This summer saw the resumption of the annual PhD Writing & Publishing Workshop at the Monash Prato Centre in Italy. Led by staff from the University of Monash, it took place over three days, 20-22 June 2023, at their palazzo in the Tuscan city. Prior to the global pandemic, Warwick had participated in this event and this year three postgraduate research students from the Faculty of Arts and Professor David Lambert joined staff and students from Australia, Malaysia, India, Italy and elsewhere in the UK. The event included staff-led workshops on the fundamentals of academic writing and publication – from choosing journals and structuring articles to responding to feedback and building an academic track record. The heart of the event was the sessions devoted to the practice of writing itself. Supported by allocated academic staff who were on-hand to help with planning, the presentation of arguments and the choice of language, these provided great opportunities for focused work in a supportive environment.

The Warwick students attending – Yaqian Xu (English and Comparative Literary Studies), Eva van Kemenade and Sophie Hartles (both from the Centre for Renaissance Studies) – were very positive about the event, describing it as a 'really motivated space’ that was ‘super productive for writing’. They enjoyed the chance to meet students from different institutions and disciplines, and appreciated the help from the academic staff. The Monash Prato Centre was a great venue, providing wonderful food to sustain the intentensive work, and its staff were generous and welcoming.

The resumption of the PhD Writing & Publishing Workshop has served to strengthen Warwick's links with the University of Monash and create opportunities for future collaborations. It is intended that this will once again become a regular fixture in the Arts calendar.