About SBI - The University of Tulsa
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About SBI

About

The SBI is designed for scholars who have published a first scholarly monograph and begun writing the first draft of a second scholarly monograph. They should not have this book already under contract or review with a press, but they should have at least two chapters drafted. One chapter or section of a chapter will be the focus of their attention during the SBI. They should be in a field where a second book is a recognized requirement for career advancement.

The SBI, which will take place on the University of Tulsa’s campus, is an in-person event designed to provide eight scholars with time and mental space to write and foster a cohort who can continue to support and energize each other’s writing after the week-long Institute. We seek to bring together a diverse collection of scholars who have an ambitious writing agenda and who also have extensive commitments to institutional service and/or family caretaking, with a strong track record of productive participation in intellectual community. In other words, we seek to give back to academics who give amply of their time and energy to their institutions, families, and communities, offering them an opportunity to recharge, to refocus on their scholarship, and join a cohort of mutual support.

The SBI will combine aspects of a writer’s retreat with elements of a structured workshop. During the weekday mornings the Institute’s eight Fellows will be left alone to write, having the option of either working alone or in a shared space (but in solitude and silence). The weekday afternoons will offer structured events facilitated by a writing coach. These structured elements will be focused less on the content of individual participants’ projects than on the process of writing a scholarly book amidst a busy life with multiple commitments and pressures.

Because the SBI’s goals are to offer scholars distraction-free time to focus on writing and to build a cohort for ongoing mutual support, fellows should be prepared to commit their time and attention fully to the Institute during their stay in Tulsa. Fellows are expected to arrive in Tulsa by the opening dinner on Sunday, be in residence through the closing dinner on Friday, and attend all group events. We cannot accommodate partial attendance.