Dear Conference Attendee:

AWP welcomes constructive commentary on how we can improve our services to all conference attendees, no matter where the conference is held. Recently, we received inquiries concerning accommodations for conference attendees with accessibility needs.

Because AWP remains committed to meeting the expectations of our diverse stakeholders, the staff frequently reviews the best practices in event planning in order to update and refine our services for all conference goers, including those with accessibility needs. To clarify those services, many of which we have provided for decades now, we have updated the information on accessibility services on our website.

To ensure that our association remains as fruitful as possible, the staff and the Board of Trustees must have an ongoing dialogue with each constituency. Several years ago, the Executive Director and the Board worked very closely with the Low-Residency Program Directors Caucus, which is now a permanent working group at the conference. This group helped the Board to draft, revise, and establish  “AWP Hallmarks of an Effective Low-Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing.” The community of persons with disabilities will now have such a caucus.

The 2016 Conference Subcommittee accepted a proposal submitted by Jennifer Bartlett, Sheila Black, and Meg Day to establish the Disability Caucus. The caucus will meet in Los Angeles for the very first time. We look forward to working with this caucus, and we hope it will provide a permanent, representative voice for members with disabilities. 

A member of the community has also joined the Washington, DC 2017 Conference Subcommittee. The subcommittee looks forward to seeing your proposals for AWP’s 50^th Anniversary Conference & Bookfair.

The AWP staff and the Board of Trustees remain committed to providing excellent help to our members in the service of our association’s mission. As always, we are grateful for your emails and phone calls offering advice and insight on how AWP may continue to improve.

Best regards,

AWP Board of Trustees and Staff