UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With the goal of helping individuals end their procrastination and move past writer’s block, the International Write-In has added a second session for its April 23 date. Writers may sign up for either or both of the two sessions for the event in the University Libraries’ Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, on Penn State’s University Park campus. The first four-hour session is available from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., and the second session will run from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Free and open to Penn State undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff members, the International Write-In provides quiet writing spaces and areas for small-group collaboration as well as coffee, snacks and support from reference librarians and writing consultants. Free pizza will be provided to registered writers between the end of first session and start of the second session.
The April 23 event is sponsored by Penn State Learning, the Graduate Writing Center and the University Libraries. The Write-In at Penn State University Park offers not only support and motivation, but pizza, snacks, coffee and other caffeinated beverages as well.
Each session of the Write-In officially begins with writers stating their goals and then focusing on achieving those goals during the session. Both undergraduate and graduate writing tutors and librarians will be available to assist with writing and research needs. Participants are requested to register as early as possible through this Penn State International Write-In form to allow organizers to submit a crowd-appropriate catering order in a timely manner.
“We had an excellent response to our first-ever International Write-In event held last fall and wanted to offer this opportunity again during the spring semester,” Hailley Fargo, Penn State reference and instruction librarian, said. “Bringing people together with a common purpose in working on writing projects and assignments, the resources and environment help keep everyone motivated and progressing toward their stated goals. With the addition of a second session, we’ll be able to help even more people at this critical time at the end of the semester and before finals.”
More than 5,000 total students around the world participated in an International Write-In event at their respective colleges and universities in November and December 2016. For its first-ever Write-In event, University Park hosted 30 individuals in Pattee Library and Paterno Library during the final week of fall 2016 classes for the focused writing session.
The initial proposal for the Write-In at Penn State came during an introductory meeting among Fargo; Joe Fennewald, head of the Pattee Library’s Knowledge Commons; and Neill Johnson, director of Penn State Learning. The event was a natural complement to the existing collaborative effort between the Learning Center and the Libraries, which makes writing tutors available to students five nights a week during the spring and fall semesters.
An 8.5×11 poster with information about the spring International Write-In is available as a downloadable PDF.
Fargo and Diversity Residency Librarian Alia Gant, also new to the Libraries’ staff, serve on the Write-In event programming committee and are available to answer questions in advance of the Write-In event, including assisting persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations or who have questions about physical access. Fargo may be reached at hmf14@psu.edu or 814-865-1850, and Gant may be contacted at acg44@psu.edu or 814-865-9406.
Writers who participate in the Write-In are invited to use the hashtag #IntlWriteIn and tag @psulibs to share their thoughts about the event on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.