Your JASNA Southwest board is working hard on plans for region-wide virtual meetings while we take a hiatus in our in-person gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the Festival of Books, which has been rescheduled for October. The Festival of Books is the largest of its kind in the nation, drawing some 150,000 visitors a year. The event may end up being canceled but, even if it proceeds, we reluctantly are giving up our booth to ensure the safety of our volunteers and visitors. It is clear that a vaccine will not be available this fall and a gathering of this size, in the tight spaces of the festival’s booths, raises significant concerns.
On a brighter note, we are excited to have this opportunity to explore new ways of connecting. We look forward to bringing you informative and engaging lectures and discussions, albeit in a new format. We’ll be posting the latest here and in our monthly newsletter as soon as plans are firmed up. Meanwhile, many of our reading groups have moved to online sessions. Check the Groups pages on this site for the latest schedules.
In the meantime, we are postponing all in-person meetings for the next full year (through June 2021) and have rescheduled our Mission Inn event until November 13, 2021 (previously announced for May 1, 2021). Rest assured that, as soon as it’s safe to resume in-person events, we will be ready and will take every precaution to keep you safe. Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to “seeing” you in an upcoming Zoom meeting.