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In the busyness of tertiary education, finding time and space for writing can be difficult for academic staff, especially in a polytechnic where the focus is on vocational training. Our goals in offering an annual writers’ retreat to staff are to develop participants’ skills in writing for publication and to assist them in completing and publishing their research. Each year we offer a five day residential retreat in a beautiful setting where participants can also access recreational opportunities. Participants set and monitor their own writing goals, and also read and review one another’s work. We offer brief workshops on relevant topics requested by participants and ensure everyone is well fed. Over the six years we have run these retreats, we have obtained feedback from participants each year and tracked their research outcomes. Although it can take time for writing completed during a retreat to result in a published output …