TAF’s 2020 Year in Review and Plans for 2021

By Maya Spikes, http://mayaspikes.com/

So, this year has been … different.

There probably aren’t many people rushing to take a look back at this crazy year.

I get that.

But our group, Triangle Association of Freelancers (TAF), had some great moments in 2020 despite dealing with a global pandemic, a crazy election, and drastic changes to our daily routines.

I wanted to share with you some of TAF’s highlights for 2020, as we approach the end of the year.

In May, TAF hosted Write Now!, our annual writers conference, as a virtual conference via Zoom for the first time. We had a great group of conference organizers, presenters, as well as a very engaged group of about 40 attendees who made this conference a success.

We were able to keep our monthly meeting schedule by having digital meetings featuring guest speakers sharing their experiences and expertise with us.

This year, TAF added TAF Talks, a series of great conversations with author Donna Gephart, award-winning journalist Mark Bowden, and award-winning novelist David Morrell.

We also added an average of about 3 or 4 new TAF members every month during 2020.

Some of our members also shared news about their content (books, blog posts, magazine articles, etc.) being published during the year. Others have started new writing-related projects.

During the summer, 29 TAF members shared their experiences living with this year’s global COVID-19 pandemic in “TAF Stays Home,” an anthology of essays, poems, and stories. The anthology has received great reviews and it brought in more than $200 to TAF. Special thanks to all the contributing authors, and especially the anthology’s editors, Arlene Bice and Marilyn Iturri. Arlene also designed the front and back covers for “TAF Stays Home.”

As for me, I was happy to become TAF’s newest president in July. I joined TAF in 2011, wondering if I could be a freelance writer. I’ve found great writing and blogging opportunities with the help of other TAF members.

So, who here feels brave enough to make any 2021 predictions?

2020 has been a clear reminder that the future is always uncertain.

That said, we are making plans for next year.

We’re looking forward to another great set of monthly meetings. We’re taking a holiday break this month and the next monthly TAF meeting will be during late January 2021.

We also hope to bring in more writers for next year’s TAF Talks and welcome more new TAF members.

TAF’s executive members are currently evaluating options for the Write Now! 2021 conference. We’ll keep you posted.

I hope this helps you feel a little bit better about 2020.

Feel free to share any of your wins, challenges, lessons learned, and/or other observations about this year.

Thanks for being a part of TAF!

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a happier new year in 2021.

Maya Spikes is a freelance writer, blogger, and content marketer. She began her career as a journalist and won a North Carolina Press Association Award for general news reporting. Maya is the president of Triangle Association of Freelancers. She shares writing advice and tips on her own blog at mayaspikes.com.