Return to July 2006 Funded Projects

Creative space: a writing retreat for academics

The aim of the project is to run a writing retreat for a small group of lecturers from the University of Brighton (maximum 18 participants, ideally, one from each School) in order to develop the relationship between personal creativity and academic work, and to explore more creative ways of teaching, researching and writing. The retreat will be modelled on a creative writing retreat, with time for group work, individual writing and personal reflection. Participants will experience a range of exercises and activities aimed at stimulating creativity and developing creative writing skills. The retreat will be framed throughout by academic concerns and the demands of the academic role. Examining the boundary between 'the academic' and 'the creative' will be a core concern and participants will also be asked to consider the following questions:

1. What is your understanding of the creative process and how it relates to your academic work (teaching, research, writing, administration, interactions with students and colleagues)?
2. What blocks your creativity and what enhances it?
3. What is the relationship between academic writing and creative writing?
4. can you encourage creativity in your students?
5. What would the University of Brighton look like as a truly creative environment?

The retreat will be residential, taking place over one evening and two whole days during the Easter vacation 2007. We have provisionally booked Dunford Mill, a dedicated conference centre in the Sussex countryside, where we have secured exclusive use during the retreat period. A residential retreat will introduce participants to the notion of creative space, and the importance of taking 'time out' for reflection and creative rejuvenation during their everyday work. The retreat will provide an intensive introduction to strategies for stimulating creativity and tools for use in academic life.

Participants will keep reflective journals during the retreat. Following the retreat, participants will be encouraged to share excerpts from their journals with colleagues via the project website, to keep an ongoing web journal/blog of their learning since the retreat and to post examples of how they have incorporated their new knowledge into their academic practice. Participants will also be encouraged to share their experiences of the retreat via departmental seminars and university-wide events such as the annual Learning and Teaching conference. The retreat coordinators can collaborate in these sessions, providing 'mini' workshops for other academic staff, if required.

Particpate in a Writing Retreat!