Is this course right for me?

Target Audience: For academics, researchers, and knowledge exchange staff looking for protected time and space to work on writing.

Sometimes, we all need a chance to break away from our normal routine. A writing retreat is the perfect opportunity to spend some concentrated time on your writing. 

This is led by Strathclyde's Power Hour of Writing (PHOW) team and is based on PHOW structure of goal setting, writing, and celebration.  

Power Hour of Writing was created by Dr Stephanie Zihms, currently at Glasgow Caledonian University, and is designed to help researchers carve out protected time for writing, foster a sense of community, and celebrate progress together. This hour is yours to write without distractions, whether you’re drafting a grant proposal or finishing your thesis. There will then be a chance to network over some hot drinks and mince pies.  

For more information about the Power Hour of Writing, see their website. 

This is a joint initiative between the Researcher Development Teams for postgraduate researchers and research staff to foster a supportive and inclusive environment.

The evidence it works 

Dr Stephanie Zihms (Glasgow Caledonian University) and Dr Clare Reid Mackie (University of the West of Scotland) found that researchers attending the Power Hour of Writing reported greater writing-related confidence, an improved sense of belonging within academic communities, and felt the initiative enabled them to legitimise time writing (Zihms and Mackie, 2023).  

In-person summer retreat event details 

Date: Thursday 9 July 2026

Time: 10.00 - 16.00 

Location: Doctoral training room, TIC 721

Agenda (subject to change):

10.00 - 11.20 First writing cycle

11.20 - 12.30 Second writing cycle

12.30 - 13.20 Lunch

13.20 - 14.40 Third writing cycle

14.40 - 16.00 Last writing cycle

Additional information: please remember to bring your own lunch

References 

Zihms, S.G. and Mackie, C.R., 2023. The Power Hour of Writing: An empirical evaluation of our online writing community. Journal of Academic Writing, 13(1), pp.22-34

Accessibility

The session is being held in room TC721 of the TIC Building. Before attending the session, please contact staffcards@strath.ac.uk to request TIC level 7 access is added to your staff card.

Please sign in either with reception, or using the machines on your right as you enter TIC, on arrival. To access room TC721 you can take the lift to level 7 and use your staff card on the swipe pad for the doors immediately to your left. Once through those doors, room TC721 is the second door on the corridor and requires swipe access. If you have any issues, please speak to reception staff who will be able to help.

On-campus activity

• Full access information for the venue is available via AccessAble 
• Hybrid provision is not available 
• There will be audience participation
• There will be multiple breaks
• You do not need to stay for the whole session
• The session is relaxed – this means you can stretch, move around, stim etc.
• Please contact osdu-equity@strath.ac.uk to discuss any further access requirements

Prerequisites