Carving out time to do serious academic writing during the semester can be tough. The Writing Center’s Graduate Writing Retreats are here to help!

The Writing Center and the Graduate Student Senate sponsor days to write during the semester. The goal of this initiative is to provide accountability and support for participants to get writing done. These sessions are not writing instruction; instead, we will sit in a room together and write.

Spring 2023 1-day retreats will take place in person! We will also keep a WebEx room open if you'd prefer to join us virtually.

We encourage you to stay all day, but you're welcome to also drop in and out as your schedule permits.

Upcoming Retreats: 

February 25, 10am-6:30 pm, Homer Babbidge Library, Writing Center

March 25, 10am-6:30 pm, Homer Babbidge Library, Writing Center

April 22, 10am-6:30 pm, Homer Babbidge Library, Writing Center

Cost: FREE for UConn graduate students (but you must register below)

Schedule

10:00-10:30 a.m.: Morning goal setting
10:30-11:20 a.m.: Focus session 1
11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Focus session 2

12:30-1:30 p.m.: Lunch break

1:30-2:00 p.m.: Afternoon goal setting
2:00-2:50 p.m.: Focus session 3
3:00-3:50 p.m.: Focus session 4

4:00-4:30 p.m.: Evening goal setting
4:30-5:20 p.m.: Focus session 5
5:30-6:20 p.m.: Focus session 6

Activity Descriptions

All of the activities on the schedule are completely optional, and you are welcome to come in and out during the day.

Focus Sessions
We use a variation of the Pomodoro Technique. Basically, we set a timer, write for 50 minutes, then take a 10 minute break. The goal of the focus sessions is to set a short and achievable task for yourself and then get it done within the next hour by holding yourself accountable.

Lunch Break

Lunch will be in the form of a potluck, feel free to bring a dish or snacks to share with the group. We won't start a focus session until after lunch.

Virtual Room
We will keep a WebEx room open all day and anyone who prefers to join virtually can come in and out throughout the day. We will also keep a Google Doc open to chat with each other and share our goals and successes!

If you have questions about writing retreats, please email gradwriting@uconn.edu