Chair with pillow and blanket

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, book projects, edited volumes, or nonfiction) who want dedicated time, a cozy space, and a community for the practice of writing.

In Fall 2024, three 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 a week for 1.5 hours, beginning the week of September 9, 2024 and running through the week of December 9. For meeting group 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. 

Applications were due Wednesday, September 4. 
 

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Fall 2024 Writing Group Meeting Times

Mondays, 3:00–4:30 p.m.

Wednesdays, 10:30–12:00 p.m.

Thursdays, 9:00–10:30 a.m.

Groups will begin meeting the week of September 9, 2024, and run through the week of December 9. 

Ellie White

Ellie White

Leader of Monday Afternoon Group, Fall '24

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.

Photo of Julie Koch

Julie Koch

Leader of the Wednesday Morning Group, Fall '24

Julie M. Koch, PhD, Licensed Health Service Psychologist, is a Professor in the Counseling Psychology program in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations. Before joining the University of Iowa, she was Professor and Head of the School of Community Health Sciences, Counseling and Counseling Psychology at Oklahoma State University. She joined the University of Iowa in 2022. Dr. Koch was a Fulbright Specialist to Mongolia in 2015, is a past American Psychological Association representative to the International Psychology Network on LGBT Issues, and currently serves on the American Psychological Association Committee for Global Psychology. Her interests include multicultural competence, training, and development of faculty and counseling psychologists; human rights and social justice; LGBTQ mental health and affirmative practice, especially in rural and international settings; and prevention in school settings.

Group members can contact Prof. Koch at julie-koch@uiowa.edu.

Kathleen Shaughnessy

Kath Shaughnessy

Leader of Thursday Morning Group, Fall '24

Kath Shaughnessy is a sixth-year PhD Candidate in English, planning to finish their dissertation and defend by the end of this year. Their dissertation focuses on depictions of science and gender in late nineteenth-century imperial Gothic fiction.

They have worked with the Writing Center in multiple capacities since 2020; in addition to enrollment and appointment tutoring and asynchronous document review, they have worked as a writing tutor for the past year in the Hanson Center for Communication at the College of Engineering. They have assisted with multiple thesis/dissertation bootcamps for Engineering during the academic year, as well as multiple Writing Center summer writing groups, such as WriteON and the dissertation bootcamp.

Group members can contact Kath at kathleen-shaughnessy-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