Pen to Paper Writing Retreat

Pen to Paper is a two-and-a-half-day retreat providing participants with time to discuss ideas with and receive feedback from editors, receive mentoring from retreat facilitators, share ideas with peers, and write.

Each year attendance is intentionally kept to a minimum in order to foster personal connections between participants, editors, and senior faculty coaches. The small group also provides the space participants need to focus on engaged scholarship.

The Retreat is organized in such a way as to offer participants two tracks—the Ready to Publish track and Ready to Write track.

• The Ready to Publish track is for those who have a complete or nearly complete manuscript. These participants will receive feedback from journal editors and learn more about the various avenues available to publish their work.
• The Ready to Write track is for those whose research is complete or nearly complete and have a writing plan, but who have not yet begun the writing process. These participants will focus on developing their writing strategy and receive guidance as they begin the writing process.

The typical experience includes:

• Facilitated 2.5 day Pen to Paper programming
• Feedback from editors from the top engagement journals.
• Complete access to the Retreat facility, which provides ample writing spaces
• Modest hotel-style overnight accommodations
• Meals during the Retreat

Community-Engaged Alliance encourages faculty, community engagement professionals, graduate students, and community members who are interested in further developing their community engagement practices and research methodology to attend the Colloquium on High-Impact Community Engagement Practices before attending Pen to Paper.

One of the things Pen to Paper participants have consistently asked for year after year is, “more writing time” even after the facilitated gathering is over. Well, we listened, and have developed Pen to Paper 2.0 with this specifically in mind.

Open to any Pen to Paper alums, Pen to Paper 2.0 is two-and-a-half days of uninterrupted writing time in a secluded space, but in the company of other engaged scholars. Those wishing to participate in Pen to Paper 2.0 will be asked to submit a draft of a writing project they will be working on during the Retreat, prior to registration. Each participant will receive anonymous peer feedback from another participant upon arrival. Participants have the opportunity to interact as much or as little with fellow Pen to Paper 2.0 participants as they feel necessary.

This experience includes:

• Peer feedback on your engaged writing
• Complete access to the Retreat facility, which provides ample writing spaces.
• Modest hotel-style overnight accommodations
• Meals during the Retreat