UMass Boston

The Writing Center organizes writing groups for students. These are accountability writing groups, designed to provide UMass Boston students from any discipline and at any stage of their studies with time and space to work on their writing in the company of others. We define writing broadly, so writing groups can be used to work on research, creative writing, reading for class, studying, data analysis, revision, brainstorming, drafting, reading, and any other part of the writing process. We start each writing group with a short goal-setting conversation and wrap up by celebrating our accomplishments. Since these are accountability writing groups, participants don’t exchange writing, instead, we work independently. The writing groups provide accountability and community. Learn more below or visit our events page for more information on our current writing group offerings. 

We host graduate writing retreats to help graduate students commit to regular writing and build community with fellow students. Information about upcoming retreats will be posted on this page and on our events page. 

Summer 2023 Graduate Student Writing Retreats 

Writing retreats are meant to help graduate students, especially those working on master’s thesis and dissertations, make the most of their summer by establishing and maintaining a regular writing routine. We ask participants to commit to attending all three days of the retreat. Registration is required as space is limited. 

Pre-Semester Graduate Writing Retreat: 

Tuesday, August 22nd, Wednesday, August 23rd, and Thursday, August 24th, from 9am-3pm. University Hall Room 2130 & on Zoom.

UMass Boston MA and PhD students are invited to join this pre-semester retreat designed to provide structure and community as you work to complete your summer writing goals for your thesis/dissertation (or other writing projects) and prepare for the fall. Each day, we’ll set goals, write in community, and share progress. No writing will be exchanged—rather, we’ll work independently to make progress toward meeting our individual writing priorities. We're also offering three optional workshops; our topics will be Planning Your Retreat (Tuesday), Revision Strategies (Wednesday), and Creating a Strategic Plan for the Fall (Thursday). Participants who opt not to attend the workshops are encouraged to stay and use the time to work on their writing.

Register for the pre-semester graduate writing retreat. 

Fall 2024 Undergraduate and Graduate Writing Group: 

We’re offering an accountability writing group for graduate and undergraduate students that meets in person and on zoom. We meet from 10am-12:30pm every Monday in Campus Center, fourth floor, room 4201 and on Zoom. The first session is September 18, and the last session will be December 11.

Please register to attend. You only need to register once, and you’ll receive an email with more information and the zoom link ahead of the writing group. Participants don’t have to attend every writing group nor stay the whole time. These writing groups are meant to work around your schedule, so come and go as you’re able.