The Writing Hub

"Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but that's the only way you can do anything really good." William Faulkner

Supporting our community of writers at Brookes

The Writing Hub is a gathering point for people interested in developing writing skills at Brookes. It encompasses staff and students, our academic writers across the disciplines, our present or future professional writers and those at every stage of developing their writing. The Writing Hub provides a network for sharing writing development activities and hosts regular events and writing retreats. It is a supportive space in which to share experiences, adopt new techniques and get beyond the imperfections of first drafts to reach your full potential.

Join us

To join the Writing Hub mailing list, submit an event or say hello, please email writinghub@brookes.ac.uk.

The Writing Hub logo

News and events

Found in Translation: stories across borders

8 March 2023, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

John Henry Brookes Lecture Theatre, John Henry Brookes Building, Headington 

Professor Jane Spiro is a Professor in Education and TESOL at the School of Education, Oxford Brookes University. She is also a poet and creative writer, drawing on this practice to inform her advocacy of a creative approach to teaching. Her poems and stories have been performed at festivals, won awards and have led to radio broadcasts, collaborative exhibitions with artists and photographers and many poetry projects with the local community.

In this lecture, Professor Spiro will look at different kinds of translation: from one culture, language, subject discipline and way of writing to another. Rather than losing ourselves as we make these journeys, she will discuss ways in which we actually find new 'selves' as we cross from one border to another. Examples will derive from language teaching and teacher development experiences worldwide, and translating these experiences into poetry, story, research, and pedagogy over a teaching lifetime.

A person walking across a bridge over a ravine. The bridge is a book held up by a giant hand.

Dissertation Write-Up Online Sessions from IT Services

These sessions provide guidance on the technical aspects of writing a dissertation helping dissertation writers to make the best use of NVivo, Word, Endnote and Scrivener. All software used in this session can be installed without charge. Log into Moodle to access information about the course and to book your place for one of the sessions listed below. 

  • Tuesday 21 March, 10am - 12pm
a partially opened laptop

Oxford Academic Paper Writing Retreat for Nurses, AHPs and Healthcare Researchers

This 3-day academic paper writing retreat is open to all nurses, AHPs (Allied Health Professionals) and healthcare researchers at any career stage, working at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, OXINMAHR or Oxford Brookes University, who need time and space to focus on writing a submission to an academic journal. Delegates need to commit to attending the full 3 days (a refundable deposit is required). This in-person event takes place in the John Henry Brookes Building, Headington Campus, Oxford Brookes University. 

  • Wednesday 17 May,  9am - 5pm
  • Thursday 18 May, 9am - 5pm 
  • Friday 19 May, 9am - 5pm
Students walking past the colonade towards the entrance to the John Henry Brookes Building on Headington Campus, Oxford

Contact us

If you are interested in writing, wish to develop your own writing or are involved in developing others’ writing, we want to hear from you. Please contact writinghub@brookes.ac.uk to get involved or join our mailing list.