LCP Writing Workshop at the University of Washington

Deadline for submission of all materials: 
March 3, 2026, 11:59pm Pacific Time

Workshop to be held June 4-6, 2026

 

The Linguistic Society of America Ad-hoc Committee on Language, Conflict and Peacebuilding announces a writing workshop for junior and early-career linguists. 


The LSA has been awarded a small grant from the American Council of Learned Societies in support of a three-day writing workshop for 15 participants, including eligible junior and early-career linguists, workshop leaders, and members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Language, Conflict, and Peacebuilding (LCP), who during the workshop will collaborate in developing ‘chapter seeds’ (defined as 2-3 pages with an abstract, outline, key sources, and a timeline) for a co-edited volume that will be published by deGruyter/Brill. Over the 12-18 months following the workshop, participants will be provided structured support through virtual cohort meetings and writing sessions to facilitate the completion of their chapters in time for possible inclusion in the co-edited volume.

Junior and early-career linguists are invited to apply to attend the workshop. Junior and early-career linguists include, but are not limited to: lecturers, not-yet tenured tenure-track faculty, late-stage graduate students (within 6 months of defending the dissertation), post-doctoral fellows, new hires in linguistics-related industry, non-profit or governmental organizations.

Nine junior and early-career linguists will receive funding to attend the three-day writing workshop. The award will cover participants’ airfare and ground transportation, lodging, and meals. The workshop is designed to foster a constructive context for taking intellectual risks, exploring new ideas, and working in creative collaboration to develop chapters for the co-edited volume that explores how linguistic investigation into structural, social, applied, industry or formal topics can illuminate the ways that language can divide and disempower or build unity and connection.  Young and early-career scholars will bring critical insights into the mechanisms by which power is embedded within linguistic practices and can lead to conflict, or work to overcome it.

Participants will build new professional networks and collaborations that will continue to be fostered and developed through post-workshop virtual cohort meetings and structured writing sessions. 

To be eligible for the award, participants must demonstrate an experience of precarity in the field of linguistics. This will look different for different participants. It might include: intellectual marginalization, social exclusion, financial instability or some combination of these (or other)  factors. 
 

When will the workshop be held?

Thursday June 4 - Saturday June 6, 2026

Where will it be held?

The workshop will be held in Seattle, Washington at the University of Washington (some events may be held off campus).  

Who will attend? 

A total of 15 participants, including nine awardees and six senior linguists who are more seasoned writers and who will play a supporting role over the three days of the workshop.

What to submit:

  1. A statement of interest. This 1-page (single-spaced) statement should describe your experience of precarity, as defined above, your career stage, and topics of study/research interest.

  2. Chapter concept.  Please submit one paragraph (approximately 500 words) proposing an idea that fits the theme of “Language, Conflict and Peacebuilding: Contributions from Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language” (see “More…” below)

  3. A current Curriculum vitae. 

How to submit: 

Send your application materials to lsa@lsadc.org with the subject line “LCP Writing Workshop Application”.

Deadline for submission of all materials:

March 3, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time
 

More about the Language, Conflict and Peacebuilding Initiative

In 2024 the LSA Executive Committee launched the Language, Conflict, and Peacebuilding (LCP) initiative, whose aim is to highlight, organize, and engage the insights, tools, and empirical findings of linguistics to illuminate how language can be used to provoke conflict and drive polarization, or to foster peacebuilding. In 2025 the LSA formed an Ad Hoc Committee with a four-year term to move the initiative forward and secured contracts with DeGruyter/Brill for two edited volumes related to the initiative. The first volume (“Language, Conflict, and Peacebuilding: Contributions from Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language), is designed for an academic audience (due September 2027). The second volume ( “Language Practices for Peace: Linguistic Interventions in Policy, Practice, and Everyday Life”), will bring academic linguists into conversation with policy makers and practitioners (due September 2028).

The LCP initiative directly connects to LSA’s mission to advance the scientific study of language. It also supports LSA’s strategic goal of “fostering inclusiveness and community among those who share an interest in language by catalyzing networks, mentoring opportunities, and the engagement of linguists across career stages and professional settings.”

The LCP has organized two multi-event sessions, the first at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the LSA in Philadelphia, and the second at the recent 2026 Annual Meeting of the LSA in New Orleans.  To learn more about these LCP events and the activities of the LCP committee, please visit the LCP website.