Workshops, Retreats, and Write-Ins
The Graduate Writing Center offers many workshops, of varying length, to support graduate students with their writing. All workshops are open to enrolled University of Maryland graduate students free of charge. We also welcome suggestions for workshops and will design and provide programs for specific disciplinary needs upon request. Please contact Dr. Linda Macri, Director of Academic and Professional Development, with questions.
This spring, the Graduate School Writing Center will offer a range of workshops, including Sentence and Structure: Writing & Editing Refresher, Writing (and more) Workshops, and Formatting Fridays.
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Sentences and Structure: Writing & Editing Refresher
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Writing (and more) Workshops
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Formatting Fridays
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Weekly Write-Ins
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GradTerp Exchange Monthly Prep Session
Sentences and Structure: Writing & Editing Refresher
Your research is humming along, and your ideas are smart. But getting it all into words can lead to many frustrations. Are my paragraphs too long? How do I structure a good introduction? When do I use a semicolon? In this series, we’ll address some element of English structure, syntax, grammar, and punctuation each week so you can be confident with your academic writing. This six week series will run on Tuesdays from 3-4pm.
Writing (and more) Workshops
How to Write a Literature Review -- Tuesday, February 9, 12:30-1:30pm -- Register here
New to research at the graduate level or just need a refresher? Not sure how to move from research to writing? Join us for this workshop, offered in conjunction with librarians from the Research Commons, focusing on entering an academic conversation through research and writing. The workshop will cover graduate-specific library privileges, effective research and citation practices, writing from sources, and a general introduction to the literature review process. Part of the Common Quandries Workshop Series
Making Plans: A guided workshop for planning writing projects –- Wednesday, February. 17, 3:30-5pm Register here
A thesis or dissertation is a long project, and a project benefits from a plan. How do you move from writing papers to writing a thesis or dissertation? How do you expand research questions, outlines, ideas? What planning tools might be useful? In this workshop, we'll walk through some steps meant to ease the planning process and make your writing feel more under control.
Preparing for your virtual defense --Thursday, February 25, 12-1pm Register here
Virtual defenses--for theses, dissertation proposals, and dissertations--are here to stay, at least through the end of the semester. Much of what happens in a defense is the same, whether it happens in a physical or a zoom room, but knowing what's different and how to put forward your best effort in the virtual setting is key to feeling confident about this important benchmark. Join us for this workshop to find learn more about the policies and possibilities of a virtual defense.
Writing for Podcasting -- Friday, February 26, 2-3pm Register here
Podcasting is becoming increasingly prevalent in academia. When you listen to a podcast, you may think the host is speaking casually and spontaneously, but it’s more likely that they composed a script with a lot of care and planning. In this workshop, we’ll talk about how to plan and script a great podcast.
How to Structure a Dissertation in the Humanities --Tuesday, March 2, 12:30-1:30pm -- Registration available soon
A dissertation is a unique genre. Chances are you’ve never written one before, so thinking about how to structure it so that it is both focused and thorough is a challenge. In this workshop, we’ll talk about what a dissertation is, what a humanities dissertation should aim to accomplish, and how all of that should shape the way you structure yours. Part of the Common Quandries Workshop Series.
How to Structure Dissertations in STEM Fields --Tuesday, March 9, 12:30-1:30pm -- Registration available soon
A dissertation is a unique genre. Chances are you’ve never written one before, so thinking about how to structure it so that it is both focused and thorough is a challenge. In this workshop, we’ll talk about what a dissertation is, what it should accomplish, and various ways to structure a dissertation in STEM fields. Part of the Common Quandries Workshop Series.
Preparing to Write a Diversity Statement -- Thursday, April 1, 12-1pm Register here
Academic positions increasingly ask applicants to demonstrate how they have and will contribute to the equity and diversity values of the institution. But you can’t address your commitment in a document if you haven’t made that commitment in your teaching, research, and service. Join us for this workshop to explore the purpose of a diversity statement and to begin considering how to demonstrate your commitment. Co-led by Dr. Linda Macri and Dr. Blessing Enekwe. Attendees are encouraged to bring ideas or drafts of a diversity statement for discussion.
Overcoming Impostor Stress in Your Writing (and beyond) – Tuesday, April 6, 3-4pm Register here
Feeling like you are an impostor, like you don’t belong, like you are fooling people is common in graduate school, where novices are expected to demonstrate expertise. It can also have a profound impact on your sense of self, on your writing, and on your progress to the goal of a degree. How can you overcome feeling like an impostor and move toward confidence? Join Dr. Linda Macri and Dr. Blessing Enekwe in this workshop to learn more about impostor stress and how to manage and even overcome it.
Writing Research Statements for Applications -- Thursday, April 15, 12-1pm Register here
Many academic applications, from fellowships to jobs, ask for a research statement. In this workshop, we'll consider the purpose and structure of a research statement and explore questions including what to address, how to be clear while also talking about something you haven't done yet, and how to weave a story through your statement.
Formatting Fridays
You thought writing your thesisi or dissertation was a challenge. . . wait until you have to format it! Better yet, don’t wait! Instead, join us for a Formatting Friday to learn about what you need to do to format your thesis or dissertation for submission to ProQuest. No registration for these drop-in sessions; just bring your document and your questions.
Weekly Write-Ins
For Spring 2021, we'll be holding virtual Write-In time each Friday Morning (beginning January 29) from 9-11am EDT: https://umd.zoom.us/my/lindamacri (advance registration is not required--click on that link to join).
Writing regularly and with a sense of support contributes to accomplishing writing goals. You can join your graduate and postdoctoral colleagues every Friday morning for structured time to write. All graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty are welcome. Sign in with your writing goal and/or writing question, use the "pomodoro method" to structure two hours of writing time. Fellows from the Graduate School Writing Center will be available to offer support in brief, one-on-one consultations.
GradTerp Exchange Monthly Prep Session
- Thursday, February 4, 4pm Register here
- Monday, March 1, 11am Register here
- Wednesday, March 24, 3pm Register here
Interested in giving a talk at our monthly GradTerp Exchange – or just learning how to offer a talk for an audience outside your discipline? At this workshop, we’ll talk about using narrative, humor, strong visuals, and other features of a great talk for a broad audience, and you will have the chance to experiment with ideas and techniques and get feedback from your peers and fellows from the Graduate School Writing Center.