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As soon as Claire Davies (Mechanical and Materials Engineering) heard that the Queen’s Faculty Writing Retreat had been scheduled, she blocked the day off in her calendar and registered online.

“I find that I don’t have the discipline to schedule that sort of time in my regular work week. If I close my office door and a student knocks, I feel obliged to respond. Those small interruptions send me off-track and often times I will then check my emails, respond to them, and never regain focus properly.”

Building on the success of three previous retreats, the Office of the Vice-Principal (Research) is hosting another Faculty Writing Retreat at the Donald Gordon Centre on Thursday, Dec. 7 from 8:30 am-5 pm.

For busy scholars who have difficulty carving out uninterrupted time for writing, or struggle finding motivation to write, this retreat offers a full day of inspiration. With a quiet, comfortable and isolated space to indulge in long blocks of uninterrupted writing time, small group discussions with colleagues from across the university, and private one-on-one consultations with University Research Services and the Writing Centre, the Faculty Writing Retreat provides an opportunity for faculty to focus on writing projects alongside a community of support.

This Writing Retreat eases the struggles all sorts of writers face explains Susan Korba, Director of Student Academic Success Services, who will work as a writing strategist during the retreat.

“Writing can be challenging for anyone; even the most proficient, prolific writers sometimes struggle. The great thing about the faculty writing retreat is that it provides writers with a supportive community of practice, plus the chance to check in with writing strategists about specific writing issues in a relaxed, non-judgmental environment.”

More than 100 Queen’s faculty have participated in this program over the last two years and past participants have reported reaching their writing goals, such as completing research funding applications and finishing manuscripts.

A year later, Adam Szulewski (School of Medicine) says he’s looking forward to taking part the workshop again.

“The writing retreat was a great opportunity for me to have uninterrupted writing time as well as access to URS staff who provided very helpful insight into my grant application. I’m looking forward to more of the same this year,” says Dr. Szulewski.

is currently open to all faculty, and will close on Friday, Dec. 1, or when all available spaces are filled. This is a first come, first served event.