Geography Workshop Productions presents 5 (not 3 due to popular demand!) x 2-day virtual scholarly retreats across the months of May, June and July to facilitate collegial virtual space for colleagues undertaking scholarly research across fields of historical geography, cultural geography and history.
Open to scholars across all stages of their careers, the intention of these virtual scholarly retreats is to create inclusive and practical collegial time through which collective community can virtually support one another in achieving scholarly goals that the global pandemic will have stalled or halted..
From undergraduates wishing to have focused revision time, to those planning, undertaking and writing up their dissertations, to doctoral researchers finishing chapters of their thesis to independent and institutionally based academics wishing to give themselves focused research / reading and writing time in the company (or not) of fellow disciplinary scholars, these events are organised as a practical way to connect with a scholarly community while working on individual goals.
The 5 x 2-day #GW_VSR2021 #VirtualScholarlyRetreat will be held on :
17th – 18th, and 24 – 25th May,
14th – 15th, and 21st – 22nd June
and
19th – 20th July 2021.
Each session consists of two days of 10 x 50 minute sessions. Delegates are invited to join in as much or as little as they are able to find collegial support while they work.
Depending upon the needs of the delegates there are two options available for joining the Virtual Scholarly Retreats. These are:
- Join in virtually, for free ( for those taking part who can afford to, donations welcomed via Geography Workshop’s Ko-Fi page), share your progress as much or as little as you wish via a twitter community @geo_workshop #GW_VSR2021 #VirtualScholarlyRetreat and manage your own time.
- Join in (with differentiated suggested paid donation as per circumstances) to work in real-time with colleagues from around the world via Zoom (Register via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/geography-workshop-presents-virtual-scholarly-retreats-2021-tickets-153223267919 )
A general list of hints and tips on preparing for these #VirtualScholarlyRetreat is freely available to all potential delegates below with general organisational preparations needed before you begin.
For those joining via Zoom, there will be opportunity to chat and connect in real time with others in the scheduled break-times throughout the sessions. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions via the Chat function on Zoom.
These #VirtualScholarlyRetreat sessions have developed from Geography Workshop’s Sunday Scholarly Writing Sessions which have enabled historical geographers, cultural geographers and historians from around the globe to virtually gather to write regularly in the company of one another during lockdowns, and from which it was unanimously decided that virtual scholarly retreats would facilitate more focused work at a time of the academic year where the possibility of advancing on scholarly plans might be possible.
As with the #SundayScholarlyWritingSessions, those who join via Zoom, monies donated to join sessions will go to support the work of Geography Workshop whose independent production works have been hit badly during the global COVID pandemic. 20% of donations will be shared equally between our chosen humanities charities of #BlackCurriculum and #ArtsEmergency in order to ally and further Geography Workshop’s values of creating space and opportunity for a future supporting humanities researchers and cultural practitioners from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.
If you would like to donate to the work of Geography Workshop and its chosen charities, please do so here: https://ko-fi.com/geographyworkshop
Timetable for Geography Workshop’s Virtual Scholarly Retreats and handy hints and tips to prepare for your #Virtual Scholarly Retreat(s)
Each of the two days have a tight schedule of 10 x 50 minute sessions with scheduled breaks in between.
It is hoped that wherever you are in the world, you will be able to join in for some of these sessions with other scholarly practitioners working in a similar research field to yourself.
Please see below for the session times and consider how you might be able to join in and plan your virtual scholarly retreat
Day 1
| Session | Timezone: UK (GMT) | Timezone: Hong Kong (+8hr GMT) | Timezone: Europe (CET +1 hr GMT) | Timezone: EST (-5hr GMT) |
| 1 | 09:30 – 10:20 | 17:30 – 18:20 | 10:30 – 11:20 | 04:30 – 05:20 |
| 2 | 10:30 – 11:20 | 18:30 – 19:20 | 11:30 – 12:20 | 05:30 – 06:20 |
| 3 | 11:30 – 12:20 | 19:30 – 20:20 | 12:30 – 13:20 | 06:30 – 07:20 |
| Refreshment break 1 | ||||
| 4 | 13:00 – 13:50 | 21:00 – 21:50 | 14:00 – 14:50 | 08:00 – 08:50 |
| 5 | 14:00 – 14:50 | 22:00 – 22:50 | 15:00 – 15:50 | 09:00 – 09:50 |
| 6 | 15:00 – 15:50 | 23:00 – 23:50 | 16:00 – 16:50 | 10:00 – 10:50 |
