October 2024 saw the 4th edition of the CNY Humanities Corridor’s annual writing retreat on the Syracuse University Minnowbrook campus on Blue Mountain Lake in the Adirondacks. From an initial pool of 76 applicants, we hosted 33 scholars over a beautiful and sunny autumn weekend. With clear night skies, many attendees caught a glimpse of both Comet A3 with its long tail as well as the Milky Way.

Participant Sarah Marlowe (University of Rochester) perfectly summed up the experience, “This retreat was exactly what I hoped it would be. It was productive: I was able to complete revisions for an article that has been accepted for publication, and it was nice to be able to dedicate a good amount of time toward completing that in a space where I could focus carefully on detailed editing. It was also restorative. The weather certainly contributed to this, but it was such a treat to be able to stay and work in such a beautiful natural setting.” Marlowe also enjoyed the opportunity to meet faculty from other Corridor institutions, even connecting with scholars who work in adjacent fields. “We might end up working together in a future working group given our shared interests,” she added .

Ryan Overbey (Skidmore College) reflected, “I got SO MUCH DONE and emerged with a renewed sense of energy and urgency around my research.”

Speaking to the positive community experience, S. Ani Mukherji (Hobart and William Smith Colleges) said he “had excellent conversations and learned so much from several people working adjacent to but not directly in my field or research area. I love that I got to talk to people about my work who weren't in the weeds with me. It let me see my projects from outside.”

Retreat facilitators, Jennifer Ahern-Dodson (Duke University) and Monique Dufour (University of Virginia), offered a variety of workshops and one-on-one consultations aimed at writing practice and balancing writing with academic workloads. “It was fun to try [a writing technique] alongside so many silently studious writing partners,” offered Eliza Kent (Skidmore College).

Andrea Bachner (Cornell University) shared, “I am a bit of a skeptic re: writing advice; but the workshops were incredibly helpful. I really appreciated the uplifting attitude of the two coaches; the fact that they were working and dialoguing with us (not trying to push methods on us), that they were engaging with our work, too; and that they were just fun, energizing, down-to-earth.”

Minnowbrook’s location on scenic Blue Mountain Lake also provided its own relaxing respite. One Cornell University faculty member noted how “a weekend away from childcare gave me extended time to focus that I never get while at home. Also, being in a separate location made it possible to take extended work time over the entire day. I was able to complete more writing than I can normally do in several weeks.”

Our post-retreat survey feedback is always a pleasure to read each year, and the following were frequently recurring themes from participants:

  • Uplifting, restorative, generative, helpful, inspiring, enriching.
  • Progress, energy, opportunity, shared interests, shared purpose.
  • Beautiful, happy place, no distractions, without interruptions.

The Corridor plans to continue hosting this fall retreat on an annual basis to support faculty writing and research in a supportive, community environment. Applications open in late November each year with a deadline in mid-January.

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