Based in Helsinki, NeuWrite Nordic draws on the particular cultural and social orientations of science and the arts in the Nordic region to nurture existing and rising talent, helping science writers in the region address local concerns while also attracting global audiences.
When? Where?
Workshop salons
NeuWrite Nordic hosts dinner workshop salons for invited participants on the second Thursday evening of every month. The workshop salons are hybrid events, with participants meeting in-person at Oodi Central Library in downtown Helsinki (food and drink provided) or joining the Oodi meetings via Zoom. Regional meetings in other locations are also planned. Each salon begins with an informal dinner hour followed by a workshop of draft texts of various kinds currently under development by participants in NeuWrite Nordic. Sometimes the workshop group also reads exemplary published works by master writers and discusses their techniques.
Apply to participate
To apply to participate, please send us a description of your relevant professional activity, writing experience, and reasons for wanting to join, via email. It is not necessary to have a current work-in-progress to begin attending the workshops; however, you should have in mind future work that you could submit. Participants should plan on attending the monthly meetings regularly.
Texts for workshopping
Draft texts to be workshopped should come from works-in-progress that deal with science in almost any genre intended for a non-specialist audience, and that present writing challenges to their authors that would make transdisciplinary group feedback useful. Each text, or section of a text, to be workshopped can have a length of up to 5000 words. Currently the focus is on English-language texts that can help Nordic-based work achieve a wide impact. Workshops in Nordic languages are a possible future development for the project. Texts are submitted for consideration in advance by interested participants, and are reviewed and scheduled for workshopping as appropriate by the NeuWrite Nordic director in consultation with the advisory board.
Support
NeuWrite Nordic is supported by a generous grant from
Upcoming workshop salons
2024
⚪️ November 14
⚪️ December 12
2025
⚪️ January 9
⚪️ February 13
⚪️ March 13
⚪️ April 10
⚪️ May 8
⚪️ June 12
Past workshop salons
2024
☑️ October 10
Topic: The intersection of science and literature with Iida Turpeinen. Workshop report coming.
☑️ September 12
Topic: The bioethics of the brain-machine interface. Workshop report coming.
☑️ August 8
Topic: What are zoos? Do we live in one? Workshop report coming.
☑️ June 13
Topic: The secret life of plants, revisited. Workshop report coming.
☑️ May 16
Topic: Fact vs. fantasy—deep thoughts at the intersection of science writing and science fiction. Workshop report coming.
☑️ April 11
Topic: Writing about patterns of synchrony in animal and human behavior. Workshop report coming.
☑️ March 14
Topic: How to market science topics to general audiences that don't want to hear about them—especially when the topic is aging and death. Workshop report coming.
☑️ February 8
Topic: How can we use ourselves as characters to help audiences explore the unknown in science? Read: The February workshop report.
☑️ January 11
Topic: What explains the public fall of trust in science, and what is the proper role of science in society? Read: The January workshop report.
2023
☑️ December 14
Topic: Scientific creative writing vs. creative scientific writing—what's the difference? Read: The December workshop report.
☑️ November 9
Topic: Medical progress. Read: The November workshop report.
☑️ October 12
Topic: Reaching disinterested or resistant readers. Read: The October workshop report.
☑️ September 14
Topic: The subjective entanglement of experimental observer and experimental object Writing technique: Collaborative generation of hypothesis and theory
☑️ August 10
Topic: The culture of science as a profession Writing technique: Fantasy fiction
☑️ June 8
Topic: Climate change Writing technique: Dramatic scenes
☑️ May 5
Topic: Diseases, viruses, and drug delivery Writing technique: Communicating with children as a basis for communicating with adults
☑️ April 4
Topic: Genetic engineering and identity Writing technique: Speculative fiction
☑️ March 9
Topic: Scientific paradigm shifts Writing technique: Empowering counter-ideas
☑️ February 9
Topic: Mathematics Writing technique: Humor
☑️ January 12
Topic: Mental health Writing technique: Dramatic narrative tension