You can apply for our next writing workshop, to be held Friday October 10th and Saturday October 11th, 2025, here. Applications are due by end of day on July 7th, 2025.

This two-day writing workshop, funded by The John Templeton Foundation, is for natural scientists, social scientists, and philosophers looking to communicate their ideas to the public via articles and essays in major media outlets. The workshop is designed to benefit scholars with a range of experience writing for popular audiences.

Led by The New York Times editor James Ryerson, who has two decades of experience working with and editing academics, the workshop will focus on:

• how to conceptually frame scholarly work for a wider audience;

• how to structure the writing of such pieces;

• and how to most effectively “pitch” editors at magazines and newspapers.

In a small collaborative setting (approximately 12 participants), attendees will listen to short lectures, engage in discussion, and work on writing and editing exercises, both in groups and directly with Ryerson.

Attendees will bring with them one draft of a piece (approx. 800-1200 words) they might hope to publish.

The workshop will be conducted with the assistance of two scientists, David DeSteno and Lisa Feldman Barrett, who have extensive experience writing about their research in books and articles for the public. During the workshop, Dr. Barrett & Dr. DeSteno will provide insights from their experiences as scholars writing for the general public.

Attendees will leave the workshop with an improved understanding of the editorial process and better skills for popular writing, as well as one piece ready for submission to a major media outlet.

After the workshop, participants will have access to an alumni community supported by Joseph Fridman, including support in ideating, pitching, and editing pieces, working in other forms of media like podcasts, and networking and educational opportunities with writers and editors. Our 200+ alumni have placed hundreds of op-eds, essays, and columns, which you can review a sample of here.

Through our current grant, we will host 15 workshops between 2021-2026, all generously supported by the Templeton Foundation. All of these workshops are set to take place on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

All attendees will receive a $2,000 honorarium to cover workshop expenses (travel & lodging, etc.)

Applications will consist of a portfolio of:

1. Three short descriptions of pieces the applicant might like to write (no more than a paragraph each). Successful applicants typically submit proposals addressing what the Templeton Foundation describes as “Science & The Big Questions” or similar topics (as opposed to, say, narrower issues of domestic politics or public policy). The pieces we cover in our video series and podcast, as well as the Templeton Ideas blog can help give you a sense of what topics fit well.

2. A brief writing sample, which can be a stand alone piece or a passage from a longer work, and of an academic or popular nature (no longer than 1,500 words)

3. A CV

Applicants will be selected based on each portfolio’s potential to interest non-scholarly readers. Applicants should already have received or at least defended their PhD or other terminal doctorate by the time of the workshop.

To indicate your interest in learning about future workshops, and other resources and opportunities, please sign up here.

Applications are due by July 7th, 2025 for our next workshop on October 10th and 11th, 2025. Materials can be submitted here.

Applicants may also be interested in listening to the Line Edit podcast or watching the Line Edit video series, supported by the Templeton Foundation, produced by Joseph Fridman, and hosted by James Ryerson.

For questions, please contact Joseph Fridman (website has scheduler link), jdf256@cornell.edu.