The Manuscript Review Workshop is designed to provide helpful and timely feedback to faculty members preparing monographs prior to submission for publication. The workshop typically consists of a one-day session with 1-2 external reviewers and several Berkeley faculty members. Readers come with constructive criticism to assist the author in developing strategies for improving and polishing the book manuscript.
The Townsend Center is able to support a limited number of workshops per year. Proposals are invited on a rolling basis.
Individual faculty members interested in the program should submit a letter of inquiry including:
- brief description of the book project
- overview of the timeline for completion
- an account of what the applicant hopes to gain through the workshop
- brief list of possible external and internal reviewers
- proposed semester during which the workshop would take place
- itemized budget with sources of additional funding (if any)
- attached curriculum vitae
The Manuscript Review Workshop is open to UC Berkeley ladder-rank faculty in the humanities and humanistic social sciences in any area or period, whose in-progress book manuscript is still in a position to benefit substantially from review. Postdoctoral fellows, lecturers, emeriti, and visiting scholars are not eligible for the program.
The Townsend Center will provide up to $4000 for the workshop, which may be used for any expenses including honoraria for reviewers, travel and accommodations for external reviewer(s), and lunch or dinner following the workshop. The workshop session will take place at the Townsend Center. Faculty authors and their departments are responsible for making travel and other logistical arrangements, disbursing honoraria to reviewers, and distributing the manuscript to reviewers prior to the meeting.