What Our Students Say...

"Incredible teaching. So much to take in and be changed by in each exercise in each workshop."

“The writing retreat was one of the stand-out events of my whole PhD. Not only have I met some new friends but it's given me skills that I hope to carry with me for not just the remainder of the PhD but for my career too.”

“This week has honestly been a life-changing experience for me.”

“Thank you so much. I went from being nervous about my writing to uncomfortably growing, to hopeful and determined, feeling more capable.”

“This retreat made me think in ways I haven’t thought in years. It is easy to become bogged down in the anonymity of the data, and to stifle your voice to attempt to make the message more formal. But that isn’t the most effective form of information dissemination. This retreat reminded me of that. Thank you for allowing us the space for our voices to come out.”

“THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST USEFUL TRAINING EVENT I HAVE EVER ATTENDED AND THE BEST OF MY PhD. Really the biggest gift to my phd and my confidence as a writer and researcher.”

“True North workshops are second to none. I always leave believing in myself

and my abilities, with a really useful toolkit to tackle problems.”

"A highlight was the atmosphere within the group.

With COVID, the last few years of doing a PhD have often been quite isolating and the sense of academic community and exchanging ideas on writing and process was really inspiring."

“I have experienced a big turning point in my work as a result of this retreat. I can now see/envisage the finished work and have a renewed enthusiasm for the whole – especially the more challenging chapters of the thesis.”

“I wasn’t expecting to completely rethink how I think about my research and how to approach [it] but I’m most grateful that this has happened. This workshop was truly transformative in changing the way I feel about myself as a writer and researcher and how to overcome challenges."

“I gained so much from this retreat and wish it was possible to attend each year of the PhD. I was able to unlock the plot of my essay, which helped to streamline my argument in a clear and concise way. The feedback … was deeply valuable - they seem to have an endless supply of writing tools and tricks! The generosity of my peers gave me confidence, inspiration, and energy.”

“It was the best academic experience I have ever had. Wonderful, open people and fantastic tutors. I found all the workshops extremely helpful,

especially the brown paper technique.”

“I anticipated that this retreat would be helpful, but it wholeheartedly exceeded my expectations. My approaches to writing have not simply been improved, but completely shaken up in the best way possible. Thank you!”

“To describe this week as a ‘retreat’ seems at times wholly appropriate and at others somewhat dismissive [...] ...this week has been so much more in providing a springboard, a way to re-engage with my work in creative and innovative ways: not to escape but come closer. What is especially good is the practicality of the course and I can already see not only that my working patterns will change but also that these changes are motivated by the fact that they will result in better writing."

"It has shown me the possibilities of academic writing, and how creative tools are just as valuable. I wish all academics could have this type of training – suddenly, the libraries would sparkle!”