MET workshops
How to facilitate a writing retreat
Writing retreats are an effective, increasingly popular way of working with writers. A wide range of retreat formats is available to meet the needs of writers, researchers, academics, professionals and, often, a mixture of these. For the many clever, creative, motivated people who want or need to write, attending retreats is a way to help them to improve their focus, productivity and well-being during intensive periods of writing. For editors and translators, facilitating retreats is a way to support writers during the writing process and to form partnerships with writers. Facilitators also have time for their own writing.
Facilitator: Rowena Murray
Purpose: This workshop will provide information and materials participants can use or adapt for their retreats.
Description: Participants will hear about my experience running online, in-person and hybrid retreats in a variety of linguistic and cultural contexts, from the UK to Japan, with a range of institutions and professional bodies. They will hear about and discuss:
- preparing participants for a retreat
- participants’ frequently asked questions
- dealing with pushback and problems
- facilitation styles
- participant and facilitator well-being during the retreat
- literature on academic writing and retreats
- evidence of impact
- business models for retreats
Participant profile: Any language professional who is thinking about running writing retreats as an additional service, whether in English or in other languages.
Outcome: Participants will be able to organize, set up and run writing retreats and work with people in academic settings where the need for writing “development” and “support” is routinely seen as a weakness. They will also understand how to run writing retreats as a viable business, how to evidence the value of writing retreats, and how the structured writing retreat model benefits well-being.
Preparation: Before the workshop, participants will receive four articles to read for background.
About the facilitator: Rowena Murray studied at Glasgow and Freiburg, taught in a French school and has a PhD from Pennsylvania State University. She won an International Fellowship from the American Association of University Women. Formerly Professor at the University of the West of Scotland, she is now Adjunct Professor at Strathclyde Business School. She offers online and in-person writing retreats, courses and 1-2-1s with academics, researchers, doctoral students and others through her company, Anchorage Educational Services.
