We here at WriteOnCon view all organizers, volunteers, participants, and industry professionals as part of the kidlit family, and thus strive for an environment where everyone is treated with kindness, empathy, and respect. By registering for WriteOnCon, signing up to present, purchasing a critique during our fundraiser, and/or participating on our forums, you are agreeing to abide by these policies.
We promise to:
- support the right of every presenter, attendee, volunteer, and organizer to feel safe and respected in our newsletter, blog content, conference content, the comment section, social media feeds, and on our forums
- take seriously any and all complaints of harassment and discrimination, and act swiftly
- review (and possibly edit) all pre-submitted presenter contributions (blog posts, vlogs, podcasts) before the conference begins
- subtitle and/or transcribe our vlogs and podcasts before the conference for those who need greater accessibility to experience WriteOnCon
- continue fostering conversations around controversial/sensitive topics and diversity of all stripes with the understanding that viewpoints and opinions may vary, but respect for each other will remain a constant
- have staff and moderators actively monitor comments and forum posts for content that violates our policies
- make information readily available on multiple platforms, including our website, blog, forums, and social media
- hold our own organizers and volunteers to the same high standards
We will not stand for:
- language/behavior that intimidates, attacks, or threatens someone and/or their work and/or their identity, especially when it comes to race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, body type, able-bodiedness, physical appearance, country of origin, immigration status, religion, age, experience level, ancestry, traditions, class, political affiliation, clothing, personal life, etc.
- rude/crude/discriminatory photos, hate symbols, GIFs, or links
- belittling of creative projects and career trajectories
- the free sharing of any content that is intended for paying members of WriteOnCon, which disrespects us as well as the creators of the content and your fellow attendees who paid to be here
- harassment/stalking of the SuperAuthors, SuperAgents, and SuperEditors on our forums, nor the revelation of their anonymous identities
- retaliation against anyone who reports harassing/discriminatory behavior
We reserve the right to:
- delete comments and posts that violate these policies
- block and/or report offenders on social media
- use our judgment to determine if inappropriate remarks and/or behaviors warrant a warning or immediate suspension
- ban members from the WriteOnCon forums and block access to the WriteOnCon website at any time—without refunding critiques or conference admission—for inappropriate behavior that is severe or which has persisted after (a) warning(s)
- refuse access to WriteOnCon critiques/forums/admission in future years for any person whom we deem likely to continue their harassing behavior
- cancel any future appearances, forfeit their honorarium, and refuse to invite back any industry professional (author, agent, editor, bookseller, librarian, etc.) who abuses their power during the critique process and/or WriteOnCon itself
For anyone who is experiencing or is a witness to any of the above violations, contact us immediately at our main email account: [email protected].