Online summer writing programs for FAS faculty: Public Scholars, Writing Reconnect, and more

Friday, May 13, 2022

[Summary: The FAS Scholars as Leaders; Scholars as Learners program is offering online summer writing programs for ladder faculty, including two onling coaching groups, How to Be a Public Scholar and Summer Writing Reconnect, and opportunities to participate in Focus Fridays virtual co-working retreats. Applications may be submitted online by May 23.]

To: FAS ladder faculty
Cc: FAS Steering, FAS Dean’s Office

Dear colleagues,

I am delighted to announce that the FAS Scholars as Leaders; Scholars as Learners program will once again be offering a series of online summer programs designed to support faculty writing and publication.

Online coaching groups

This summer, we will offer two online coaching groups: How to Be a Public Scholar and Summer Writing Reconnect. Both will be led by K. Anne Amienne, of Scholars and Writers Consulting and will begin the week of June 6.

How to Be a Public Scholar will provide faculty members with opportunities to hone their skill at writing for broad audiences and will include opportunities to consult with newspaper or magazine editors, and media relations staff from Yale’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications.

Summer Writing Reconnect is designed for faculty seeking guidance and support in developing sustainable writing habits and strategies for balancing writing, research, and other aspects of scholarly and personal life. This is the third summer that we have offered Writing Reconnect, and those who have taken part in the past have reported that it has had a transformational effect on their approach to writing.

Retreats and virtual co-working

We are also offering faculty opportunities to take part in writing retreats. Later this month, we will announce the dates of a set of in-person writing retreats that will take place on campus during the summer. In addition, we have reserved a small number of spaces in Focus Fridays, a coach-led online co-working program facilitated by WellAcademic. This program provides facilitated, online co-working time for faculty who wish to make progress on projects in an online, community setting. This program will begin the week of May 27.

How to apply

You will find more details on all SAL2 online summer writing programs below and on the FAS Dean’s Office website. To apply, FAS ladder faculty members may fill out the online application form by Monday, May 23. Due to space limitations, FAS faculty may only participate in one of How to Be a Public Scholar, Summer Writing Reconnect, or Focus Fridays. If you are interested in more than one of these programs, you may indicate this on your application form and rank the programs in order of preference.

Finally, we want to remind you that one-on-one coaching is available over the summer months through the Coaching for Success program. If you have a targeted goal or ambition that you wish to work towards with the guidance of a coach, I encourage you to consider applying to this program.

If you have questions about any of the SAL2 suite of programs, please contact Alexandra Apolloni at sal2.fas@yale.edu.

With warmest wishes,

Tamar

Tamar Szabó Gendler
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy
Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science

Online Summer Writing Programs

How to Be a Public Scholar

Led by K. Anne Amienne of Scholars and Writers Consulting, with selected sessions led by the Yale Office of Public Affairs and Communications
All sessions will take place online

Public scholarship pushes you to sharpen your thinking, refine your arguments, and ask bigger, more meaningful questions. And it allows you to influence audiences far beyond the academy. This workshop helps faculty become public scholars. Over 8 weeks, we approach the subject through lecture, conversation, writing exercises, and facetime with an editor seeking pitches from academics. You will learn how to pitch a piece and then to carry it through the process of writing, revising, and publishing for a general audience by working individually with an award-winning journalist. Along the way, you will learn a lot about writing stronger, more engaging prose no matter what you write. But more than that, you will learn how to think like a public scholar as you approach all aspects of your research and writing life. By extending your reach beyond academia to the wider world, you will discover how you can impact public discourse and raise your profile.

A group of 6-10 faculty members will meet for 1 hour each week for 8 weeks, beginning the week of June 6, 2022. Date and time will be determined based on participant availability.

  • Session 1: How to Think Like a Public Scholar
  • Session 2: How to Be an Expert
  • Session 3: How to Ask Interesting Questions—And Answer Them
  • Session 4: How to Think Like Your Editor
  • Session 5: How to Pitch
  • Session 6: How to Tell a Story
  • Session 7: How to Find Your Voice
  • Session 8: How to Speak So Your Audience Will Listen

Summer Writing Reconnect: Transform Your Approach to Writing

Led by K. Anne Amienne of Scholars and Writers Consulting
All session will take place online

This online workshop helps you make significant progress on your writing this summer. You will learn how to create better habits, change the way you think about writing, and find more enthusiasm for bringing your writing to engaged audiences while handling the challenges of making time for research, teaching, service responsibilities – and the rest of life. You receive readings before each session and a chance to try out new habits before the next meeting. In between sessions, you will participate in a supportive and encouraging Slack group. Participants leave feeling more energized to write for a designated time each day and to engage with “big idea” writing with less worry, fewer distractions, and greater satisfaction.

A group of 4-6 faculty members will meet Tuesdays at 10:00 AM beginning the week of June 6, 2022.

  • Session 1: Motivate Yourself and Settle into a Routine
  • Session 2: Set Goals and Set Boundaries
  • Session 3: Turn a Writing Routine into a Writing Ritual
  • Session 4: Get Excited and Stay Calm
  • Session 5: Think of Yourself as a Writer
  • Session 6: Final Follow-up

Focus Fridays

Led by Roxanne Donovan of WellAcademic
All sessions will take place online

A coach-led co-working program that will meet from 12:00–2:30 PM on Fridays from May 17–July 1. Additional, optional co-working sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 12:00–2:00 PM. This program is designed to provide faculty members with dedicated, structured work time and the tools to develop and execute an achievable plan for summer research and writing projects.

Session structure:

  • 12:00–12:20: Mini-Workshop
    Topics might include goal-setting, rebounding from setbacks, etc.
  • 12:20–2:20: Co-Work Time + Group Check-In
    Coach-facilitated, virtual co-working sessions where you can make progress on your summer projects.
  • 2:20–2:30: Q&A/Wrap-Up