Talk About a Pivot

I was excited about the potential to meet together for this year’s InScribe Fall Conference. Not to mention the fact that as the president, I was heavily involved with planning the event. Travel plans were made, rooms booked, conference fees paid in full… When we made the decision in the late summer to go full force toward an in-person event, things were opening up and we were sure we were in the clear.

Except we weren’t.

It seems like old news now, but the Delta variant came in with more force than anyone had anticipated. After thoughtful deliberation, we decided to pivot to a virtual-only event for the second year in a row. It seemed like the only prudent thing to do.

The last ten days or so have been extremely hectic for me as we shift our plans. We want the virtual experience to be valuable and worthwhile, not just a second-best option. So, many committee meetings and other tasks have taken up a lot of my time. Add to that, this is the busiest time of year in my ‘real’ job as an online support teacher.

Did I mention I also managed to attend several sessions for another writers’ conference over the weekend? A local event called “Wild Words North”, sponsored by the Peace Liard Regional Arts Council, took place over the weekend as well. For the second time in a row, it was held online. I will share more about that experience in future posts.

So, here’s to pivoting! We might be getting dizzy, but we’re learning to maneuver in a world that may see permanent changes toward these types of events. I think this time around we had a better handle on what to do and how. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned through this pandemic, it’s that where there’s a will there’s a way.