Global writing groups as tinkering spaces for reciprocal international partnerships

Writing groups offer students, faculty, staff and community members a space to increase productivity and output, often through peer mentorship. Research on such groups largely focuses on higher education in the Global North, which we expand by examining our own global writing group of five members from the US and Botswana, exploring its impact on professional skills and habits. Through a two-year collaborative autoethnography, we show how cross-cultural peer mentorship fosters productivity, writing habits and feedback practices. Within this international partnership, our group met regularly to discuss writing-related issues and exchange feedback on our writing. By doing so, we engaged in a kind of personal and institutional ‘tinkering’ by reflecting on disciplinary rhetorical practices, challenging cultural biases and working towards equitable support for all members. We conclude that global writing groups are potential tinkering spaces where members can continue their professionalisation while building institutional cultures of writing and research.