The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference is set to begin in San Antonio today, but many participants have cancelled their plans to attend due to coronavirus concerns.
Most notably, after delivering the message on Monday afternoon that the conference would continue as planned, AWP Co-Director Diane Zinna announced her resignation from the organization Tuesday, citing the decision to hold the conference as the reason.
In a statement about Zinna’s resignation, the AWP said that “a majority of the board felt [they] must stand with the community,” and thus decided to move forward with the conference.
“We were guided in this decision by the responsiveness and information shared by the City of San Antonio and its public health officials and look forward to welcoming and supporting the community members who choose to join us,” the statement continued.
To accommodate those who have pulled out, AWP organizers say that they are moving as many events into the Lila Cockrell Theatre as possible in order to facilitate livestreaming.
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This article appears in The Burger Issue 2020.
