To provide a quiet place to write and foster creativity, Queen’s University is hosting its first Faculty Writing Retreat on Friday, Dec. 11.

A day-long event at the Donald Gordon Conference Centre, the retreat will feature panel discussions and presentations along with with long blocks of uninterrupted writing time.

One of the faculty members taking part is Michael Pratt, Associate Professor and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Law. As an associate dean, Dr. Pratt adds, he has little time for much writing, so being able to devote a full day to the pursuit is an exciting prospect.

“I want to learn what I can about writing more efficiently; about writing smarter,” Dr. Pratt says. “I think this is an ideal time for me to stand back and ask whether the way I have been approaching the writing process for almost 20 years might benefit from some fine-tuning. Ruts are a danger in academe as in all domains of life, and I am excited to have the opportunity to hear from some of my more prolific colleagues about how they approach the writing game.”

His main area of research is contract law, and the philosophy of contracts, where he “explores the grounds upon which the state might be said to be justified in enforcing people to perform their contractual promises.” 

Dr. Pratt is also a Research Mentor for the social sciences, arts and humanities at Queen’s – a role that promotes a culture of research intensity and collaboration for those within those academic communities.

Two panels focused on different aspects of academic writing will be held, featuring Queen’s professors Gauvin Bailey, Wendy Craig and Stéfanie von Hlatky in the morning and Nicholas Bala, John Kirby, David Lyon and Pamela Murphy in the afternoon. During the writing sessions, writing strategists Maureen Garvie and Susan Korba will be available for individual consultations on papers and the writing process. Grants advisors will also be on hand to provide input to those creating proposals.

The Faculty Writing Retreat is sponsored by: Faculty of Arts and Science; Smith School of Business; Faculty of Education; Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science; Faculty of Health Sciences; Faculty of Law; Office of the Vice-Principal (Research); and the Office of Post-Doctoral Training (School of Graduate Studies).