There is clear demand amongst early career (ECR) members of the Australian Historical Association (AHA) for greater opportunities for cohort-building and networking that are more closely aligned to fields of research. To facilitate this, the AHA’s ECR representatives are compiling a
Reading & Writing Group Directory. Once finalised, the directory will list field-specific reading and writing groups and provide contact details for anyone wishing to join an existing group. The Directory will be listed on a member-only section of the AHA’s
website.
For the purposes of the directory, a
reading group is defined as a group organised to read and discuss published works in a field. A
writing group is defined as a group organised to read, discuss, and provide feedback on works-in-progress produced by the members of the group. A '
shut up and write' group is a group organised to make writing a more social activity, with members meeting to write together (often using the Pomodoro Method) and discuss their writing goals and progress.
Our intention is to list any form of reading or writing group relevant to the AHA’s members (keeping in mind that the Association aims to represent historians working in any field in Australia, so relevance is not limited to Australian history) and which are open to new members joining. These groups may meet either in person or online. While our focus is on facilitating opportunities for ECRs to connect with colleagues with similar research interests, we aim to provide a resource for all members. HDR students, early and mid career researchers, independent historians, and established researchers are all encouraged to contribute to the compilation of the directory.
As the first step in compiling the AHA Reading and Writing Group Directory, we are seeking information about groups that are currently in existence
and about new groups that members might be interested in establishing. Once this survey closes, we will identify fields that have enough interest to support new reading and/or writing groups and will put interested participants in contact with one another. Once interested participants have been introduced to one another, the ECR reps will step back and allow the groups to self-organise.
Please note that, to participate in any group listed on the directory, members will need to familiarise themselves with and accept the AHA’s
Code of Ethics.
To help us in compiling the directory, please provide as much detail as you can and share this survey as widely as possible.