The current “Trail Pack” on Writer’s Camp is titled “Nursing Theory Think Tanks: Bridges Between Knowledge and Action.” So first, what is a Trail Pack? As Leslie Nicoll, the Camp Director defines it – “they are multi-faceted learning experiences bringing together original research, a podcast/video, and a concise article written exclusively for Writer’s Camp that summarizes the original article and highlights its key insights.” You can earn 2 contact hours of NPD credit if you read the articles, watch the video, and complete the evaluation; the fee for NPD credit is $20.

The current trail pack includes an article that provides an historical account of the Theory-Guided Practice Expert Panel, which functioned as a think tank and generated the concept for the development of Nursology.net!

Jones DA, Flanagan J, Fawcett J, et al. The American Academy of Nursing 50th Anniversary of the Nursing Theory Guided Practice Expert Panel (NTGPEP): Exploring the Past—Re-envisioning the Future. Nursing Science Quarterly. 2023;36(1):35-41. doi:10.1177/08943184221138238

The video was recorded on February 13, 2026, showing a 20-minute discussion between Jacqueline Fawcett, Afaf Meleis and Peggy Chinn, discussing their experiences as participants in nursing theory tanks organized by Margaret Newman from 1978 to 1987. Go to the Trail Pack to see the video! Sadly, the video is one of the last recorded appearances of our colleague Jacqui Fawcett, who died 6 weeks after the video was recorded. There is also a link to a longer video of an interview about the Think Tanks with Jacqui, Afaf and Peggy conducted for the Margaret Newman Center for Nursing Theory.

The trail pack article begins with the quesion: “What might happen if scholars gathered—not to present, not to perform, not to produce measurable outcomes—but simply to think together?” The key element of a think tank is simply to ask the question – not to provide an answer! As Afaf and Jacqui and I discussed in the video, we participated in the Newman Think Tanks with early aspirations for the work that we each pursued in our careers, but we had not yet formed the substance of the work that we now look back on. We participated in the think tanks with open hearts and minds as to what was to happen next.

We hope that the Trail Pack inspires nursologists to form your own think tank time! Here are the guiding principles that the Trail Pack article outlines –

• Resist the urge to over-organize or formalize the experience. Leave room for emergence.
• Identify a guiding topic. It may be broad or focused, but it should anchor the conversation.
• Keep membership defined and limited. Think tanks are not classrooms; they are spaces for shared inquiry among those already engaged in the work.
• Schedule sufficient time for deep discussion. We recommend at least half-day sessions.
• Remove the gathering from the demands of daily life. The Newman Think Tanks were held in a central location, where we met for two full consecutive days—fully present with one another. (Source https://writers-camp.org/2026/04/02/nursing-theory-think-tanks/)

Here are a few additional Nursology.net resources for inspiration!

A Tribute to Margaret Ann Newman, PhD, FAAN (October 10, 1933 – December 18, 2018)

Nursology think tanks, anyone?

Update on early nursing theory think tanks facilitated by Margaret Newman

Participants in the Newman Nursing Theory Think Tank, circa 1987