Join us for something special!
Our monthly WriteSPACE Special Event series features an array of international guests discussing writing and wordcraft with WriteSPACE founder Helen Sword. In most cases, the first hour of each two-hour event is FREE for all registered participants, while the writing workshop in the second hour is reserved for WriteSPACE members.
Scroll down to register for our next Special Event and to browse our back catalogue — and don’t forget to sign up for Helen’s free newsletter to stay in touch about upcoming events.
Special Event Series
Open beach house 2025
Jan 28 & 29
Experience the magic of Island Time, WriteSPACE founder Helen Sword’s annual writing retreat on beautiful Waiheke Island in Aotearoa New Zealand. Helen will take you on a quick tour of her gorgeous retreat venue at Palm Beach, followed by a 30-minute workshop designed to help you shift your own writing practice into the productive, pleasurable space of “retreat mode” — not just during high summer on a South Pacific island, but anywhere, any time.
This FREE one-hour Special Event will be offered twice during the last week of January, to accommodate participants anywhere in the world:
● 8-9 am GMT on Tuesday January 28 (London time)
● 3-4 pm EST on Wednesday January 29 (New York time)
To find the best time in your own time zone, check out our guest calendar or use this handy time zone converter.
Register below to receive the Zoom link a few hours before the first session. Can’t attend live? All registered participants will be sent a link to the video recording after the event.
We’d love to see you there!
Past Special Events
Full videos of all events are available in the WriteSPACE Library. Join today for unlimited access!
December 2024
A tantalizing taste of tarot magic with ScholarShape founder Margy Thomas.
November 2024
Savvy strategies for skyrocketing your publishing profile with prolific scholar John Dumay.
October 2024
A scintillating dissection of stylish sentences with "Stunning Sentences" author Nina Schuyler.
September 2024
A sparkling session on finding your own sweet spot between solitary writing and community support.
July 2024
A playful panoply of prompts to help you structure
your writing (and your writing life).
June 2024
An Alpine idyll transporting you into the lush landscape of Helen’s annual Swiss writing retreat.
May 2024
A diagnostic delight demonstrating how to become a power user of the Writer’s Diet Test.
April 2024
Noteworthy news for neurodiverse writers in academe with educational developer Eirini Tzouma.
March 2024
Propitious ponderings with platform expert Sarah Fay on how scholars can and do thrive on Substack.
February 2024
A serendipitous stroll across a beautiful island, hosted live from Helen’s Island Time writing retreat.
November 2023
A riveting romp through the notetaking processes of famous writers with ‘Noted’ author Jillian Hess.
October 2023
A psychological thrill ride on writing and risktaking with risk-embracing author and criminologist David R. Goyes.
September 2023
A crackling conversation on GenAI writing tools with Harvard Writing Center director Jane Rosenzweig.
July 2023
An exploratory tour of the WriteSPACE membership areas, followed by a dynamic Live Writing Studio session.
June 2023
An illuminating glimpse behind the scenes at Helen’s Mountain Rise writing retreat in the Swiss Alps.
May 2023
A power trip with rainbow-haired author Michele di Pietro on using the chakras to navigate the writing process.
April 2023
A well of wisdom on “Writing & Wellbeing” tapped by best-selling author and writing expert Sophie Nicholls.
March 2023
A perspicuous panel discussion with authors from Princeton University Press’s “Skills for Scholars” series.
February 2023
An ebullient book launch celebrating the publication of Helen Sword’s new book, Writing with Pleasure.
January 2022
A spellbinding spin on the Writer’s Diet, Helen’s magical recipe for curing sleepwalking verbs and zombie nouns.
December 2022
A colorful tour of Helen’s new Artist*Academic website with co-conspiritors Amy Lewis & Peter O’Connor.
November 2022
An empathetic exploration of "Writing & Community” with Max Orsini, editor of a new book on writing centers.
September 2022
A deep dive into “Writing & Deep Practice” with productivity guru Patricia Goodson.
June 2022
A riveting exchange on “Writing and Social Media” with prolific “Patter” blogger Pat Thomson.
May 2022
An erudite conversation on “Writing & Rationality” with author and experimental psychologist Steven Pinker.
April 2022
A playful, practical tour of “Digital Writing Tools” with innovative website creator Evija Trofimova.
March 2022
An unmissable masterclass on “Writing to Connect” with legendary musician and author Amanda Palmer.
November 2021
Well-grounded guidance on academic writing guides from Scholarly Communications podcaster Daniel Shea.
October 2021
Beautiful insights on “Writing & Beauty” with Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and deep thinker Douglas Hofstadter.
September 2021
Winning wisdom on “How to Fix Your Writing Problems” from Inger Mewburn, aka The Thesis Whisperer.
August 2021
Grant-worthy advice on “Writing for Writing Grants” from experienced senior academic Karim Khan.
July 2021
A globe-spanning gathering on “Gathering to Write” with Tzipora Razedon (Tel Aviv) and Patricia Goodson (Texas).
June 2021
A spellbinding discussion on how creative and intuitive practices can guide your big new ideas into the world.
June 2021
Join a panel of experts on arts-based education to learn how how arts-based practices can enrich your writing.
April 2021
In times of uncertainty and existential anxiety, how do we keep our writing going? Join us for this conversation and workshop.
April 2021
Prompt your students — and yourself! — to write more critically and creatively with Smudge Skittle, an open-ended card game.
Main image credit: Paper collage by Helen Sword featuring cover art from Student Writing Tutors in Their Own Words