Jacqueline Carmichael: Digital in a Pandemic

Jacqueline Carmichael Digital in a Pandemic World

That giant closing sound we heard in mid-March? Scheduled brick-and-mortar events imploding. It got the attention of the literary world globally. Poetry readings, fiction book launches, the Fed’s own Spring Writes meet-up—postponed, delayed, cancelled for the pandemic moment. Binge-watching Netflix became a respected strategy for dealing with sudden, enforced isolation as COVID-19 shredded plans for craft-honing, and personal travel used to re-energize and reconnect.

Enter a company we might have bought shares in six months ago. Tech lovers and Luddites alike had to quickly figure Zoom out, for family and business reasons.

“When the going gets tough”…”When life gives you lemons…” The answer for many was … “You go digital.”

That “aha!” moment came for the FBCW when three poets in the Kootenay region were going to be out a launch and League of Canadian Poets funding for readings at a Castlegar Fed event organized for World Poetry Day. After drafting a “cancelled” version of the poster, it was time to think outside the brick-and-mortar box. Individual videos, made by the poets, were uploaded to a YouTube channel, which was then “launched” with a social media blitz.

A flurry of notes from members confirmed the comfort of cocooning was diminished by fear and anxiety. Worries were compounded by questions: Was it safe to pick up the mail? When could I see my friends and elder relatives again?

It was obvious we needed to step up; the BC-Yukon Quite Determined Eco-Friendly Online Literary Road Trip was born. A series of Zoom-based events bringing us together, across the miles, from the safety of our own home offices and patios.

Initially, a room to hang out, to read our work, to see each other’s faces, to be heard, informal Zoom orientations let members dip toes into videoconferencing. Topical chats (“how to record your work”) led to experts who could inform and answer questions.

We enlisted the help of other volunteers willing to share with fellow writers from the far-flung corners of the BC-Yukon region and beyond; three different streams of

A flurry of notes from members confirmed the comfort of cocooning was diminished by fear and anxiety.

on-line events emerged: Coffee Break, Mondays at 7:00 p.m. Pacific, the Author Connection on Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. Pacific, and an open mic event.

Additionally, board member Barb Drozdowich was already scheduling monthly Zoom continuing education workshops for members, such as the Sunday, Sept. 13, session on cross-promotion with Bill Arnott.

Charlene Patterson’s brick-and-mortar spoken-word venue, Alberni Valley Words on Fire, was enlisted. Emcee Stephen Novik stepped up to double the number of open mic events to the second and last Wednesdays of the month at 7:00 p.m.

That meant more feature readers from the FBCW membership. Without the ferry ride and the hilly highway lovingly known as “the Hump,” Zoom allowed writers to take the open mic from places like Whitehorse, Ontario, Ohio, via one link at charslanding.com.

For the Coffee Break and Author Connection, we quickly developed some strategies for keeping sanity while hosting Zooms: sharing the link via message or email, but NOT posting publicly, to avoid “Zoom bombing,” where unfriendly pranksters use chaos to disrupt. During the events, muting mics avoided ambient noise hijacking the camera.

Since we serve writers a thousand kilometres away from each other, we plan to keep Zoom as an important tool in our mission to serve our members by letting them know they’re not alone, showcasing their work and their successes, helping them hone their craft, and helping them get published.

We’re adding more programming, and enlisting volunteers equally fascinated with the potential online programming has for our members. Drop me a line if you’d like to have a part in our online work, or if you’re interested in volunteering in another area. I’d love to hear from you at fbcw.islands@gmail.com.

Kendall J. Larson design