Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle
The Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle is an FLC (Faculty Learning Community) created to increase scholarly productivity and cultivate a community of collegial support among MSU Faculty.
Research on faculty productivity indicates that devoted writing time, accountability, and structure increases scholarly productivity and enhances a sense of belonging among faculty members (Belcher, 2019; Kwan et al., 2021). This FLC provides each of these elements to attending faculty members, creating an environment that fosters academic productivity and communal connection building through the framework of a structured and accountable group of peers.
"The cross-departmental, cross-college, cross-disciplinary community that was created through this FLC was incredible. It not only supported my research, provided a space for me to share my concerns and accomplishments, but also professionally connected me with people from across campus with whom I probably would not have had the opportunity to speak with." - 2022 Participant
Goals
The goals of the Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle FLC are directly related to the University's Long-Range Plan: 2021-26, with regard to Inclusive Excellence Driving University Success, by enhancing MSU's capacity to achieve key performance indicator goals related to external funding and faculty diversity, which also impacts student enrollment diversity. These goals are:
- To increase scholarly productivity among faculty at MSU
- To develop a scholarly community among faculty at MSU
- To facilitate the development of a culture of learning among faculty at MSU
- To promote faculty leadership, collaboration, and collegiality across disciplines at MSU
Structure
The Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle FLC meets for 14 weeks on Wednesdays from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Meyer Library. It's free to participate in this FLC, and participants will receive a copy of "Making Time to Write: How to Resist the Patriarchy and Take Control of Your Academic Career Through Writing," by Cathy Mazak (2022). In order to receive credit for participating, participants are required to attend 10/12 meetings (not including the first and last meetings).
Participants who successfully complete in the Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle FLC by meeting their writing goal(s) and the attendance requirement are eligible to participate in the Semi-Annual Faculty Writing Summit.
Fall 2025 Session Schedule
| Date | Topic | Time |
|---|---|---|
| August 27, 2025 | Introduction | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| September 3, 2025 | Chapter 1: How Academia is Structured to Keep Womxn from Writing | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| September 10, 2025 | Chapter 2: The Danger of the Twin Scarcities | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| September 17, 2025 | Chapter 3: Soaring versus Slogging | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| September 24, 2025 | Chapter 3: Soaring versus Slogging | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| October 1, 2025 | Chapter 4: Writing at the Center | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| October 8, 2025 | Chapter 4: Writing at the Center | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| October 15, 2025 | Chapter 5: The Myth of Accountability | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| October 22, 2025 | Chapter 6: Stop "Shoulding" Yourself | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| October 29, 2025 | Chapter 6: Stop "Shoulding" Yourself | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| November 5, 2025 | Chapter 7: When Writing Gets Derailed | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| November 12, 2025 | Chapter 8: The Role of Rest in Writing | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| November 19, 2025 | Conclusion: Writing as Transformation | 1 - 3 p.m. |
| December 3, 2025 | Closing Celebration | 1 - 3 p.m. |
Learn More About this FLC
The Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle was originally called the Women Faculty Writing Circle. This FLC was established by Dr. Nicole M. West, whose research focuses on enhancing the experiences of Black women enrolled and employed in higher education via critical cultural theories, research methods, and praxes. Dr. West convened this culturally responsive faculty learning community with the goal of enhancing the personal well-being and professional success of women faculty at MSU by increasing scholarly productivity and providing a community of collegial support. These outcomes were directly related to MSU's 2021-26 Long-Range Plan and contributed to the achievement of several of MSU's 2021-26 Key Performance Indicators.
"The [Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle] is my favorite aspect of working at MSU." - 2023 Participant
How to Join
The Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle accepts participants at the beginning of each semester. Calls will be put out on the FCTL blog and social medias when sign-ups for this and other FLCs are open. MSU faculty interested in joining the group must check these locations for updates, or contact the FCTL at the beginning of a semester to inquire about available slots. When sign-ups are open, faculty may do so through My Learning Connection.
Related Opportunities
Attend the Semi-Annual Faculty Writing Summit
The Semi-Annual Writing Summit is an immersive, focused event designed to support faculty in advancing their writing projects. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a structured yet flexible environment that promotes productivity, creativity, and collaboration.
The retreat provides dedicated time and space for individuals to work on scholarly articles, research papers, books, and other writing-related projects, while receiving valuable feedback from peers, leaders, and mentors. By the end of the retreat, participants are expected to have made significant progress on their writing projects, gained new insights into their work through peer feedback, and developed a clear plan for continuing their writing post-retreat.
This retreat is held off-campus, and a workshop fee will apply. Faculty may use their non-credit fee waiver toward this workshop fee. Travel expenses will be the responsibility of the faculty or their academic department.
Join the Community in Viva Engage
If you've never accessed Viva Engage here at MSU before, you'll need to do so before you can be added to the community. Find instructions to do so here. After you sign in, email NicoleWest@MissouriState.edu to be added.
Facilitator
Participants
References
Belcer, W. L. (2019). Writing your journal article in twelve weeks: A guide to academic publishing success. University of Chicago Press.
Kwan, P. P., Sharp, S., Mason, S., & Saetermoe, C. L. (2021). Faculty writing groups: The impact of protected writing time and group support. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2, 100100.