Can I get 100 AWP members to vote in this election? HOW ABOUT 1000?

AWP is huge. 60% of this enormous community needs to vote. Let’s do it.

Cathy Day here. If you teach creative writing at an AWP-member school, pay attention. I know you’re busy, but take a minute and vote in the AWP election. President Steve Heller spells it out here:

“We must muster a quorum to address our association’s regular lack of a quorum. Perhaps this is the inevitable quandary of having an association of independent thinkers, a corporation of writers and teachers.”

Translation: because AWP has gotten so big, its governance system needs updated. But to make a change, 60% of members have to vote.

Better translation, from AWP board member Anna Leahy:

Got that? If you don’t vote, lawyers will get AWP’s money instead of writers. That’s the best reason yet, people!

60%! That’s going to take a big push, people.

I voted a few weeks ago, but this thing’s not going to fly unless I can get–I don’t know–100 other people to vote. And they get people to vote.

So: let’s use social media to do some good and start bugging people!

Who’s eligible to vote?

• program directors of institutional member programs (like my boss Mark Neely, who directs Ball State’s creative writing program)
• directors of WC&C member programs (like the director of the Sewanee Writers’ Conference)
• faculty at institutional member programs (like me and half my Facebook friends)
• independent members who have joined at non-student rates

So: not students.

To check your membership status, visit My AWP Account.

Go here to vote.

Another good reason to vote (other than this One-Time Quorum-Because-Getting-a-Quorum-Regularly-is-Impossible thing) I know two people who are running as representatives, my BSU colleague Jill Christman (read her kick-butt statement here, even if you don’t live in the Midwest) and my pedagogy buddy Anna Leahy who teaches at Chapman (read her awesome statement here).

After you vote:

• Leave a comment here.
• Tweet “I voted in the AWP election. I’m a #litcitizen” and I’ll see it.
• Share this link on Facebook and rouse YOUR friends into a voting frenzy.

Thanks, and may the force be with you.