The staff at Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers would like to restate our commitment to hosting a conference free of harassment and discrimination. We prohibit unlawful discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law in any area, activity or operation of the WIFYR conference. Participants asked to stop any inappropriate behavior are expected to cease such behavior immediately.

The Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference reserves the right to revoke, without refund, the membership and badge of any attendee not in compliance with this policy, and also reserves the right to eject any faculty member who is not in compliance. Participants who have been paid for their time, and are not in compliance with this policy, are expected to refund their stipend within 48 hours.

Recently, there has been an increased awareness of sexual harassment issues in conference venues. Therefore, in the interest of clarity, Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers submits the definition of sexual harassment as follows: Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature and can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other conduct of a sexual nature whether verbal, nonverbal, or physical. Conduct is unwelcome if the individual toward whom it is directed did not request or invite it and regarded the conduct as undesirable or offensive. A wide variety of sexual conduct may constitute sexual harassment. Examples of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Sexually suggestive or offensive joking, flirting, or comments

• Unwelcome and intentional touching

• Sexually oriented verbal abuse

• Sexually oriented comments about an individual’s body

• Displaying objects or pictures that are sexual in nature

• Sending sexually explicit or offensive text messages or other communications

Persons finding themselves in a situation where they feel their safety is at risk, or who become aware of an attendee or faculty member not in compliance with this policy, should immediately locate the nearest conference staff member so that the matter can be handled in an expeditious manner. The privacy of anyone coming forward is of the utmost importance. All discussions will be private and handled with respect and compassion.

We believe that Utah has a unique writing community that uplifts and encourages each other as we try to become better artists. We have found it a great satisfaction that many writers have started their professional careers at WIFYR, and we unequivocally state our determination to provide a safe place for writers and illustrators to improve their craft. That anyone has taken advantage of the unique mentor culture in Utah’s literature community saddens us deeply, and we unequivocally state that such behavior will not be tolerated at Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers.