What if…
You could increase your focus and your sense of wellbeing when you write?
What if…
Those times when writing doesn’t feel “flowy” (we ALL have them), you could go to a place where there are snacks, lots of your peers, and writing instructors and librarians who can offer feedback?
What if…
Every month you could talk about the writing questions most on your mind surrounded by good peers and good food? How to avoid Academic Integrity infractions when using AI? Check. How to move forward when procrastinating? Check. How to create an effective multimodal written piece? Check. Our monthly Friday workshops will cover all that and more…
If you long for a place, a vibe this wonderful…
If you want writing to feel safe and welcoming….
If you need to find a rhythm, a writing groove…
Then what you really want (we think 😊) is The Writing Zone!
A multifaceted set of programming created for students in any New College or New College-affiliated program, the Writing Zone is the New College Writing Centre’s dream of how we can make writing feel cozy, purposeful, and workable, even when life is hectic and hard!
When you’re in the Writing Zone with us, we take care of the community, resources, and space—you just drop in and participate, taking your focus and success as a student to the next level.
Working on a podcast script or multimedia project? We’ve got you! You can bring any type of assignment to us.
Got graduate/professional school applications to work on? Come to work on your admissions letters or personal statements—strategize for success!
Don’t want feedback right now? No problem! Come to simply write in a cheerful space, surrounded by your peers
Come to The Writing Zone at New College to
· Optimize your writing/process
· Work on whatever assignment is on your plate (essays, podcast scripts, multimedia projects, op-eds, presentations, etc.)· Get feedback on your work from librarians and writing instructors
The Writing Zone features drop-in writing community spaces on Mondays and Thursdays from 3-6PM, monthly Friday workshops for students on key writing issues impacting them right now – and more!
And we are NOT done cooking this Zone up for you—so stay tuned! There’s so much more to come 😊.
Whatever your writing moment is you can get in the zone–with us!
Fall 2025 Writing Zone schedule:
- Mondays 3-6pm (starting Monday, Sept 22nd, 2025)
- Thursdays 3-6pm (starting Thursday, Sept 25th, 2025)
For more information, contact jennette.boehmer@utoronto.ca and susan.hopkirk@utoronto.ca
The Writing Zone will be closed during Reading Week (the week of Oct 27th-31st)
Eligibility:
You are eligible to take part if you are:
- a New College student, or
- a student from another college working on assignments from a New College program course
We look forward to seeing you!
Why visit the Writing Zone?
- Perhaps you don’t have a Writing Centre appointment but discover that you need some feedback. Whether you’re looking for some initial pointers on how to get started on an assignment, or some feedback about whether your thesis or introduction is on the right track, a brief discussion in The Writing Zone may meet your most pressing needs. Or you may have questions about language, style and documentation. Come with a focused question about your paper that we can address in about twenty to thirty minutes.
- Work in a congenial space, where others are engaged in writing or getting advice, sometimes on the same assignment or on similar aspects of university writing. Having a weekly time set aside for writing (along with encouragement from others and opportunity to consult) can help you address problems with procrastination or writer’s block and keep the flow of your work going throughout the term. When several people work in the same space, energy is generated that helps everyone move forward.
- Invest in some planning for your workflow over the term. Do you over or underestimate the time you need to complete a paper? Are you often late handing in papers or highly stressed? The Writing Zone is a good place to consult about making a plan to work through your papers as effectively as possible.
- Work on application materials (e.g., Personal Statements, Research Statements). You can consult about materials related to graduate and professional school applications in the Writing Zone. You can also reserve three writing centre appointments per term for these materials.
