Updates from the RWA National Board

Last Saturday, RWA San Diego hosted its annual Post-Nationals Potluck, where we shared our experiences and stories from the July conference. We discussed our favorite workshops, including memorable quotes from instructors, tips and tidbits we learned along the way, and the lowdown on what editors are looking for. Additionally, we were briefed by local chapter member and national Director-at-Large, HelenKay Dimon, on some of the big changes that have occurred and are on the horizon for RWA.The board met on July 10^th and 11^th in San Diego, during which several important decisions were made that affect the membership. Among others:

• The “Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance” category was added to the RITA and Golden Heart contests for 2017, with a provisional status.
• In an effort to make the “Inspirational Romance” category more inclusive, the name and description were changed to “Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements.”
• Qualifications for meeting the Honor Roll were modified.

For details on any of these highlights, please see the news posted on the RWA website.If anyone attended the board meeting, or even just heard HelenKay talk about it at last week’s potluck, you know how hard our board works to make sure RWA respects and values the opinions and feedback of all of its members. Each board member receives hundreds of emails everyday – each of which is read and considered. They spend hours debating the details of amendments to ensure they best meet the needs of all our members, and they take their jobs very seriously, committing a significant amount of their time and effort to making RWA the best it can possibly be. We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the members of our national board for all the work you do for us!For voting members: Elections are coming up in a few weeks! The voting period is from September 1^st through the 15^th, and there are a whopping six spaces up for grabs for Director-at-Large. With three times as many candidates as there are positions to fill, we as members need to do our best to research their platforms and make sure our elected board reflects our values. Please take some time to review their bios and put some thought into who you’re voting for.There are also some proposed changes to the bylaws being put up to a vote. These changes would affect general membership and move certain items from the bylaws to the Policies and Procedures. Details of these proposals can be seen here; please review them so you know how you’re going to vote in September!If you have specific questions, you can always reach out to the board members. Their contact information is available on the RWA website. This organization is only as strong as its members – do your part to participate in our election as an informed voter!