Katrin Girgensohn, Writing Center Academic Director of the writing center at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt/Oder (located on the border with Poland) is currently also the chair of the European Writing Centers Association (EWCA). She and Daniel Spielmann, webmaster for the website “Long Night against Procrastination,” provided information about this event for this blog. The event mirrors the #InternationalWriteIn that successfully took place last December 4-9, 2014. Organized by over 22 small liberal arts college writing programs and the writing centers consortium, these campuses hosted an International Write-In between the end of classes and beginning of exams.

The first writing center event called “Lange Nacht der aufgeschobenen Hausarbeiten” took place at the writing center at European University Viadrina in 2010. In 2011 six more writing centers in Germany joined and in 2012 the event became international, with writing centers in the USA participating. This year organizers are hoping that they might have writing centers from Iceland, Australia and Canada participating, too.

To connect all participating writing centers, the wordpress blog Long Night against Procrastination (Schreibnacht) was created in 2012. The hashtag: #lndah (lange nacht der aufgeschobenen hausarbeiten, which means “Long Night of Postponed Papers” but many writing centers use “Long Night against Procrastination” to advertise this event) initially linked posts on various social media.Starting this year, organizers are also promoting the hashtag #writein for especially international participants.

What is this Long Night?”: Basically, a Long Night includes opening the writing center (or library) all night long or at least in the evening and get writers together to write on whatever they want in a productive atmosphere. To make it a fun event, organizers offer some interruptions like office yoga, night walks, etc. Don’t forget snacks! And of course tutors should be available for counseling.

The event is great to get publicity - get students interested in the writing center and also media (in the past we had MANY reporters come to the different writing centers!)

Lately, the blog has received more and more requests about the idea of the “Lange Nacht der aufgeschobenen Hausarbeiten”.  We know that it will not be possible to find a common date for all writing centers worldwide because of the differences in semesters, terms, etc. However, in Germany the Peer Writing Tutor’s Conference decided to have a common event for as many writing centers as possible, that will take place every first Thursday of March.

Please feel free to join the event, use the idea, celebrate whatever Long Night you want in your writing center and let the readers and bloggers at CWCAB and SCHREIBNACHT know about your events.