Humanities Institute hosts Writing Studio to foster community, craft
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The myth of the solitary scholar is just that: a myth.
To kick off the fall semester, the Humanities Institute at Arizona State University, in partnership with The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ humanities division; the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (SHPRS); the School of International Letters and Cultures (SILC); and the Department of English, is changing the story by convening community through the Writing Studio.
Beginning Aug. 30, each Friday morning, faculty and graduate students will gather at the Humanities Institute at Ross-Blakley Hall on ASU’s Tempe campus, with many others joining from across the country and from around the world on Zoom. Together, they will work to complete individual projects ranging from dissertation proposals to complete book chapters, op-ed essays and fictional prose.
The Writing Studio is led by Christopher Jones, associate professor of history in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies. Jones has long worked with the professional writing coach Rich Furman to cultivate a strong strategy and intentional approach to accomplishing scholarly writing goals. With the Writing Studio, Jones brings this knowledge to the wider ASU community, helping faculty to expand their publishing enterprise and graduate students to meet their dissertation project milestones.
“(The Writing Studio) provides faculty and graduate students a welcoming space to develop writing projects, learn new habits to overcome writing obstacles, build community and enhance their research,” Jones said.
Crucially, it is the uncommon opportunity to bring students and faculty together to accomplish shared goals in community with one another that most defines the spirit of the series.
PhD candidate Farah Najar Arevalo, a doctoral candidate of innovation in global development in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, said, "I joined the Writing Studio during the writing phase of my master’s applied project. I learned how to set writing habits and that some writing challenges are shared, and we are not alone. Now that I am working on my doctoral dissertation, I am grateful to Dr. Chris Jones and the Humanities Institute team who make this space possible, and I promote it with my school peers over and over like a broken record.”
The summer iteration of the Writing Studio continues a series that meets weekly at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters, and biweekly in May and June. Recent publications developed in the studio have appeared in leading journals in the humanities and humanistic social sciences, including Communication Design Quarterly, the Journal of Applied Psychology, the Quarterly Journal of Speech, and Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance.
Underscoring the Writing Studio’s importance to the mission of the Humanities Institute (HI), Professor of English Ron Broglio said, “HI is thrilled to see the Writing Studio flourish as a space for fostering collaborative scholarly endeavors and for providing valuable support for our faculty and graduate students. Such an investment is underscored by the sustaining support of The College’s division of humanities alongside SHPRS, SILC and (the Department of) English.
"We look forward to seeing the growth and success of the Writing Studio as it continues to empower and inspire.”
The fall 2024 iteration of the Writing Studio meets in person (with a virtual option) every Friday, Aug. 30 through Sept. 27. All are welcome.
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