Summer 2026 Workshops
June
Goal Setting and Time Management
Thursday, June 11 @ 2PM; 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.
Getting Unstuck: Using Informal Writing Techniques Effectively
Wednesday, June 24 @ 4PM; register here
A key challenge that writers face is feeling stuck in a project and not knowing how to move forward. This workshop focuses on using informal writing techniques, from freewriting to visualization, to overcome some of the most common practical and emotional obstacles that arise in academic writing. The strategies we’ll discuss are versatile; they can be used for any writing project in any discipline. Everyone gets stuck. Come learn how to get unstuck and recapture your momentum!
July
Writing a Book Review
Monday, July 6 @ 2PM; 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.
Going Up? Crafting the Elevator Pitch
Thursday, July 16 @ 3PM; register here
“So what do you work on?” For many graduate students, being asked this question is stressful. How is one supposed to describe all the complexity of a major research project in just a few sentences? Say too much and the other person’s eyes glaze over. Say too little and they might not understand what’s interesting and distinctive about the work. In this workshop, we discuss the principles and best practices for constructing a strong scholarly pitch, something you can use both to describe your work in-person (like at conferences) and in written contexts (like job letters).
August
The Academic Job Cover Letter
Thursday, August 6 @ 3PM; register here
The academic job cover letter is a crucial document in any candidate’s application material; often, it makes the first and most lasting impression on members of a search committee. In this webinar, participants will learn how to approach the writing of their cover letter in a way that makes a coherent and compelling argument about their suitability as a candidate rather than simply repeating information contained in their CV.
Applying for a PhD: The Statement of Purpose
Wednesday, August 19 @ 4PM; register here
Among the documents one has to craft for a PhD application, the statement of purpose is one of the trickiest to get right. On the one hand, you need to demonstrate that you have some kind of research agenda already in mind. On the other hand, you aren’t a PhD student yet, so how are you supposed to know what you are going to research? This webinar helps participants understand the expectations of the readers they are writing for and how to strike a good balance between personal narrative and academic certainty.
Previous Workshops
Goal-Setting and Time Management
Tuesday, February 10 @ 3PM; register here
In this workshop, 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
Thursday, February 19 @ 9 AM; 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
Friday, February 27 @ 3 PM: 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.
Grant Writing: The Summary Statement
Tuesday, March 3 @ 10 AM: register here
Many grant applications ask for a summary statement that makes the case for a grant proposal in a highly condensed form. Depending on the grant, this section may be called “Specific Aims,” “Executive Summary,” or something else. 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 workshop, participants will learn how to craft a more effective summary statement by better understanding what a reviewer is looking for and prioritizing accordingly.
Getting Unstuck: Using Informal Writing Techniques Effectively
Thursday, March 12 @ 10 AM; register here
A key challenge that writers face is feeling stuck in a project and not knowing how to move forward. This workshop focuses on using informal writing techniques, from freewriting to visualization, to overcome some of the most common practical and emotional obstacles that arise in academic writing. The strategies we’ll discuss are versatile; they can be used for any writing project in any discipline. Everyone gets stuck. Come learn how to get unstuck and recapture your momentum!
Making the Most of Dissertation Progress Meetings
Tuesday, March 17 @ 2 PM: 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
Tuesday, March 24 @ 10 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.
Writing a Conference Abstract
Tuesday, March 31 @ 2 PM; UPDATED LINK 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 14 @ 10 AM; UPDATED LINK 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 workshop 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
Friday, April 24 @ 10 AM; 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, students will consider a range of examples in order to unpack the core elements of a good hook. By the end of the session, participants will have a clear understanding of a good hook’s elements and organizing structure.
Understanding the Publication Process: Humanities and Social Sciences
Friday, May 1 @ 2 PM; UPDATED LINK register here
This workshop will introduce participants to the process of submitting an article to a peer-reviewed journal. It will cover issues like (1) the key elements of an article, (2) choosing the right journal, (3) understanding what editors and reviewers are looking for when evaluating your work (and the ways this knowledge may affect your revision choices); and (4) responding to reviewer comments if you get a “revise and resubmit.”
Structuring Argument-Based Writing
Tuesday, May 5 @ 11 AM; UPDATED LINK 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 workshop introduces participants to some of the fundamental principles that help guide decisions about structuring a longer academic essay.
Reverse Outlining
Tuesday, May 12 @ 10 AM; UPDATED LINK 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 Article-Length Publication
Tuesday, 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.
Public Writing: The Op-Ed
Wednesday, May 20 @ 3PM; register here
How do academic writers draw on their research to successfully produce public-facing work like op-eds? This workshop offers practical guidance on drafting, pitching, and publishing in a public-facing genre that scholars have increasingly turned to as a means of sharing their ideas with broader audiences and contributing to pressing conversations that are happening within and beyond academia. Participants will understand the fundamental elements of the op-ed, discover resources for identifying target publications, and learn how to craft an effective pitch.
