Volunteers are the heart and soul of Writercon. There is no way to pull off a gathering of this size and magnitude without the help of so many generous people! At both previous gatherings, we've had an overwhelming response, and we hope for the same this year!

For those wondering if we're Rumpelstiltskin and will demand your firstborn if you hint at a willingness to volunteer, don't worry, the commitment is only an hour or two at a time, and ideally will dovetail with places you already wanted to be anyhow! While the specifics of how many volunteers we'll need and where is being worked out, I wanted to at least whet your appetite and see who might be interested.

Pre-registration: A great activity for early arrivers. Collate info, help with general set up.

Registration: Signing people in, getting their badges, etc.

Greeters: As people arrive it's great to have folks who make the jet-lagged and possibly overwhelmed feel welcome. So many of us are wallflowers by nature, so sometimes it just takes someone noticing and saying, "Hi, I'm glad you're here."

Local Runners/Ops: I'm looking for all the local help I can gather. In part it's helpful to have local folks who can do runs to get what's needed since they know exactly where to go, etc. Also, I'd love to have enough local folks that during the primary arrival times we would have people stationed along the light rail line from the airport to the hotel in order to make that experience as stress free as possible.

Programming attendant: Responsible for ensuring that the room is set up properly and water is available for participants, they'll notify the programming chairs if participants don't show, or if there is a problem. If there is a programming event you definitely want to attend, this is a great way because it ensures there will be space and you get a good seat towards the front.

Hospitality: The hospitality room will be open almost all of the time, and we'll need people to take shifts. That includes being there, making sure we're up on supplies (liquor, snacks -don't worry, if we run out, you don't have to get them, you just have to let one of us know), and generally helping to provide a place where folks feel like they can relax and/or mingle.

Guest Services: 'personal assistant' types to help get guests organized get them where they need to be, make introductions, etc.

Con shut down: Perfect for those who are going to be leaving later on the last day. Help with packing things up, etc.

Jacks and Jills of all Trades: People who are willing to fill in, or will be happy to do whatever.

There are some jobs that will be defined later on. If there's an area in which you are especially interested in that's not listed, let me know. There will always be things which need to be done! If you see an area that you have experience in, or are interested in a particular category, please contact me at volunteers at writercon dot com. Or if you have questions, I'll be glad to answer them.