I was surprised by the fascinating range of other people’s projects, from public health research to fantasy fiction.
— November 2018 writer
Read MoreJess had a very pleasant way of guiding us, it was easy to trust her expertise.
— Aalto University student, 2019
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Jess is great! I very much enjoyed the sessions with her and her advice.
— Aalto University student, 2019
Read MoreI loved how the retreat created protected space for my writing — it was like a writing sauna!
— November 2018 writer
Read MoreThe schedule was good. The little chats on the goals, and how you did with a friend (and always with a new one) was very good. It was nice writing with other participants. Not at all so lonely as it is at home or at the office. I would describe the retreat as a very good or excellent one, great to get good tips on writing.
— University of Helsinki student, winter 2019
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I was surprised by how easily I managed to stay focused during the whole duration of the writing sessions, and how quickly those blocks of writing time went by!
— Asylum 2018 writer
Read MoreI prioritized my writing and wrote 7000 words for my PhD thesis. Following the retreat’s agenda I got into a really good working daily rhythm — I hope I can replicate this at home!
— November 2018 writer
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I really appreciated Jessie’s positivity and manner, especially the calm and gentle way she ended our writing time, and directed us to the next activity.
— November 2018 writer
Read MoreThis format is VERY good for my own writing and hence my translating and editing work. I will attend again.
— November 2018 writer
Read MoreJess is cool and full of energy. She brings a nice vibe to the writing room.
— November 2019 writer
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May 2019 participants’ achievements:
An hour-long presentation — text and draft slides — for international meeting abroad.
Came to finish a chapter for an academic collection — met my goals and now I have a first draft of the chapter.
Four poems, one stand-up bit, and a first draft of a chapter from a memoir. Started a short play, and wrote about half of it.
The structure of my next book.
I achieved my script for my meditation album, and got some website copy sent off too.
75% of what I planned in the beginning. 100% of what I planned in the last day.
I made words come out of my fingers!
Fleshed out the structure of my novel, and talking about it out loud (when usually an internal process)
Challenged myself with new forms of poetry/spoken word and stories.
These sessions really helped me "get work done". The designated time to work on writing/coding tasks is very helpful.
— Aalto University student, summer 2020
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