Summer 2025 Writing Group Meeting Times
Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
This program offers companionship and accountability to University of Iowa artists, scholars, and researchers working on any kind of academic writing project (ex. academic articles/essays, fellowship or grant applications, dissertations, book projects, edited volumes, nonfiction) who want dedicated time, a cozy space, and a community for the practice of writing.
In Summer 2025, two write-on-site groups will meet in our Writers' Attic at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies at 111 Church St. Each group will meet once per week for 1.5 hours, beginning the week of June 2 and ending the week of July 28. For group meeting times, see the box to the left. Weekly writing sessions will include brief check-ins, goal setting, and sustained writing time. All of the groups are open to everyone in the University of Iowa academic community. Our writing space is deliberately small and cozy, so we have spaces for only 15 writers per group.
Apply by May 23 (5:00 pm)
Ellie White
Ellie White is in her third year in the English PhD program, working on 19th-century British fiction, coming-of-age novels, and book history. Her current projects focus on literacy and literacy acquisition in 19th-century England. In addition to teaching in the Rhetoric Department and tutoring in the Writing Center, she is president of the Association for Graduate Students in English.
Group members can contact Ellie at ellie-white-1@uiowa.edu.
Reflections from writing group members
“Finding time in the week to write, especially when busy with teaching and other responsibilities, is incredibly hard, and the writing group helped immensely getting me into a regular writing rhythm, both during and outside our weekly meetings, which markedly increased my productivity throughout the semester. I wish I’d had this even earlier in my dissertation process and can’t recommend it enough for those getting started on major writing projects.” —Jonathan Lack, Fall 2023
"This semester I began preparing myself for comps and was quite worried about holding myself accountable to my reading and writing schedule. Attending the writing group provided some much needed structure into my weekly schedule. Knowing that I had a quiet and cozy spot to co-work with peers each week really helped me stay motivated. I enjoyed getting to know some new folks from different departments and it was incredibly validating to be able to share some writing challenges with others in similar positions." —Janeanne Levenstein, Fall 2023
