Cultivating Wellbeing and Community through Writing in Academia

This book revolutionises our understanding of academic and creative writing processes, exploring how Shut Up and Write sessions transform solitary writing into a powerful tool for community building, personal growth, and enhanced wellbeing. It is invaluable for anyone interested in innovative approaches to supporting writers' wellbeing.

Narelle Lemon is Professor and Vice Chancellor Professorial Research Fellow at Edith Cowan University, Australia, where she leads the Wellbeing and Education Research Community, and is an interdisciplinary scholar across arts, education, and positive psychology. She is also Creative Director of Explore & Create Co. Aaron Bolzle is Co-Founder of Writing Partners and President of its flagship initiative, Shut Up & Write! He also serves as an Innovation Fellow at the Cambridge University ThinkLab, where he collaborates on community-focused initiatives that support connection and wellbeing. Bolzle's work centres on creating inclusive, thriving global writing communities that foster belonging, resilience, and sustainable practice. Under his leadership, Shut Up & Write! has expanded to hundreds of cities and universities in over 60 countries. Malaika Santa Cruz served as a key early team member at Shut Up & Write!, growing the community back when Shut Up & Write! was only a few thousand members across eight chapter cities. A decade later, her operational expertise and dedication to fostering meaningful partnerships has been pivotal in maintaining the inclusive culture as Shut Up & Write! has expanded to hundreds of cities and universities worldwide. Rennie Saunders is the founder and CEO of Shut Up & Write!, a global organization that hosts free writing events for authors worldwide. What began as a personal quest to find creative community in San Francisco has grown into a movement supporting nearly 100,000 writers in over 60 countries. A lifelong science fiction enthusiast who wrote his first story at age 12, Rennie is passionate about providing writers with the resources, community, and accountability they need to succeed.

Section 1: Foundations and Frameworks 1. Where Wellbeing Science Meets Writing Practice: The Intersection of Shut Up & Write! and Self-Care Narelle Lemon 2. SUAW as Anti-Colonial Practice: Embedding Indigenous Settler Relations Graduate Research Training Rebecca Howe, Claire Akhbari, Bianca Williams, and Eleanor Benson 3. Writing in Company: An Online Adaptation for Doctoral Wellbeing Cally Guerin Section 2: SUAW as a Tool for Academic Development and Wellbeing 4. Expanding a Creative Writing Practice to Foster Connection, Wellbeing, and Engagement Across Multiple Disciplines Kristyn Harman, Lucy Christopher, Caylee Tierney, Philippa Moore, Stephanie Richey, and Mandy Pink 5. Supporting Postgraduate Researcher Wellbeing Through Community Writing at the University of Manchester Library Sarah Kneen, Padma Inala, Lily Pearson, Nicola Tomlinson, and Charlotte Evans 6. Shared Goals, Collective Growth: Developing Shut Up and Write Communities of Practice Lyn Lavery and Rebecca George 7. Pomodoro and ePortfolio: An Unlikely but Perfect Pair Claire Bowmer and Dana Bui 8. Community Support: Practical Strategies for Professional Self-Care and Wellbeing Dewi Wahyu Mustikasari, Maslathif Dwi Purnomo, and Anugrah Imani Section 3: SUAW Across Institutional Boundaries 9. Shut Up and Write at Varuna, The National Writers' House Naomi Parry Duncan and Amy Sambrooke 10. Shutting up and staying well: reflections on community, belonging and mattering from SUAW Exeter Kelly Louise Preece and Jo Sutherst 11. SUAW & Creating Inclusive Student Learning Communities Sian Robinson Section 4: Innovative Approaches to SUAW for Wellbeing 12. Writing Together Online: A history of online SUAW in the southern hemisphere Katherine Firth 13. Writing 'alone together' in a nourishing and supportive online environment Andi Salamon, Natalie Thompson, and Belinda Downey 14. The time of our lives: SUAW as a space for academic writing wellbeing Abigail Winter, Jenna Gillett-Swan, Naomi Barnes, Catherine Challen, Keri Freeman, Danielle Gordon, Tessa Rixon, Tom Long, Zoe Mellick, Jane Turner, Alethea Blackler, Julie Arnold, Cassandra Cross, Nicole Vickery, Stine Johansen, David Pyle, Emily Woodman-Pieterse, Dannielle Tarlinton 15. Sprinting towards academic writing wellbeing: Reflections from a care-full and compassionate Friday writing community Abigail Winter, Jenna Gillett-Swan, Deanna Grant-Smith, Francis Bobongie-Harris, Michelle Jeffries, Sophia Mavropoulou 16. Fear of a Blank Page: Discovering My Writing Superpowers in a Two-Day Pomodoro Writing Workshop Nadezhda Chubko 17. The HDR Writer's Wellbeing Lounge: A Community-Driven Approach to Enhancing Writing Productivity and Wellbeing for higher degree research students Natasha Kitano, Dr Owen Forbes, Dr Kirsten Baird-Bate 18. Connection, Momentum, and Growth: Exploring the Benefits and Challenges of 'Shut Up & Research' for Researcher Wellbeing Annalise Roache, Jane George, Lisa M. Baker