Current graduate students

It’s always hard to write. Even as someone who loves writing, I hate sitting down to actually do it. Especially now, with the paradoxical pandemic life of being exhausted, wired, busy, bored, lonely, and completely overwhelmed with Zoom-based social activities, it’s really, really hard to write my seemingly endless dissertation.  

The title of this post is misleading. It implies that productivity and self-care are separate and opposing things. But they aren’t. We can’t be productive without taking care of ourselves. This relationship between productivity and self-care is particularly important right now, during a stressful, frightening situation where expectations on all of us nonetheless remain high. While we navigate the coronavirus pandemic together, we can try three simple things to tackle our research and writing:

Have you ever tried getting Google Translate to rap before? It’s probably one of the funniest things you can do with translate, outside of totally messing with Disney songs. When I’m not using translate as a means to laugh though, I’m using it to revise my essay by having Google read it out loud to me. Granted, that usually is also very funny, as the automated voice has a habit for tripping over lengthy sentences as well as butchering incorrect spelling of words. Use that last bit with caution though, Google Translate does have a habit for pronouncing everyday words like “get” very wrong.

When I was younger, the more pieces of punctuation I could add to a written work, the more I felt like some sort of literary genius. “Yeah, I’m ten and can use a comma, period, exclamation mark, and question mark within two sentences. I’m just that cool.”

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, June 9, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, June 23, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, June 30, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, July 7, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, July 14, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, July 21, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, July 28, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, August 4, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, August 11, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, August 18, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Tuesday, August 25, 2026 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Black, Indigenous and Racialized Students' Writing Café

The Black, Indigenous and Racialized Students' Writing Café is a social writing group. Unlike traditional peer feedback-based writing groups, we don’t read each other’s finished writing: instead, we write together to create a community of writers who can cheer each other on during what is often an isolating, difficult journey! 

Just like our Wednesday in-person grad writing cafés, the Black, Indigenous and Racialized Students' Writing Café uses the Pomodoro Method to organize writing sessions into smaller, more manageable chunks of focused writing with frequent breaks. As a participant, then, you’ll still get several 30-minute blocks of writing with short breaks to help you re-focus, stretch, get coffee/ tea/water, and chat with the other participants, but this group is designed specifically for Black, Indigenous and racialized students (at any level, grad or undergrad) and postdoctoral scholars. 

This group is informed by anti-racist pedagogies and hosted by WCC staff who understand the intimate relationship between writing and identity first-hand. Join to connect to a supportive community of peers, share your challenges and successes, or just to get some focused writing done! 

When: Tuesdays from 3:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m. from May 12 to August 25 (no session May 26 and June 16)

WhereSouth Campus Hall (SCH) 228F

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Wednesday, July 22, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Wednesday, July 29, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Wednesday, August 5, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Wednesday, August 12, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Wednesday, August 19, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Wednesday, August 26, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

In-person Grad Writing Cafés

Looking for a writing community? Grab a coffee and get writing! Join our network of graduate student writers at the in-person Writing Café! Meet other writers, stay on track, and make progress in your work. Writing doesn’t have to be solitary!

Building sustainable writing habits starts with structure and community. Writers tackling a big writing project often struggle with isolation or a lack of structure that leaves them procrastinating. If that sounds familiar, then writing groups can help. This social space with an established structure for getting writing done can help you feel connected to your peers while practicing effective and sustainable writing habits. It’s open to graduate students, postdocs and faculty.

We use the Pomodoro Method to organize writing sessions into smaller, more manageable chunks of focused writing with frequent breaks. As a participant, you’ll get several 30-minute blocks of writing time as well as short breaks to help you re-focus, stretch, and chat with the other participants. 

These cafés are also open to any graduate student, postdoctoral scholar, or faculty member at the University of Waterloo.

When: Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. from May 13 to August 26 (no session on June 10, 17, and July 1) 

Where: The GSA Grad Lounge (SLC 3216)

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Wednesday, May 27, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Wednesday, June 3, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

In-person Grad Writing Cafés

Looking for a writing community? Grab a coffee and get writing! Join our network of graduate student writers at the in-person Writing Café! Meet other writers, stay on track, and make progress in your work. Writing doesn’t have to be solitary!

Building sustainable writing habits starts with structure and community. Writers tackling a big writing project often struggle with isolation or a lack of structure that leaves them procrastinating. If that sounds familiar, then writing groups can help. This social space with an established structure for getting writing done can help you feel connected to your peers while practicing effective and sustainable writing habits. It’s open to graduate students, postdocs and faculty.

We use the Pomodoro Method to organize writing sessions into smaller, more manageable chunks of focused writing with frequent breaks. As a participant, you’ll get several 30-minute blocks of writing time as well as short breaks to help you re-focus, stretch, and chat with the other participants. 

These cafés are also open to any graduate student, postdoctoral scholar, or faculty member at the University of Waterloo.

When: Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. from May 13 to August 26 (no session on June 10, 17, and July 1) 

Where: The GSA Grad Lounge (SLC 3216)

Monday, April 13, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Speaker Series: The English Does Not Tilt

Join us for a hybrid event with award‑winning Afrosurrealist and Afrofuturist storyteller Shingai Njeri Kagunda. Shingai will read from their essay “The Story is Not Yours” followed by a facilitated discussion.

Thursday, May 7, 2026 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00) Thursday, May 21, 2026 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Design & Deliver Grad Studio

If you’re working on an academic presentation, such as for a conference, a thesis defence, or some other opportunity to share your research through an oral presentation, these workshops will help! 

Thursday, April 23, 2026 - Planning for and preparing presentations 

Thursday, May 7, 2026 - Slide design 

Thursday, May 21, 2026 - Defending and Answering Questions 

Register on Portal for one or all three sessions.