SAMPLE REVIEWS FROM PARTICIPANTS OF
PREVIOUS WRITING WORKSHOP & RETREATS
"WRITING FOR MOVEMENT BUILDING"
5-8 May 2022 in Honolulu, HI
5-7 November 2021 in Northern California
8-12 July 2019 in Northern California
12-16 July 2018 in Honolulu, HI
16-19 June 2017 in Northern California
“This writing retreat was an all-too-rare opportunity to spend some focused time thinking deeply about my writing practice as a scholar committed to social change. The retreat facilitated exciting new connections with others working in social justice education, provided extended blocks of time to write in a beautiful setting, and included practical guidance for academic writing. During my time at the retreat, I was able to move out of a stuck place with a manuscript and move into writing with a sense of purpose and possibility. I’m so glad I attended!” - Harper Keenan, Robert Quartermain Professor, University of British Columbia
“I registered for the writing workshop knowing that I would gain valuable information and left with so much more than I anticipated from being with Dr. Kumashiro and the other attendees. We discussed and learned from one another about higher ed and publishing for social justice in academic journals, books, and the media. The intimate nature of the workshop naturally allowed us to cultivate connections that I hope to continue fostering. I acquired a great amount of hidden knowledge often unknown to PhD students and am pumped to continue my journey!” - Rochelle Zuniga, PhD Student, Florida International University
“I had the opportunity to attend Dr. Kevin Kumashiro's writing retreat in Northern California. The retreat was a wonderful balance of short lectures on academic and media writing tips and overcoming writer's block, meditation sessions, and concentrated times to write. The setting was perfect for calmness and focus, nutritious sustainable food, and beauty. I hope you offer this again next fall with an extra day.” - Marilee Coles-Ritchie, Professor and Faculty Fellow for Civic Engagement, Westminster College
“Attending the Writers' Workshop and Retreat with a Social Justice Perspective was an uplifting experience. I strongly recommend participating in this workshop that is wisely facilitated by Dr. Kevin Kumashiro. If you are a doctoral student, new faculty, or faculty who needs publication guidance, space, and scheduled time to write, along with constructive, non-competitive feedback, then attend this workshop!!!” - Josephine Arce, Professor and Chair, College of Education, San Francisco State University
"If you are serious about writing for social justice and sharing your work in academic and other valuable public spaces, you must attend this retreat! Every day, Dr. Kumashiro fostered an environment for writing productivity through meaningful workshops, guided meditation practices, and the creation of a supportive community. Among other benefits, I received valuable feedback on my writing projects, the opportunity to connect with similar writers, and a distraction-free space to finish the draft of a manuscript. Without any reservation, I recommend Dr. Kevin Kumashiro's writing retreats.” - Vernon C. Lindsay, Assistant Professor, American University of Antigua
“Kevin Kumashiro's writing retreat on the beautiful island of Oahu was amazing! We spent four days writing and thinking with a great group of scholars under the thoughtful guidance of Dr. Kumashiro. The food was amazing and the accommodations were perfect. Of course the breaks and walks by the ocean were wonderful as well. Not only did I get some important writing completed, but I had the priceless opportunity to work with Kevin and the other participants. I would highly recommend this writing opportunity to both junior and senior scholars. It was fantastic!” - Cathy Compton-Lilly, John C. Hungerpiller Professor, University of South Carolina - Columbia, and Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin - Madison
“This retreat is much more than a writing retreat. Kevin structured this event in such way that participants became a close-knit supportive community. As an early career scholar, I had many fears about writing that I was afraid to admit. Here, I was able to share my fears in a safe-supportive community and receive strategies to help overcome them. It was comforting just to know that you are not alone in the struggle. Additionally, Kevin offered many different options to meet the various needs of the participants. The one-on-one conferencing with Kevin and the small writing groups were extremely beneficial as I received insightful feedback on my work as well as possible directions to pursue. One of the highlights for me was when Kevin had us think about what our “intervention” is as a scholar and how to think about our work in terms of a trajectory. This helped me to become more focused with my scholarship. I left refreshed and with a new sense of purpose.” - Karen Colum, Associate Professor, College of Education, Minnesota State University, Mankato.
“It was so helpful to have a “design your own” approach where we could get individual, small-group, and whole-group support. I also appreciated the social accountability of working in sight of peers, yet with total non-judgment about people’s individual process and progress. The way I could author my time and process and feel so good about it reminded me that, yes, I am a writer; and yes, I am passionate about what I’m working on and why. I felt so re-engaged in my writing! It was so good to be with really different scholars, yet with whom there were threads of connection. It was a unique combination of everyone being there for professional and personal self-care in an unselfish way—of being interested in connection, but not forcing it. I felt like I got to learn a lot about each person and how they try to carry themselves through the academic life, and that was so helpful for me.” - Irene Yoon, Assistant Professor, College of Education, University of Utah
“I’m a mid-career scholar, and this workshop was a really positive and useful experience for me. It was well-organized, and Kevin was very approachable if we had questions. In addition, I appreciated the flexibility that was embedded in the schedule, as well as plenty of unstructured time to work on our own productivity. In addition, it was great to have informal free time to get to know one another and talk about our work with others in the field. I will definitely consider attending another one of Kevin’s workshops in the future.” - Audrey Lucero, Associate Professor, College of Education, University of Oregon
“The writing retreat offered ample time to write in a beautiful setting, with a group of passionate scholars at different stages of their careers. It was more than a writing retreat in that we shared our experiences with one another, established new friendships, and held space for each other to explore new ideas. Kevin created a safe community for us to do all of this. He was incredibly generous with his time, making himself available for individual and small group mentoring sessions.” - Mikela Bjork, Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of Redlands School of Education
“As a mid-career faculty member, I learned things that could benefit not only my academic career, but also those of early-career faculty and doctoral students. I wish I had had access to the information Dr. Kumashiro shared when I started my career. I believe it could have made quite a difference in how I handled, processed, and reflected upon my justice work and publication record. In addition, it was especially helpful to interact with people doing like-minded advocacy work, which allowed me to foster new academic networks and intellectual connections.” - Azadeh Osanloo, Associate Professor, College of Education, New Mexico State University
“Dr. Kumashiro’s dedication, expertise, insights, and support helped me to approach writing for social justice in a more critical way. I left the workshop very informed and inspired.” - Gilbert C. Park, Assistant Professor, Teachers College, Ball State University
“Thank you so much for opening up this opportunity to be a part of your workshop. It was incredibly valuable for me to get a good sense of what the road looks like as I think about academia. Your insights on impact, audience, and arc are very helpful and help to provide intentionality to the work without constricting any particular paths. Also, I appreciated your candor in terms of the "hidden pedagogy" of publishing: the invisible rules, the norms and conventions, and the logistics and practicalities. All are invaluable in supporting us to do that which we came to do -- impact teaching, support schools, and make for healing and compassion in the world. Knowing these rules helps us to steer towards the work and away from some of the noise that can distract some scholars from being of good use.” - Nate Gong, PhD Student, Graduate School of Education, University of California - Berkeley
“I want you to know that I so appreciated the opportunity to learn with you and the group you brought together. I am focusing on diversity by design, ensuring that we move quickly to ensure cultural representation in EdTech, and making sure that all of my students’ voices are heard and that they know they have an advocate in me. Publication is critical for me for a variety of reasons. Having new mentors like you is so encouraging and I thank you for what you bring into my life and for the work you do!” - Julia Parra, Assistant Professor, College of Education, New Mexico State University