Collective Words, Collective Healing: The Role of Writing Groups in Fostering Community and Belonging for Black Doctoral Students

• In Event: We Wrote Ourselves In: The Doctoral Student Writing Collective as a Blueprint for Belonging

Abstract

Black doctoral students often experience unique and compounding challenges in higher education, including academic isolation, systemic marginalization, and a lack of culturally affirming support systems. These issues contribute to high attrition rates and negatively impact students' mental health, academic persistence, and sense of belonging. This paper explores the impact of the Doctoral Student Writing Collective (DSWC), a national, affinity-based writing group co-founded by two Black doctoral students to address these challenges through community, accountability, and liberation-centered scholarship.
The objectives of this paper are threefold: (1) to describe how the DSWC was conceptualized and structured in response to the unmet emotional and academic needs of racially minoritized doctoral students; (2) to assess its impact using qualitative and quantitative data collected from over 150 participants; and (3) to theorize how affinity-based writing collectives serve as critical sites of resistance, restoration, and academic success within the broader context of doctoral education.
This study draws on two guiding frameworks: Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2012) and the construct of sense of belonging (Strayhorn, 2022). These frameworks offer insight into how the DSWC nurtures autonomy, competence, and relatedness—three essential components for intrinsic motivation and persistence. In doctoral education, where overwhelming autonomy often translates into isolation, the DSWC provides an intentional space of connection that affirms participants’ identities, supports emotional well-being, and fosters academic momentum.
Methodologically, this paper employs a mixed-methods approach grounded in participatory action research. Data include survey responses from active members, institutional representation tracking, and qualitative narratives sourced from writing sessions, member testimonials, and feedback forms. Findings indicate that the DSWC significantly enhances writing productivity, emotional resilience, and sense of scholarly belonging. Within its first year, DSWC members celebrated over 16 defended dissertations and dozens of submitted manuscripts, proposals, and academic milestones—many of which participants directly attributed to the support received in the group.
Participants described the DSWC as a “lifeline” during the most isolating moments of their doctoral journeys. International reach (including members from Ghana, Canada, and the UK) demonstrates the widespread demand for culturally responsive academic spaces. For online students and those at predominantly white institutions, the DSWC provides the only affirming community they consistently access. This impact underscores the urgency of rethinking doctoral education and supporting culturally grounded interventions that promote wellness, retention, and success for historically excluded populations.
This paper contributes to the field of higher education by documenting a community-driven model that resists deficit narratives and centers collective care, agency, and academic excellence. The DSWC offers a blueprint for future-facing doctoral support systems that are rooted in justice and community. As institutions reckon with histories of exclusion and seek to imagine equitable academic futures, this research invites a critical reimagining of how we support those most often left out of the story—and how we empower them to write themselves in.

Authors

• Da'Ja'Nay Askew, Indiana University

• Tim Herd, University of California - Los Angeles