Rise & Write – Mindful Writing in the Morning

Please note: On myStudy an earlier start and a later end of the event is entered. We need the time for the preparation/post-processing of the rooms. We start punctually at 9.30 am. You are welcome to arrive from 9.15 a.m., register and set up your workstation.

Event: Date for summer term 2025 will follow!

Reading, writing, reflecting—all of these practices require sustained attention. Paying attention has, however, become exceedingly difficult “in a distracted age” (Nathan Heller’s phase). As D. Graham Burnett, Alyssa Loh, and Peter Schmidt argue in a 2023 New York Times op-ed, we need to learn how to resist the siren song of our digital devices and the pervasive “attention fracking” by big tech companies, which also threatens the social fabric and democracy. To that end, “we must make attention itself the thing being taught” in classrooms and other contexts (Burnett et al. 2023).

A response to this call for “attention activism,” this year’s Rise and Write gives you the opportunity to explore several practices that could help us to rebuild our capacity for paying attention. Taking a cue from American Beat writer William S. Burroughs, we invite you to go on a color walk with us. You may also, in an activity inspired by the work of French experimental writer Georges Perec, “pay attention in place.” Perhaps you will reflect on kinship and time. In addition to these hands-on activities, Rise and Write will offer ample opportunities for writing and talking about writing. Discuss your work in progress with other participants or with members of our team, perhaps over a cup of coffee or tea.

Registration via myStudy or in person in C5.012. Just drop in! The Writing Center is looking forward to meet you!