Drs. Michelle Morgan and Julia Troche (Associate Profs., History) participated in the inaugural “Women’s Writing Circle,” one of the FCTL’s Faculty Learning Communities (Fall 2022). Through their consistent attendance and completion of writing goals, Michelle and Julia were eligible to apply for two small grants, which they subsequently were awarded.  They combined their awards to rent out an entire building at the nationally recognized Dairy Hollow Writers’ Colony in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. They decided to ‘share their wealth’ with junior, untenured faculty in CHPA, inviting them for a two-and-a-half-day writing retreat in February 2023.  

The retreat was incredibly productive and a great experience for all involved. It also evinces the importance of faculty setting aside time to dedicate to their research in the face of teaching and service demands, which can often take center stage and feel impossible to break away from during the academic semester. This allowed each faculty member to focus on a wide range of research projects: