Graduate Writing Retreat
Writing in Relation: From PPS&Q to Publication A Graduate Writing Retreat & Publication Pathway Hosted by Racialized Graduate Student Collective of the Faculty of Education, Memorial University
About the Retreat
This is more than a workshop — it is a collective research journey. Designed for MA (thesis route), PhD students, and final-year undergraduates preparing for graduate studies, this retreat guides participants through the process of developing their Problem, Purpose, Significance & Questions (PPS&Q) while grounding their work in de/colonial and creative praxis.
The end goal: Every participant will develop a journal-ready academic paper that can be submitted for publication in an academic journal.
This retreat is structured in three phases:
- Phase 1: Online Foundations – learn and draft your PPS&Q
- Phase 2: The Wilds Retreat – deepen your methodology, workshop your writing, and reframe through de/colonial lensesPhase 3: Winter Wisdom Circle – share your completed paper and receive feedback from peers and a faculty Wisdom Circle
Phase 1 – Online Foundations
Date: October 15 from 7 pm to 8.30 pm (Virtual)
Facilitator: Dr. Cecile Badenhorst
Graduate Assistants:
What You’ll Do
- Understand PPS&Q as the seed of your research paper
- Frame your research through de/colonial and anti-colonial perspectives
- Reflect critically on AI in research design (supports, risks, ethics)
- Begin drafting your PPS&Q with guided prompts
Homework: Complete a draft PPS&Q to bring to The Wilds.
Phase 2 – In-Person Retreat at The Wilds Resort
Dates: Friday, October 24 – Saturday, October 25, 2025
Location: The Wilds Resort (outside St. John’s)
Facilitators: Dr Beth Tuinstra, Dr Cecile Badenhorst, Dr Erica Hurley, Dr Jan Buley and Dr. Paul Adeji
Graduate Assistants:
This immersive two-day retreat offers time away from campus to write, reflect, and grow your research in community.
Highlights
- Mapping Roots & Routes: tracing what shaped your research
- Decolonizing Research Methodologies: Indigenous, feminist, de/colonial approaches
- Creative/Decolonial Methodologies: art-based, land-based, and poetic inquiry
- Story Circles & Peer Feedback: sharing, listening, and refining in supportive circles
- Closing Rituals: collective commitments to sustaining community & publication goals
Outcome: You leave with a revised and reframed PPS&Q that anchors your future journal article.
Phase 3 – Winter Wisdom Circle
Date: Winter 2026 (TBC)
Facilitators: Dr Beth Tuinstra, Dr Cecile Badenhorst, Dr Erica Hurley, Dr Jan Buley and Dr. Paul Adeji
Graduate Assistants:
This final phase is about moving from draft to publication.
- Submit your completed paper/proposal one week before the session
- Present your work (15–20 minutes) to peers and a Wisdom Circle of faculty mentors
- Receive in-depth publication-focused feedback
- Celebrate with a closing reception
Outcome: A journal-ready paper, nurtured through iterative, relational, and de/colonial practice.
Why Join?
- Learn how to write not just for completion, but for publication
- Work with faculty who model de/colonial, feminist, and creative methodologies
- Build solidarity with other graduate students pursuing justice-oriented research
- Receive feedback across multiple stages to ensure rigor, creativity, and accountability
- Create space for joy, reflection, and community care alongside academic writing
Registration
Who can apply:
- Graduate students (MA thesis-route & PhD)
- Final-year undergraduates preparing for research
- Space is limited to ensure deep mentorship
- Graduate students from other faculty are welcome to apply but preference will be given to the Faculty of Education students
Apply by October 3, 2025. If you are accepted to the program, then you will receive a confirmation and attendance details on October 6.
Application can be found here: https://mun.yul1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Nyyjcg6tIx3wq2
Cost:
Transportation, meals, and accommodation at The Wilds will be covered by the Faculty of Education.
