On July 22 and 23, eight BU Wheelock doctoral students participated in a two-day writing retreat, led by AACTE Holmes Postdoctoral Fellows Jeana Morrison and Shana Rochester, and faculty members Cathy O’Connor and Michelle Porche.

The retreat, dubbed #WheelockWrites, paired interactive workshops on writing productivity tools, with unstructured blocks of writing time. Prior to the start of the retreat, the doctoral students have submitted works in progress for peer and mentor review; at the retreat, faculty and postdoc fellows delivered their feedback.

“Over the two days, participants really began to connect via the peer review process and group reflection sessions,” the organizers wrote in an email. “These kinds of interactions are invaluable to the doctoral experience.”

O’Connor, who also serves as BU Wheelock’s associate dean of doctoral affairs, spoke about the benefits of bringing this group of students, mentors, and faculty together.

“I think some people began to feel like there were people in the room they could talk to about their work, even after the retreat,” she says. “In my opinion, those social connections can really make a difference in the doctoral experience.”

The #WheelockWrites retreat builds on other recently created events and activities, such as the Doctoral Student Open Forums, that seek to support BU Wheelock’s doctoral students as they join the academic research community.