ASJA PNW Meeting 2021-01


Not every change that Covid-19 has brought to our workplace will last forever. But it’s safe to say that the way we work in a post-pandemic world will never be quite the same. New and creative approaches to work were among the topics discussed by ASJA members from the Pacific Northwest who met virtually on January 20.

Sondra Forsyth, a dance critic for Broadway World Dance, talked about how dancers are adapting to requirements for social distancing and using video technologies in innovative ways. Her work as a ballet instructor has also shifted to Zoom, with some students taking part from a dance studio and others joining from home. “It’s a whole new way of creating.”

The ASJA get-togethers are an opportunity for local members to share news and solicit ideas and advice on writing related work, marketing, and technology. Other topics on the agenda in January:

  • Approaches to pricing long-term writing projects
  • Differences in writing for North American and British or other international clients
  • Titling a nonfiction book
  • Creation of a sub-group for writers pursuing creative nonfiction projects

In member news this month: British Columbia writer Rosemary Keevil, author of The Art of Losing It: A Memoir of Grief and Addiction, published in October 2020 by She Writes Press, is working on an audio version of the book. Randy Stapilus, a writer, editor and book publisher in Oregon, is judging annual writing awards for the California Newspaper Association.

ASJA members attending the January 20 meeting: L.M. Archer, Maxine Cass, Sondra Forsyth, Catherine Kolonko, Rosemary Keevil, M. Carolyn Miller, Joanna Nesbit, Randy Stapilus, Darlene West, Minda Zetlin.