On Friday, September 18, 2026, the Graduate School and Writing Center hosted the 3rd Annual Write On! Retreat for Graduate Students. Each year, during Weeks of Welcome, the Graduate School partners with the Writing Center to host a writing retreat for all graduate students to build their skills as writers, connect with fellow graduate students, and spend time writing.
Prof. Jill Christman, Professor of Creative Writing, delivered this year’s keynote address, “Curiosity, Close Observation, and the Habits of Writing” to open participants up to new possibilities in their own writing. Sharing tactics for dedicating adequate time for writing and identifying as a writer, Christman offered valuable insights steeped in her experience as a creative writer, director of Ball State’s Writer-in-Residence Program, and senior editor for River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative and Beautiful Things (a weekly online magazine).
Led by Dr. Charlotte Kupsh, Director of the Writing Center, Dr. Kat Greene, Associate Director of the Writing Center, and Dr. Robin Phelps-Ward, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, the retreat offered breakfast, lunch, free swag, and an opportunity for graduate students to connect and write. To support attendees’ learning about writing and resources available, students heard from a variety of campus offices (e.g., University Libraries, Disability Services, and Student Success Coaching) through lightning presentations and had the opportunity to participate in sessions about time-management, finding your voice as a writer, and self-care. Through a choose-your-own-adventure format tailored to individual writing needs, participants engaged in structured writing time and picked up a range of strategies. One attendee shared in a post-event feedback survey that they appreciated the “sense of community, the honesty of the speakers, and the advice that was given.”
Throughout the retreat, students had the option of attending breakout sessions to learn from facilitators or taking advantage of two dedicated writing spaces — a social writing space or a focused quiet room. Higher education doctoral student, Anuoluwapo Bankole said: “The Write On retreat was exactly what I needed to refresh and recenter myself as a young writer. I learned from both seasoned writers and peers. Most of all, it was reassuring to see that I am not alone on my writing journey.”
