After much thought, careful discussions, and a fair amount of painful emotion, the MNM Organizing Committee has decided not to attempt a live Novel Marathon this year. We will continue the live event in July 2021, when Covid-19 is much less likely to be a danger.
We are erring on the side of caution, but there are multiple good reasons to do that. We have considered many different angles, including: the risk to writers who fall into the high-risk category; the risk of spreading the virus to high-risk associates of writers; the difficulty of fundraising during a pandemic-caused economic downturn; the difficulty food sponsors (mostly restaurants) and prize sponsors (all small local businesses) might have donating; the fact that Ontario has not yet begun its planned eight-week process of re-opening, which would take us into July if started now; the preparation time required for a Novel Marathon; and a few others.
But what we are going to do is…
Muskoka Novel Zoom-athon 2020! (Not necessarily the final name, pending legal research.)
…so we can still be together (virtually), still devote the time to writing, and still enjoy many of the features of the Marathon from the comfort of our own homes.
We haven’t finalized all the details yet, but we wanted to share some of the basics:
- Same date & time: 8 p.m. July 17 to 8 p.m. July 20
- Use as needed of other online connection software in addition to Zoom, e.g. Google Drive
- Fee: by donation. (We don’t have to pay for the space or for any food)
- Fundraising for the Y: at your discretion
- Cap on number of writers: none!
- T-shirts will still be available, but with a design & slogan change that we think you’ll love.
Stay tuned for more information, and make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
What about your reserved spot for the planned live MNM 2020?
You have two choices. You may:
- Defer your registration to 2021, leave your registration payment with us and retain the seat you have; or
- Take a full refund (due to the circumstances, we won’t deduct the 25%) and re-register for 2021 if desired when 2021 registration opens next year.
2021, by the way, is going to be the 20th anniversary of the Marathon, and we have some plans to make it special.
Whichever option to you choose, you are invited, of course, to the Zoom-athon! Please stay tuned for more info.
The Committee would like to send you and all you hold dear our best wishes for good health and prosperity.
In literacy and creativity,
The MNM 2020 Organizing Committee
KM Wehrstein
Colum McKnight
Sharon Bacon
Krystyne Taylor-Smith
Jennifer Turney
Shellie Westlake
(and Heather Bacon in absentia)