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Writing group offers support for works in progress 

By Karen Herland

Adding yet one more responsibility onto an already loaded agenda and trying to support a solitary activity with group meetings — there are many reasons for which establishing a writing group for professors might seem counterintuitive. Liberal Arts Associate Professor Katharine Streip sees a lot more potential for support.

“A group like this encourages you to put your ideas in order. It’s a helpful reality check,” Streip says of the formal opportunity for academics to meet regularly, collectively reviewing the written work of each member and providing feedback, whether the piece be an early draft or a book chapter.

The model has become quite popular in other universities. Hearing about successful initiatives involving colleagues elsewhere motivated Streip to propose such a project here.

“We’re all pressed for time at Concordia, especially at this time of year when there are so many opportunities for service,” she says, adding that supporting students is a key element of her role.

Carving out time to formally attend to the writing expectations of the academic world and providing an environment of collaboration is a nice balance for that.
The first meeting was held on Feb. 6 and attracted a handful of participants. Other interested professors sent regrets along with requests to be included in subsequent invitations.

A second meeting has been called for March 6, at 4 p.m. when participants will discuss abstracts and book proposals. For more information go to cissc.concordia.ca/activities/WritingGroup.htm

Streip hopes the project will develop based on the needs and ideas of those who attend. In addition to circulating work in progress, some of the ideas that emerged during the first meeting included sharing strategies for writing during the school year and marketing interdisciplinary projects.

Streip was pleased to offer the project through the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture (CISSC) because she wanted to foreground the interdisciplinary nature of the project.

“Most of us have a network of people who know the terminology and to whom we can send work.” She points out that it’s a lot harder to feel confident when straying into another discipline or trying to reread familiar work through a different lens.

“No one mind is capable of seeing everything,” she says. “It’s helpful to hear someone else say, ‘try moving this here’ or ‘have you read so-and-so?’”
Streip hopes the writing group will provide mutual support and direction. “Concordia has such a wealth of talent.”

Ideally, she’d like the group to meet monthly, perhaps more frequently during the summer.