a Book Review

Wednesday, February 19 @ 3PM; register here.

Many academic journals publish reviews of recent books in their field. These reviews are one of the most significant ways in which scholars around the world become aware of the books in question. Consequently, the academic who writes such a review plays a crucial role in shaping the preliminary judgment readers make, thereby influencing the field as a whole. In graduate school, many seminars include a book review as a writing assignment, and advanced graduate students often see them as an ideal starting place for trying to get published. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the generic conventions of the book review. We will also address the rhetorical and political considerations one needs to make when critiquing senior colleagues, as well as the practicalities of getting placed in a journal.

Soliciting Effective Feedback

Wednesday, February 26 @ 1pm; register here.

Experienced academics know that good final drafts are rarely produced through a solitary process. Instead, scholars achieve high-level writing through a process that involves sharing earlier drafts of their work with others and getting feedback that helps them revise more effectively. That being said, sharing work that is unfinished and that may well be somewhat unclear and confusing to other readers can be tricky. How can a writer help someone to read their unfinished work in a way that will result in a productive exchange? This webinar considers some guiding principles that will help students to prepare their chosen readers for a productive encounter with their work-in-progress.

March

Grant Writing: The Summary Statement

March 3 @ 3 PM: register here.

Many grant applications ask for a summary statement that makes the case for a grant proposal in a highly condensed form. Different grant givers may call this section by a range of names, or they may not describe it as a discrete section at all, but all good grant proposals begin in a way that performs the introductory function of a summary statement. This section can be particularly challenging to write because (1) readers on the selection committee rely on the summary statement to make a preliminary assessment of the entire proposal, so the stakes are very high, and (2) because so much information must be packed into such a short space, so the risk of being confusing or unclear is also high. In this webinar, participants will learn how to craft a more effective summary statement by better understanding what a reviewer is looking for and prioritizing accordingly.​

Thinking In Pictures: Visualization Techniques for Writers

Tuesday, March 4 @ 3pm; register here.

We often think of writing as a purely textual endeavor, but sometimes thinking and working in other modalities can help writers find new language to describe their projects, discover connections between their ideas, or get unstuck in moments where getting words on the page feels impossible. Building on work in visual rhetoric, this workshop introduces participants to key strategies they can use in the brainstorming, drafting, and revising stages to clarify their thinking and, in doing so, enrich and advance their projects. In addition to leading writers to develop more nuanced understandings of their own arguments, these strategies can also help them cultivate the vital skill of communicating their ideas to different audiences.

Making the Most of a Dissertation Progress Meeting

Tuesday, March 11th @ 1PM: register here.

From time to time, students working on their dissertation may have semi-formal progress meetings with their dissertation advisor/committee. While progress meetings are often beneficial to the dissertator, they can also be very stressful and intimidating. This webinar reviews a range of considerations and practical strategies that can help graduate students to make the most out of a dissertation progress meeting.

Demystifying Academic Writing

Wednesday, March 19 @ 11 am; register here.

Just starting out in graduate school? Are you feeling a little bit jittery about getting back into academic writing? Maybe you’ve been away from writing for a while and want some refreshers. Join this webinar to learn about the key elements of academic writing, how to overcome writing fears, and how to develop a productive writing habit.