Reading Dates are a teaching innovation created by Evi Puspitasari, S.Pd., M.Hum. as the lecturer for Basic Reading and Writing class for the 2017 class. Basically, a reading date is a place for students who like to read to gather. The activities of this program takes ten weeks.
There have been three meetings of this Reading Date program. The first meeting and the socialization event was done in September 2017 at the English Education Faculty’s Meeting room, and was attended by 120 ELED students from the 2017 batch. Attendants are asked to find 3-4 other students as their reading buddies. Then, students must determine what book they will read for the next 10 months and fill a form.
The second meeting was done at October 2017 in the KH. Ibrahim building’s Amphitheater, and was attended by 70 people. This meeting is to monitor how far the students managed to read the book they have chosen. Students are also asked to share what they have learned from their books.
The Reading Date program is ended with the third meeting, entitled Reading Date Closing. This meeting was also done in KH. Ibrahim building’s amphitheater, and was attended by the remaining members. At the end of the event, an open mic night is hosted where the student could share what they have read.

The organizer also invited Mr. Ahmad Ali Adhim, a poetry writer whose poems were published in multiple medias in Indonesia. On said occasion, Mr. Adhim shared his writing journey and experience. He also emphasizes that he managed to create because he read various works of others as inspiration
Evi Puspitasari, S.Pd., M.Hum explains that the Reading Date Program is meant to introduce literacy to students early, as well as to create interest in reading. (syabel/mariska).