The Last In-Person AWP

A year ago today, I'd have been zipping my suitcase and getting ready to go to the airport.  I was headed to San Antonio for the AWP conference.  I had heard rumors of possible cancellation of the whole conference, but by the time I left, there had been an e-mail that said that the conference would proceed.  I knew that I would pay for 2 nights of the hotel whether I was there or not, so I had already decided to go, even if the conference was cancelled.

I remember thinking that cancelling the conference was an absurd response, but by the end of the week, the South by Southwest festival had been cancelled.  Of course, that decision was made weeks before the actual event, unlike the discussion about cancelling AWP.  At the airport, I only saw 6 people with masks, which contributed to my sense of different realities colliding.  Was this virus such a threat that a whole conference should be cancelled?

As it turns out, yes, it was.  As far as I know, the AWP wasn't a super spreader event, like Mardi Gras, but that's just dumb luck.  

I had decided on an early flight, so I got to the hotel by noon and was able to check in early.  I spent the afternoon in a lovely hotel room with a great view of San Antonio.  I was grading papers, but also keeping an eye on social media, and I watched various people I knew decide not to come to the conference.  But I still wasn't worried about my own safety.

As I look back, I'm glad I went to San Antonio.  In fact, if I could tell year ago Kristin anything, it would be to live it up a bit more, but I'm not sure what that would look like, even as I type those words.  More tableside guacamole? Taking a cab down to the mission historic sites instead of walking? More alcohol? Having more than 1 fancy coffee drink each morning?

I decided not to do the virtual AWP this year.  I thought about it, but I know that I'm pretty Zoomed out these days.  I knew that I wouldn't want to take vacation days, so I also knew it was likely that I wouldn't get my money's worth, since I would be balancing AWP and work.

My hope throughout all of this upheaval is that we hold onto some of these more inclusive ways of doing events.  For a long time, AWP was resistant to letting participants Zoom in, if they couldn't attend in person.  Last year, I saw more than one panel with a long distance participant.  And this year, we've got a conference that more people can attend:  it's cheaper, it can be integrated with non-academic work lives, people with family duties can attend.

Yes, I hope we hold onto these developments.