Planning for ASAL2020 began in earnest in the week after ASAL2019 concluded in Perth in July 2019. JCU Cairns was getting ready to host the conference until COVID-19 restrictions required a reimagined format, which is the virtual format we present in the new program.
In reimagining ASAL2020 as a virtual conference, my JCU colleagues — Emma Maguire, Victoria Kuttainen, Claire Hansen, and Allison Craven — provided advice and encouragement that made this job less daunting. Thanks also to members of the ASAL Executive — especially Fiona Morrison, Julieanne Lamond, Brigid Rooney and Demelza Hall — who have helped to turn an imagined event into a reality.
Along with ASAL Postgrad reps, Matilda Grogan and Meghan McLean, ASAL ECR reps, Kate Noske and Joe Cummins, have designed a series of workshops that we hope will provide a foundation for future mentoring opportunities.
Special thanks goes to the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund for its ongoing sponsorship of ASAL activities, and to Nicola Evans for being a wonderful liaison between our two organisations.
Finally, thanks to all those keynotes and presenters who have taken a punt with me on the virtual format. ASAL and JCU look forward to providing a platform for you to present your work to a dynamic network of writers, critics, editors, teachers, and scholars. We wish you all the best, and look forward to seeing you at ASAL2020.
Roger Osborne, ASAL2020 Convenor and ASAL Treasurer.
ASAL2020 (VIRTUAL) 
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