Speakers

 

Spring 2025 Guest Speaker Dr Katherine Firth:

Dr Katherine Firth has been developing research writers for over 15 years. A co-founder of the award-winning Thesis Bootcamp program, she maintains a writing blog Research Degree Insiders. She is a Senior Lecturer in Research Education Development at La Trobe University. Katherine is co-author of the books How to Fix your Academic Writing Trouble (Open University Press 2018), Your PhD Survival Guide (Routledge 2020) and Level Up your Essays (New South 2021). Her new book is Writing Well and Being Well for Your PhD and Beyond (Routledge 2023). https://katherinefirth.net/

 

Each spring semester, FAWN hosts a writing workshop led by nationally recognized writing coaches. Workshops provide dedicated writing time, organizational help, and discipline-specific support to increase writing productivity.

Past Speakers

Writing Well and Being Well  

Good writing can be tough, challenging, exciting and critical. Good writing can also be generous, ethical, elegant and accurate. Wellbeing need not be yet another thing to add to your day, or something to balance out the troubles of writing. Instead, sometimes wellbeing can be an integral part of efficient, effective, scholarly and sustainable writing practices. This workshop draws from my new book Writing Well and Being Well that integrates mindfulness, movement, writing tools and reflection for every stage of the writing cycle. Suitable for undergraduates, graduates, and researchers at every level.

 

May 20, 9-12pm Atlantic City Campus 

Physical wellbeing focus

Find what works for your body, your brain and your life, to support your research and writing.

  • Settling into your body and workspace
  • Stretches and movement for writers
  • Ergonomics / setting up your desk and office for productive writing
  • Rest breaks and how to use them
  • Celebration dance party
  • Q&A

1-3pm Bootcamp and 30-minute one-on-one editing/coaching session with Dr Firth

May 21, 9-12pm Hammonton Campus

Positive and balanced approaches to writing

Academic writing is hard but it needn’t be damaging. Explore positive techniques and mindsets to help you feel better while writing.

  • Visualising your goals
  • Washing up to do the washing up
  • Writing with others
  • Positive boundaries
  • Feeling better about feedback
  • Gratitude practice for your writing (and community)
  • Q&A

1-3pm Bootcamp and 30-minute one-on-one editing/coaching session with Dr Firth