Women Writing Socially in Academia: Dispatches from Writing Rooms (Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education)

This book offers a multifaceted perspective on social writing in a volatile, uncertain and complex world. It meets the need to enable women’s capacity, especially in academic settings, to structure their own writing practice and that of others in the community. It expands current research on social writing beyond its core context in English-speaking countries to multilingual contexts from Portugal to Finland, identifying fruitful areas for interdisciplinary research, nexuses of social practice, and strategies for situated social learning through a feminist lens, bringing women from the margins to the centre. As the average woman academic with children is losing an hour of research and writing time every day in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of which will be felt for decades, the book purposefully entwines these polyphonic voices to tell the story of a writing retreat as a space for leadership and empowerment. Foreword: Women Writing Socially Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction: From Our Writing Rooms to Yours References Part I: Physical Support and Wellbeing Chapter 2: Look Out!: Navigating Multiple Spaces to Sustain the Benefits of Writing Retreats The Recurring Question Look Out! Navigating Multiple Spaces: Using the Writing Meeting How to Use the Writing Meeting Template Guidance for Prompter Step 1: Stages of Change Step 2: Anticipating Barriers to Writing Step 3: Set Writing Goals Step 4: Avoiding Barriers Step 5: Action Plan—To Be Filled in by the Writer Just Another Workaround or a Change Process? Peers in Pairs Sustainability Going Forward Writing Meeting Template Guidance for Prompter Step 1: Stage of Change (for First Meeting) Step 2: Anticipating Barriers to Writing Step 3: Set Realistic, Acceptable, Manageable and Achievable Goals Step 4: Avoiding Barriers Step 5: Action Plan (to Be Filled in by the Writer) References Chapter 3: Thoughts on folklore #remoteretreat Compassionate Productivity Compassion in Practice, for the Anxious Writer Division Space Lists Tailoring Community Conclusion References Chapter 4: Don’t Starve: Change the Recipe Jess’s “Write with Me (Online)” Recipe Chapter 5: Retreat in Daily Life: Integrating Writing into Work and Life Context of Crisis Calm in the Chaos Carving Out a Corner Christian Concepts Cyborg Community Constant Change Confidence to Contribute Cultivating the Cloister References Part II: Cognitive and Affective Connections Chapter 6: Some Kind of Writer: The Writer Spectrum, and a (Not-Magic) Formula for Skill Development Introduction Writer Identity Towards an Inclusive Definition of Writer The Informants Data from Research Writers in Social Writing Contexts Data from Undergraduates in a Classroom Context Content Analysis The Writer Spectrum: Real Writers and Writer Stereotypes Band 1: Is Writing Part of Your Job? Band 2: How Obvious Is It that You Write? Genre: What Do Writers Write? Band 3: Did You Purposely Choose Writing? Band 4: How Enthusiastic Are You About Writing? Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Band 5: How Active Are You as a Writer? Band 6: How Skilled Are You at Writing? Good and Bad Writers The Tacit Stereotype of a “Real” Writer Made Explicit Using the Spectrum in Social Writing Towards Demystifying Writing Skill Development Growth vs Fixed Mindset: The Need for Explicit Writing Practice and Pedagogy Informants and Data Analysis Results: The Ingredients of the Not-Magic Formula Natural Capacity Motivation Tools of the Trade Knowledge Theory Guidance Time Perseverance (Deliberate) Practice (Continued Quest for Further Knowledge and Skill) The Not-Magic Formula for Writing Skill Development Conclusion References Chapter 7: Coaching Interventions in Writing Retreats: A Creativity Boost Introduction The Ideas Cycle What to Do My Thoughts on the Ideas Cycle Cue Cards What to Do My Thoughts on the Cue Card Exercise Supportive Networks What to Do My Thoughts on the Supportive Networks Exercise Conclusion Reference Chapter 8: Adapting the Structured Model, Developing Researchers, and Facilitating Your Own Productivity as a Writer References Chapter 9: Different Layers of Togetherness: Virtual Writing Sessions During and After Covid-19 A Period of Increased Creativity The Transition: From Traditional Structured Writing Retreats to Lockdowns Social Writing as a Means of Breaking Taboos One-day Online Structured Writing Sessions Virtual Structured Writing Retreats Virtual Writing Drop-ins (Micro-groups or One-on-one) The Future of Virtual Structured Writing Retreats References Part III: Social Interactions and Relations Chapter 10: Transferring Social Writing Practices to Our Communities in Finnish Universities Introduction Social Writing as a Part of Teaching of Master’s Students Our Writing Groups for PhD Students and Faculty Members How We Started Writing Groups Participants Reasons for Joining a Writing Group Impact of Participation in a Writing Group Facilitating Virtual and Structured Hybrid Writing Retreats Organizing Virtual and Hybrid Structured Writing Retreats Learning Experiences from the Hybrid Structured Writing Retreat Reflections on the Leadership of Social Writing Discussion References Chapter 11: Becoming a Facilitator: Finding My Own Delivery Style Through Opportunities and Challenges Starting from a Place to Retreat and Restore: From Pacing My Own Writing to Supporting Social Writing Writing Retreats at Chapelgarth: The Beginnings Finding My Voice as a Host Who Facilitates Global Tees Talks and Public Engagement Lockdown and Virtual Retreats Distanced On-Site Retreats Awards for Women in a Pandemic Resuming Normality and Rebuilding Community in Person Appendix: Guidelines Sent 9 July 2020 Writing Retreats at Chapelgarth SUMMER 2020 Before Setting Off and on Arrival Blended Writing Retreat Social Distancing Hygiene Reference Chapter 12: Linguistic Care Work in Proximal Zones: Towards Allied Author–Editor Critical Agency Lockdown as an Affordance for Third-Space Creation Third Spaces and Social Proximity Third-Space Critical Dissonance and Affective Solidarity Proximity to Heterological Others as an Affordance for Critical Agency Cripping Linguistic Care Work in the Editorial Encounter Coda: Towards Author–Editor Alliance References Chapter 13: Meetings at the Textface: What Academics and Language Professionals Gain When They Team Up and Adopt a Social Writing Approach to Academic Text Production Introduction Sharing a Table with Academics: A Tale of Near-Peers The LPAC Model Structure Goal-Setting: 5 Minutes Text Production Work: 75 Minutes Check-in: 10 Minutes Overlap and Complementarity Community of Practice Academic Discipline Language(s) Career Stage Location Benefits of the LPAC A Shared Commitment to Space, Endeavour, and Mutual Support Dimensions As Areas for Growth Community of Practice Academic Discipline Language(s) Career Stage Location The Power of Shared Purpose and Tapping into an Adjacent Community of Practice Solidarity, Resilience, Resistance Conclusion References Index