GradsWrite
Writing Accountability Groups
The Writing Center, in collaboration with the MU Graduate School, will now host GradsWrite writing groups, open to graduate students at Mizzou who are currently working on a long-term writing project, particularly dissertations and theses!
What they are: GradsWrite groups provide a shared space to help graduate students accomplish their writing goals in a supportive setting. Groups will meet weekly (in person or on Zoom) for 2-hour sessions over 14 weeks during the semester and focus on helping graduate students set and meet writing goals on long-term writing projects, such as dissertations, with an emphasis on accountability and support.
When they are: Weekly, beginning August 26 – December 5 (except week of Fall Break)
Where they are: Face-to-face locations and Zoom
Who they are for: MU Graduate students working on writing dissertations/theses, conference papers, articles for publication or other long-term writing projects who would benefit from weekly accountability and support.
How to register: Please fill out the application via MU Engage here.
Please note: Groups will meet to share, update, revise, and plan weekly goals; no general writing instruction will be provided to the group.
GradsWork
Drop-In Writing/Working Space for Grad Students
Separate from the GradsWrite Accountability Sessions above, the Writing Center, in collaboration with the MU Graduate School, will also host weekly drop-in work sessions (with one session per month on Saturday). These sessions are open to any graduate student at Mizzou, working on any project, for whom a quiet space to work in community with other graduate students would be helpful. Coffee & snacks provided.
What they are: GradsWork Sessions are quiet spaces to bring current works in progress and to work in community with other graduate writers. We will invite participants to share goals at the beginning of the session, then work quietly and independently for the duration of the session. We will invite participants to report progress and/or future goals at the end of the session.
When they are: Every Monday night, 5pm-8pm
& select Saturdays, 9am-12pm (click here for list of dates)
Where they are: Writing Center in the Student Success Center (1st floor)
Who they are for: Graduate students working on writing dissertations/theses, assignments for coursework, conference proposals/papers, article drafts or revisions, or even those needing to focus on the classes they are teaching or for which they serve as a TA. All writers and all projects are welcome.
How to register: No registration necessary for Monday night sessions. Please do pre-register for Saturday morning writing sessions here.
Please note: GradsWork sessions are quiet spaces to work in community with other graduate writers; no general writing instruction will be provided at the sessions.
Thesis & Dissertation Formatting Workshops
The Writing Center will host 3 thesis and dissertation formatting workshops in Fall 2024.
What they are: These workshops will walk graduate writers through the formatting guidelines from the MU Graduate School and will demonstrate how to set up the thesis/dissertation document according to those guidelines. Participants should plan to bring their own laptops and documents and should already have Microsoft Word downloaded to their device.
When & Where: Thursday, October 31, 1:00pm – 3:00pm in Townsend Hall 111F, and
Tuesday, November 5, 1:00pm – 3:00pm on Zoom,
Tuesday, November 19, 5:00pm – 7:00pm on Zoom.
How to register: Please register for the workshops on MU Engage at this link.
Who they are for: This workshop is intended for advanced dissertators or thesis writers with documents ready to format. Participants should plan to bring their own laptops and documents and should already have Microsoft Word downloaded to their device.
Please note: As the focus for this workshop is formatting, no writing instruction will be provided.
Getting Started: Teaching & Research Statements
The Writing Center, in collaboration with the MU Graduate School, will host a multi-part presentation and workshop series focused on Teaching and Research Statements. The Getting Started presentation will focus on introducing graduate students to teaching and research statements, their purposes, their differences, and their potential drafting processes.
The secondary component will be offered in Spring 2025 and will focus on workshopping your current drafts of these documents.
When & Where: Tuesday, November 12 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm in Townsend 111F (Grad Hub).
How to register: Please register for this presentation on MU Engage.
Who Should Attend: Graduate students new to teaching and research statements who need general information about the documents or are struggling with getting started creating them.
Finals Week Writing Retreat
*Please note our new location below!*
The Writing Center, in collaboration with the MU Graduate School, will host a Finals Week Writing Retreat. This is an extension of our GradsWork weekly sessions, above. Lunch is provided to the registrants. We do ask that attendees pre-register at our link below, and are able to commit to the full writing day.
When it is: Monday, December 9, 2024, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Where it is: Conley House
Who it is for: Any graduate student that would benefit from writing/working in a quiet environment with a community of other graduate students!
How to register: Please register for the writing retreat on MU Engage.
Please note: This retreat, like our GradsWork Sessions, are quiet spaces to work in community with other graduate writers; no general writing instruction will be provided at the sessions.
Other Writing Events
The Counseling Center is offering “Mindful Writing Workshops“ every other Wednesday from 12-1pm for tips and tricks on how to write with more focus and less stress.
The Campus Writing Program is offering “Learn & Write Retreats” where students can learn about different writing elements before having quiet time to write.