Contact:
If you have any questions about the program then email Abu Arif, PhD Fellow of Faculty of Education and Chair of the Racialized Graduate Student Collective at aabu@mun.ca
About our Facilitators
Beth Tuinstra (she/they) is Assistant Professor of Music Education in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Their teaching and research interests include decolonizing and Indigenizing education, anti-oppressive education, the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ people with/in education, social justice, curriculum studies, teacher education practices, and reflective/reflexive teaching practices. Through their lived experiences, including teaching in K–12 schools and at the post-secondary level, Beth has gained a unique perspective of the intersection of culture, education, and identity, which has shaped their understanding of and commitment to making education more equitable for all students.
Cecile Badenhorst is a Professor in the Adult Education/Post-Secondary program, Faculty of Education. She has conducted research and published in the areas of doctoral education, doctoral writing, graduate writing, thesis/publication writing pedagogies, academic literacies and faculty writing. She engages in qualitative, arts-based and post-structural research methodologies. She has written three books in the area of graduate student writing: Research Writing (2007), Dissertation Writing (2008) and Productive Writing (2010). She is a co-editor of Research literacies and writing pedagogies for Masters and Doctoral writers (Brill, 2016) and Re-imagining Doctoral Writing (WAC, 2021).
Erica (Samms) Hurley is a Mi’kmaw Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at Memorial University’s Grenfell Campus, cross-appointed to Arts & Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Humanities. A nurse educator, her research centers on the meaning of “heart” to Mi’kmaw women—grounded in community, relationality, and Storyworks. Drawing from her ancestors’ traditional healing knowledge, Erica champions decolonizing approaches within health education and Indigenous-led, community-rooted research.
Jan Buley, addicted to teaching and learning, shares her love for literacies, visual arts and drama education with teacher candidates in MUN’s Faculty of Education. Jan’s Ph.D. from the Steinhardt School, New York University, examined the assumptions, beliefs and contradictions of family engagement in schools. She believes that curiosity and finding beauty are necessary for survival. She is passionate about celebrating the voices of those who are marginalized and is very involved with creative initiatives inside prison settings. She is devoted to Nelllie, a borderless dog and to David, a musician, cook and partner. Jan is an avid gardener and creative writer and she has never made a pie or PowerPoint that anyone raved about.
Paul Banahene Adjei is Interim Associate Vice-President (Indigenous Research) and Professor of Social Work at Memorial University. A scholar, educator, and public speaker, his work focuses on social justice, anti-Black racism, critical race and whiteness studies, and anti-colonial theory. His research draws on African Indigeneity to reimagine education and has been supported by multiple SSHRC grants. Beyond academia, he actively serves on university and community committees advancing equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.
About our Graduate Assistants
Iroda Abdunazarova is a researcher and graduate student at the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). She is a member of the Racialized Graduate Student Collective. She facilitates SheWrites Circle, a space that supports people who self-identify as women in developing both creative and academic writing.
Tolulope Lawal is a Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She holds first-class degrees from Osun State University (Nigeria) and Liverpool Hope University (UK), and completed a thesis-based M.Ed. at Memorial on antiracist children’s literature. Her doctoral research explores antiracist literature and the role of educators in racial and ethnic socialization. With K–12 teaching experience in Nigeria, England, and Newfoundland, Tolu has delivered talks and seminars on race, identity, and equity. She is also engaged in community-based research on restorative justice.
Bahareh Razavian is a Master’s student in Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her research focuses on refugee parental engagement in schools, particularly among Afghan families in Atlantic Canada, using culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. Drawing on social capital theory and interdisciplinary perspectives, her work highlights the resilience of refugee families and informs more inclusive educational practices.
Abu Arif (Arif) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Faculty of Education and an International Student Advisor (Immigration and Inclusion) at Memorial University of Newfoundland. His research, informed by de/colonial, justice-oriented, and queer migrant perspectives, explores the experiences of South Asian queer international students in Canada and reimagines the internationalization of higher education through equity-driven approaches. With over two decades of experience in student affairs and international education across six Canadian universities, Arif is also a published scholar, educator, and community builder, committed to fostering inclusive spaces where joy and resistance coexist.