Join us for something special!
Our WriteSPACE Special Event series, which ran from 2021 through early 2026, featured an array of international guests discussing writing and wordcraft with WriteSPACE founder Helen Sword. Scroll down to browse our back catalogue of Special Events — and don’t forget to sign up for Helen’s free newsletter to stay in touch about current news and events.
Featured Video - April 2026
Writing in the time of covid 19
A blast from the past!
This live masterclass with international writing expert Helen Sword took place on April 9, 2020, at a time when the world had just entered an extended period of lockdown that brought widespread professional and social disruption to people everywhere.
Helen had a vision to bring writers together online and share practical tools to help them navigate through this challenging time. From this small but well-received Zoom gathering — repeated three times over 24 hours to reach writers in any time zone — Helen built the online global community that is the WriteSPACE of today.
We hope that you enjoy watching this WriteSPACE Special Event video!
Special Event Videos
Register to receive the link to the first hour of any Special Event video from our archive, or read about it on our blog. Full videos of all events are available in the WriteSPACE Library. Join today for unlimited access!
November 2025
A deep-digging discussion of "Writing as Composting" with writer and educator Michael W. Moses II.
October 2025
A textured trove of textual untanglings with professional textician Daniel Shea.
September 2025
A glorious gathering of new books on writing by Laura Portwood-Stacer, Steven E. Gump, and Elizabeth Wardle.
July 2025
A mountainous multitude of strategies for writing and editing with generative AI.
June 2025
A cargo of creative approaches from research writing expert Helen Kara.
May 2025
A rich repository of rituals and routines with writer Mason Currey.
April 2025
MAJIC methods for confident writing with change agent Lois van Waardenberg.
March 2025
An illuminating exploration of unknowing with creative writer Jeannine Ouellette.
February 2025
A joyous jubilee celebrating the art, craft, and pleasures of keeping a notebook.
January 2025
A winsome workshop on retreating at home, hosted live from Helen’s Island Time retreat.
December 2024
A tantalizing taste of tarot magic with ScholarShape founder Margy Thomas.
November 2024
Savvy strategies for skyrocketing your publishing profile with prolific scholar John Dumay.
October 2024
A scintillating dissection of stylish sentences with "Stunning Sentences" author Nina Schuyler.
September 2024
A sparkling session on finding your own sweet spot between solitary writing and community support.
July 2024
A playful panoply of prompts to help you structure your writing (and your writing life).
June 2024
An Alpine idyll transporting you into the lush landscape of Helen’s annual Swiss writing retreat.
May 2024
A diagnostic delight demonstrating how to become a power user of the Writer’s Diet Test.
April 2024
Noteworthy news for neurodiverse writers in academe with educational developer Eirini Tzouma.
March 2024
Propitious ponderings with platform expert Sarah Fay on how scholars can and do thrive on Substack.
February 2024
A serendipitous stroll across a beautiful island, hosted live from Helen’s Island Time writing retreat.
November 2023
A riveting romp through the notetaking processes of famous writers with ‘Noted’ author Jillian Hess.
October 2023
A psychological thrill ride on writing and risktaking with risk-embracing author and criminologist David R. Goyes.
September 2023
A crackling conversation on GenAI writing tools with Harvard Writing Center director Jane Rosenzweig.
July 2023
An exploratory tour of the WriteSPACE membership areas, followed by a dynamic Live Writing Studio session.
June 2023
An illuminating glimpse behind the scenes at Helen’s Mountain Rise writing retreat in the Swiss Alps.
May 2023
A power trip with rainbow-haired author Michele DiPietro on using the chakras to navigate the writing process.
April 2023
A well of wisdom on “Writing & Wellbeing” tapped by best-selling author and writing expert Sophie Nicholls.
March 2023
A perspicuous panel discussion with authors from Princeton University Press’s “Skills for Scholars” series.
February 2023
An ebullient book launch celebrating the publication of Helen Sword’s new book, Writing with Pleasure.
January 2022
A spellbinding spin on the Writer’s Diet, Helen’s magical recipe for curing sleepwalking verbs and zombie nouns.
December 2022
A colorful tour of Helen’s new Artist*Academic website with co-conspiritors Amy Lewis & Peter O’Connor.
November 2022
An empathetic exploration of "Writing & Community” with Max Orsini, editor of a new book on writing centers.
September 2022
A deep dive into “Writing & Deep Practice” with productivity guru Patricia Goodson.
June 2022
A riveting exchange on “Writing and Social Media” with prolific “Patter” blogger Pat Thomson.
May 2022
An erudite conversation on “Writing & Rationality” with author and experimental psychologist Steven Pinker.
April 2022
A playful, practical tour of “Digital Writing Tools” with innovative website creator Evija Trofimova.
March 2022
An unmissable masterclass on “Writing to Connect” with legendary musician and author Amanda Palmer.
November 2021
Well-grounded guidance on academic writing guides from Scholarly Communications podcaster Daniel Shea.
October 2021
Beautiful insights on “Writing & Beauty” with Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and deep thinker Douglas Hofstadter.
September 2021
Winning wisdom on “How to Fix Your Writing Problems” from Inger Mewburn, aka The Thesis Whisperer.
August 2021
Grant-worthy advice on “Writing for Writing Grants” from experienced senior academic Karim Khan.
July 2021
A globe-spanning gathering on “Gathering to Write” with Tzipora Razedon (Tel Aviv) and Patricia Goodson (Texas).
June 2021
A spellbinding discussion on how creative and intuitive practices can guide your big new ideas into the world.
June 2021
Join a panel of experts on arts-based education to learn how how arts-based practices can enrich your writing.
April 2021
In times of uncertainty and existential anxiety, how do we keep our writing going? Join us for this conversation and workshop.
April 2021
Prompt your students — and yourself! — to write more critically and creatively with Smudge Skittle, an open-ended card game.
Main image credit: Paper collage by Helen Sword featuring cover art from Student Writing Tutors in Their Own Words