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Blogspot Blog on WIK Conference Coordinator
One hat, two hats, old hats, new hats!
Hats! and changing them…that’s what led me to my role as WIK conference coordinator two years running, and kept me early on as a volunteer in a variety of other SCBWI Southern-Breeze conference positions.
I like changing hats and roles. Some of the most memorable include break room tidy-upper (yes, there really was such a role), registration desk worker (great way to meet conference participants), airport driver (allows a little one-on-one time with a speaker), angel (lots of one-on-one time), and even conference photographer (little time to do anything else but snap those pictures).
No doubt my varied participation and happy willingness to wear any volunteer hat is what landed me with the hat of Conference Coordinator — that and I think no one else volunteered.
It’s definitely not a sequined, glamour hat because much of the work is done under one’s hat e.g. out of the limelight — from corresponding with potential speakers, to keeping the RA informed, to making sure every one of those crucial volunteer positions is filled.
This year a “top down” organizational structure paved much of the process. Key positions from PAL coordinator, to Angel appointer, to volunteer organizer fell under the guidance of seasoned volunteers.
That means a lot of my work is done by others. I just bring them together under one hat, tie the loose ends together, and make sure the “show goes on” no matter what glitches might occur.
Time will tell if there are any. Maybe you could report back, too. We’d love to know more about your conference experience. How it fulfilled your expectations! How it inspired you to improve your craft. How the conference could be improved!
After all, we host the conference for you: the aspiring writer and illustrator who want to hone your craft and develop, if not the great American novel, at least the greatest story you are capable of telling.
That’s a hat trick we all aspire to…
Hope to see you at WIK ’15. Do seek me out and introduce yourself and tell me how you’d like to volunteer next year.
There’s always room for more volunteers under the big dome, the Conference Hat.
To see more blogs about WIK ’15 visit http://www.southernbreezewriters.blogspot.com
Stephanie Moody is not only the WIK ’15 Conference Coordinator, she is also Local Liaison in Atlanta and North Fulton County where she holds semi-annual Schmoozes and mini-workshops featuring published authors. Her work for children has been published by Harper-Collins and a variety of children’s magazines including Highlights for Children, Ladybug, Jack & Jill and ClubHouse. Currently she is serving her fifth term as chairman of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Board of Trustees, a 34 branch system with a circulation of over three million.
Contact her through her website Moodyviews.com or Stephanie@Moodyviews.com