by Sybil Johnson
Before the pandemic I don't think I'd ever heard of Zoom. Or Crowdcast. Skype, sure, I'd heard of that, even used it on occasion. Then, suddenly, everything was Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Like so many others during our period of isolation, I attended meetings via Zoom and conferences via Crowdcast. While I'd rather have seen people in person, it was nice to be able to connect with others and not feel so alone.
One nice thing that came out of the pandemic is that Zoom events still happen. I can now attend talks from places around the country and see authors I wouldn't have been able to see before.
Until I became the webmaven of the Sisters in Crime Los Angeles site, I didn't realize just how many of these free talks are available. We get info from other Sisters in Crime chapters and I put them up in our Affiliates section. (www.sistersincrimela.com/events/affiliate_events) Unless otherwise noted, these events are free and available to everyone, not only Sisters in Crime members. That is the portion of the site I update the most.
I have attended a number of these events which range from interviews with authors to the history of forensics to panels with authors to how to deal with social media... You get the idea.
Last weekend, I could have attended a talk sponsored by the Buckeye Crime Writers, a Sisters in Crime chapter in Ohio, with Jessika Hazelton titled “Self-publishing Soup to Nuts.” I almost did, but 8:00 a.m. is a tad early for me. This Thursday, the Grand Canyon Writers chapter has a Zoom event with a panel of authors titled “Independence Day For Authors: What I Wish I Had Known From the Start!”
Some of the chapters archive these events on YouTube channels. For others, the archive is only available to those who register in advance.
While I only see SinC chapter events in my role as webmaven, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there are free events available from other places like bookstores and Mystery Writers of America chapters. I noticed that the mystery bookstore in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania has its own YouTube channel where you can see various interviews and discussions with mystery authors. https://www.youtube.com/@mechmysterybooks2711/videos I’m betting there are other bookstores that have regular online events as well.
An upcoming event from the Sisters in Crime LA chapter, part of the Sizzling Summer Series, a collaboration with other California SinC chapters, will feature a conversation with Sara Paretsky. It’s Sunday, August 6th, 2pm Pacific. Should be interesting. This is a chapter meeting so it's not in the Affiliates section if you're keeping track. Here’s the link of you’re interested in attending. It includes the link to register in advance. https://www.sistersincrimela.com/sizzling-summer-series-august-2023/
While I’d rather not have experienced the pandemic, the availability of events that I wouldn’t have been able to attend before is one of the few positives that came out of that experience.
What about you? Do you know of any free Zoom events open to everyone that would be of interest to others?