Courses and Retreats

• Weeks 1-6: Make your way through 6 self-paced course modules.

• Live sessions: (Optional) Participate in virtual discussions and attend Live Writing Studio sessions themed to that week’s module.

All live events are offered twice in a week to accommodate any time zone.

Each 6-week Writing Catalyst course is offered once per year:

• Pleasure Catalyst: Jan 31 - Mar 12, 2026

• Wordcraft Catalyst: Mar 21 - Apr 30, 2026

• Structure Catalyst: May 9 - June 18, 2026

• Creativity Catalyst: Aug 22 - Oct 1 , 2026

• Productivity Catalyst: Oct 31 - Dec 10, 2026

Participants get lifetime access to the course materials and are invited to join each subsequent year’s live cohort free of charge.

Any 6-week Catalyst course:

- $550 (regular price)
- $495 (WriteSPACE members)
- $440 (WriteSPACE Studio members and Catalyst alumni)

We also offer a limited number of scholarships.

All prices are in USD

Catalyst Course participants have told us:

It was a joy from start to finish – a six-week laboratory of experimentation and guided risk-taking that resulted in a breakthrough with an academic paper, and a remoulding of my assumptions about ‘good’ academic writing. I now have a bag of catalytic writing tools to make better academic writing. (James Corazzo, Graphic Design, UK).

I felt that there was something transformative that occurred.... it has been a brilliant experience. As a result of the Pleasure Catalyst, my thinking about pleasure has changed. The word pleasure seeps constantly into my thinking and my descriptors, for example when I prepare a university class. Pleasure is a gift. Thank you! (Sandra Acosta, Educational Psychology, USA).

I want to emphasise how grateful I am being able to work through the Wordcraft Catalyst. I have been able to ‘assess and diagnose’ a significant issue with the writing style I have chosen for my PhD and now feel confident that I can address this – which will improve the readability and also coherence of that work…. After ignoring grammar for my whole lifetime, it is a complete delight to have been surprised by how fascinating it can be. (Kate Waterworth, Clinical Sciences, New Zealand).

Anyone seeking an inspiring boost to their writing will find immense value in the beautifully designed and thoughtfully structured Productivity Catalyst. The blend of self-reflection and supportive community feedback brought joy and renewed energy to my writing process, and for that, I am deeply grateful. (Anita Campbell, Mathematics Education, South Africa).

We’ve created the Catalyst series for writers like them — and you!

An immersive online retreat incorporating 24 hours of small-group workshops, writing sprints, and personalized feedback, including 6 hours of live coaching with Helen.

March 12-15, 2026

• 3 consecutive days (Th-Fr-Sa or Fr-Sa-Su)

• 8 hours per day

June 1 -5, 2026

• 3 non-consecutive weekdays (Mo-We-Fr)

• 8 hours per SWI day

Sep 28 - Oct 17, 2026

• 3 weeks (self-paced)

• 4 hours per week

- $2400

Discounts are available to Retreat and SWI Alumni, and to WriteSPACE Studio members.

(All prices are in USD)

All Stylish Writing Intensive participants are offered a complimentary Catalyst Course with their enrollment (value $550).

Participating in the SWI reminded me that, as academics, we should aspire to write not only intellectually rigorous but also welcoming and engaging prose for our readers. I appreciated Helen's ability to provide sentence-level feedback that honors the strengths and potential for growth in our writing. (Michael Moses, UC Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Riverside, USA)

I found the workshops illuminating, the coaching enormously valuable, and the sense of community wonderful. Helen brought so much joy, energy, and pleasure to the whole weekend, it was truly catching.
(Sunil Amrith, Professor of History, Yale University, USA)

Mountain Rise / Island Time

Twice a year, Helen welcomes an intimate group of international writers to join her in one of her two favorite places in the world — New Zealand or Switzerland — for 7 days and 6 nights of generative writing time, workshops on craft and style, and intensive small-group coaching. Personally hosted and facilitated by Helen, these retreats are best suited for experienced writers from any academic discipline or writing genre.

Island Time
Waiheke Island, New Zealand.
Jan 18-24, 2026
7 days, 6 nights

Mountain Rise
Wengen, Switzerland
12-18 July, 2026
7 days, 6 nights

Island Time & Mountain Rise:

Includes all meals and full accommodation in a private room with ensuite, plus all workshops, coaching, and excursions.

- $5500 (regular price)
- $4950 (WS Studio annual members and retreat alumni)

All prices are in USD; discounts for our Island Time retreat are available to NZ/Aus residents.

The venue was perfection, and the free time to socialise with like-minded others was very welcome. Helen is an inspiration to me! (Professor Inger Mewburn, Director of Researcher Development, Australian National University).

Living in a paradisical place like the Swiss Alps, surrounded by peaceful and magnificent snowy mountains, for a week is conducive to produce enriching metaphors for your daily life and writing practice. Being guided in this process by Helen almost always guarantees success, namely, being nurtured and able to enjoy the challenging process of achieving good writing. (Dr Ramon Menedez Domingo, University of Design, Innovation and Technology, Madrid)