Corridor Writing Retreat Supports Faculty Research

Blue Mountain Lake, NY

As afternoon sun poked through the clouds on a brisk fall day at the Minnowbrook Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake, NY, I jumped up and grabbed my camera to snap some photos of the gorgeous landscape. I quickly expanded my impromptu photo shoot to include all corners of the campus and its facilities. “Why so quiet on this first day of the 2023 Corridor Writing Retreat?” I wondered. But as I meandered from building to building, I began to notice retreat participants already settled in at every available nook, cubby, and desk. And so began another generative retreat in this tranquil setting.

Being uprooted from one’s typical routine can have profound impacts on one’s writing practice, and for the third year running, the Corridor Writing Retreat has provided such an opportunity to participants from across all 11 Corridor institutions. Maura Brady (Le Moyne College) shared enthusiastic feedback. “Meeting new colleagues in the context of a writing retreat was a game-changer. To talk about our writing in a supportive, non-evaluative context (and away from the physical infrastructure of any of our home institutions) made the process of writing less isolating and less pressured.” Carving out a few days’ time in the middle of a busy fall semester helped faculty refocus on their writing and research as a daily priority.

Writing coaches Jennifer Ahern-Dodson and Monique Dufour offered a series of optional group writing sessions and workshops throughout the weekend. Topics ranged from strategies to protect your time to knowing your target audience. According to Martin Shanguhyia (Syracuse University), “the workshops yielded much-needed understanding and an appreciation of how to balance the pursuit of writing while serving multiple roles...” (Read the full Corridor blog post.)