Image

The Office of Faculty Development (OFD) has announced that 10 faculty members have been selected to participate in the Scholarly Writing Fellows Program for the 2024-25 academic year. As a scholarly writing fellow (SWF), the faculty member partners with OFD to catalyze interdisciplinary support for faculty writing and expand a mutual support community of writers across campus.

Faculty members selected for the SWF 2025-25 cohort are:

• Lynn Adler, professor of biology
• Jessica Barr, professor and director of the program in comparative literature
• Jess Dillard-Wright, associate professor of Nursing, associate dean of Equity & Inclusion
• Sara Jackson, associate professor and program director of German studies
• Jasmine Kerrissey, associate professor of sociology, director of the Labor Center
• Verónica Martín Ruiz, assistant professor of marketing
• Sindiso MnisiWeeks, associate professor of political science and legal studies
• Tara Pauliny, senior lecturer and interim director of the UMass Amherst Writing Program
• Katherine Reeves, professor of epidemiology, associate dean of graduate and professional studies
• Aida Villanueva, assistant professor of sociology

The fellows play a key role in continuing OFD’s ongoing mission to support faculty writing at UMass Amherst. Each fellow launches and facilitates one Writing Circle (WC) comprised of small groups of faculty members who meet weekly to write together and share progress on their writing. Each fellow represents an array of departments and disciplines and brings a unique set of writing practices and expertise to share with their circles.

Writing Circles create connections among writers while fostering sustainable writing practices. Fellows facilitate each session, providing guidance on meeting format and writing tips. In addition to supporting their colleagues, fellows benefit from dedicated time for their own scholarly writing and receive a small stipend to acknowledge their contributions.

“The SWF and WC are two of the most popular OFD programs,” says Rebecca Dingo, senior fellow and OFD associate director. “Past participants have noted how, due to the support of the SWF and the dedicated writing time, they have submitted more grants, written more essays and finished books. Likewise, participants appreciated learning more about their colleagues’ scholarship and finding interdisciplinary connections. I am excited to get to know this stellar group of SWF and see who they each shape their Writing Circles.”

Through Sept. 6, all faculty and librarians can sign up online on the OFD Writing Circles interest form for a Writing Circle led by a scholarly writing fellow, who will offer programming starting this fall semester.