Yale Center for Teaching and Learning

GWL Writing Retreats and All Writes

The GWL’s writing retreats and all writes offer you a productive, goal-oriented, and community-based writing environment. Counteract the isolation of a long writing project by writing in the company of others. We provide a distraction-free space as well as snacks and meals so you can direct all of your focus toward producing your best work. Structured goal-setting, breaks, and accountability check-ins keep your energy high and help you meet your goals.

What to Expect

Leave the grading, social media, electricians, and grocery lists at home - bring your writing materials, writing supplies, and your focus to our structured group writing sessions! All events begin with group goal-setting, facilitated by a GWL fellow, to help you create realistic time and task-based writing goals for the session. After writing down your goals, you’ll take a few minutes with 1–2 other participants to calibrate your goals before setting off to write. Structured breaks and meals help reenergize you for the next writing session and provide some needed balance. At the end of the event, you’ll revisit your goals, noting which tasks you completed and reflecting on what helped you be productive.

All Write coordinators at grad writing lab retreat

Daylong events called “Writing Retreats” begin with breakfast and break for lunch midway through the day. Half-day events called “All Writes” typically begin with 1.5 hours of writing, followed by a meal, followed by 1.5 hours of writing. Snacks, coffee, tea, and drinks are available throughout all events. Within long stretches of writing, short activity breaks boost your energy and freshen your focus.

Lateness and No-Show Policy

Please plan to arrive five minutes early to claim a writing space and begin setting up. Because we promise a distraction-free space, arrivals more than ten minutes late will not be permitted. A $25 fee will be charged to no-shows to cover food purchased for each participant. If your plans change and you cannot make session for which you have registered, please cancel your registration in YaleConnect at least 24 hours prior to the start of the event.

Yearly Schedule

Writing retreats are all-day writing sessions, with a special weekend retreat at the beginning of each term and a weeklong “Write into Summer” event each May. All writes are half-day events typically offered in a sequence of 3 sessions per cycle during the fall and spring terms.

Upcoming sessions are announced in our weekly newsletter, our Yale Connect site, and on the calendar below.

Past Events in this Series

Title Event Topic Time
Autumn All Writes: November Edition! 11/16, 5-8:30 pm Poorvu Center, 301 York Street, Rooms 120C & 121 Thursday, November 16, 2023 - 5:00pm to 8:30pm
Autumn All Writes: November Edition! 11/8, 5-8:30 pm Poorvu Center, Room 120C & 121 Wednesday, November 8, 2023 - 5:00pm to 8:30pm
Autumn All Writes: November Edition! 11/2, 5-8:30 pm Poorvu Center, 301 York Street, Rooms 121 & 120C Thursday, November 2, 2023 - 5:00pm to 8:30pm
Autumn All Writes: September-October Edition! 10/11, 5-8:30 pm Poorvu Center, 301 York street, Rooms 120B, 120C and 121 Wednesday, October 11, 2023 - 5:00pm to 8:30pm
Fall Weekend Writing Retreat: 10/8, 9 am-5 pm Poorvu Center Sunday, October 8, 2023 - 9:00am to 5:00pm
Fall Weekend Writing Retreat: 10/7, 9 am-5 pm Poorvu Center, 301 York street, Rooms 120A, 120C and 121 Saturday, October 7, 2023 - 9:00am to 5:00pm
Autumn All Writes: September-October Edition! 9/26, 5-8:30 pm Poorvu Center, 301 York street, Rooms 120A, 120B and 121 Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - 5:00pm to 8:30pm
Autumn All Writes: September-October Edition! 9/20, 5-8:30 pm Poorvu Center, 301 York street, rooms 120A, 120B and 121 Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - 5:00pm to 8:30pm
Write into Summer! Friday, May 12th 9am-5pm Poorvu Center, 301 York Street, Rooms 121 & 120C Friday, May 12, 2023 - 9:00am to 5:00pm
Write into Summer! Thursday, May 11th 9am-5pm Poorvu Center, 301 York Street, Rooms 120A & 121 Thursday, May 11, 2023 - 9:00am to 5:00pm