| 7 | 16:00 – 16:50 | 00:00 – 00:50 | 17:00 – 17:50 | 11:00 – 11:50 |
| Refreshment break 2 | ||||
| 8 | 19:00 – 19:50 | 03:00 – 03:50 | 20:00 – 20:50 | 14:00 – 14:50 |
| 9 | 20:00 – 20:50 | 04:00 – 04:50 | 21:00 – 21:50 | 15:00 – 15:50 |
| 10 | 21:00 – 21:50 | 05:00 – 05:50 | 22:00 – 22:50 | 16:00 – 16:50 |
Day 2
| Session | Timezone: UK (GMT) | Timezone: Hong Kong (+8hr GMT) | Timezone: Europe (CET +1 hr GMT) | Timezone: EST (-5hr GMT) |
| 1 | 09:30 – 10:20 | 17:30 – 18:20 | 10:30 – 11:20 | 04:30 – 05:20 |
| 2 | 10:30 – 11:20 | 18:30 – 19:20 | 11:30 – 12:20 | 05:30 – 06:20 |
| 3 | 11:30 – 12:20 | 19:30 – 20:20 | 12:30 – 13:20 | 06:30 – 07:20 |
| Refreshment break 1 | ||||
| 4 | 13:00 – 13:50 | 21:00 – 21:50 | 14:00 – 14:50 | 08:00 – 08:50 |
| 5 | 14:00 – 14:50 | 22:00 – 22:50 | 15:00 – 15:50 | 09:00 – 09:50 |
| 6 | 15:00 – 15:50 | 23:00 – 23:50 | 16:00 – 16:50 | 10:00 – 10:50 |
| 7 | 16:00 – 16:50 | 00:00 – 00:50 | 17:00 – 17:50 | 11:00 – 11:50 |
| Refreshment break 2 | ||||
| 8 | 19:00 – 19:50 | 03:00 – 03:50 | 20:00 – 20:50 | 14:00 – 14:50 |
| 9 | 20:00 – 20:50 | 04:00 – 04:50 | 21:00 – 21:50 | 15:00 – 15:50 |
| 10 | 21:00 – 21:50 | 05:00 – 05:50 | 22:00 – 22:50 | 16:00 – 16:50 |
Once you know how many sessions you will be able to dedicate to your #VirtualScholarlyRetreat, consider your overall goal. What is it you wish to achieve by the end of your retreat?
This virtual retreat is entirely self-directed. You get to decide what you work on, so how you use your time is entirely up to you. Some suggestions for how you use the time are:
- Editing a piece of writing
- Starting a piece of writing
- Reading you need to complete before beginning a writing project
- Collating notes
- Compiling index, cross-checking references, formatting or structuring a piece of writing, e.g. chapter for a book, chapter for a thesis, etc.
- Focused revision time if you are preparing for end of year examinations.
Whatever it is you choose to work on, whether it is one piece of writing or consolidating the completion of a couple of pieces of writing, please ensure you set yourself achievable end of retreat goals so you are able to tangibly see progress you have made.
Each session is 50 minutes in duration. It is entirely up to you how you plan to use these sessions, but it is suggested that you divide your goal into a number of tasks that equate to the number of sessions you will be attending. Breaking down your goal into smaller tasks will help you incrementally work towards it and enable you to monitor and account for your progress. An outline sheet to log your progress can be found at the end of this document.
Be realistic about what you can achieve in the time available: It might be to read a paper or a chapter of a book. It might be to structure ideas you want to write about in subsequent sessions. It might be going through a particular set of resources or documents. Be clear about what it is you want to achieve given the time you are able to dedicate to your virtual retreat.
Remember, this can be made as intensive as you need it to be. If you need to take a few sessions out to do other things or take a break, that is fine. Whatever you need to support your goals.
While it might seem obvious, it is important you have all the material you need for each session with you in order that you might maximise the use of each session. Should you be focusing on writing, please ensure you have all the materials you need to prepare yourself to write.
It is recommended that in addition to preparing the work materials you will need to hand for these sessions, you also prepare yourself refreshments before the sessions begin so that you have food and drink handy to nourish you as you work. Sessions are held on a Monday and a Tuesday in the hope that you will be able to food prep for the two days on the weekend before.
There is a ten-minute break between each session. Please try to ensure you use this time for refreshment breaks where possible. Stretch your legs, get some air so that you are able to return to the next session. It is advised that if you plan to attend both full days that you meal prep beforehand to ensure you have to hand the food and drink you will need to sustain you as you work.
If you elect to join the Zoom version of the #VirtualScholarlyRetreat, please bear in mind that it is encouraged for accountability purposes that we keep screens on where possible. It is entirely optional, but in previously run writing sessions, delegates have found it conducive to see how others work. There is a sense of collective accountability and collegial support. It is however, entirely optional.
#VirtualScholarlyRetreat – Planning documents
We have prepared planning documents to support your #VirtualScholarlyRetreat. Please find these in the document links below.
Good luck with you scholarly endeavours!
Love, Geography Workshop x
If you have any further questions or enquiries please contact Jo at info@geographyworkshop.com