Greetings! Beanachtaí!
We hope this message is finding all of you well and safe. While the pandemic has been raging, forcing us all to change our schedules, to change our ways of communicating and sharing (and indeed, to change our daily lives), the AIA Directors have been discussing how best to deliver presentations for our community going forward. Based upon the newest research and health recommendations, we felt it best to organize a fully remote series of events for our 2020/2021 season. While this is obviously not an ideal solution, it is the safest and most apropos to the current situation.
To that end, we will be conducting a real-time Zoom meeting on event days at 2 pm. Many of you are likely familiar with Zoom already, due to its pervasive use for meetings and family visits. The software is free for you, the user (the AIA has taken out a subscription so that we can host additional participants for longer meeting times than the free app allows). During the presentations, you will be able to submit online questions to a moderator who can pass them along to the speaker. All the events should last about 45 minutes and will be recorded. These digital sessions will then be posted to YouTube.com. In that way, should you be unable to be present on the day of any given event, you can still watch the presentation after the fact, although you will not be able to submit real-time questions.
So how will you be able to join a meeting?
If you are an AIA member, you will receive an e-mail which will include a link to the Zoom meeting. Simply clicking the link at 2 pm on the event day and following the prompts will bring you into the meeting.
If you are not an AIA member, YOU ARE HEARTILY WELCOME! At least two days prior to each event listed on the flyer below, please send an e-mail requesting to attend to amherstirishassociation@gmail.com. You will be sent a link to the event. Simply clicking the link at 2 pm on the event day and following the prompts will bring you into the meeting.
Please do not wait until just before the event has started to try to contact us via e-mail!
For optimal interaction, it would be best to use a laptop (as it has a video camera installed on it), an iPad, or a desktop with a video camera. You can also use your android smartphone or iPhone by downloading the Zoom app, although some features may be limited.
Not familiar with Zoom? There are innumerable free videos on YouTube that will walk you through the process. Just go to YouTube.com and search for “Zoom for beginners." For example, here are 2 such videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOJkfflN8O4. This one will show you how to use your smartphone for the Zoom mobile app.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1CwZFiAyxY. This one is a good Zoom overview.
Should you have any questions regarding Zoom or any AIA event, you can reach us at amherstirishassociation@gmail.com. But please do not wait until just before the event has started to try to contact us via e-mail. That may not be enough time for us to properly respond.
As we mentioned, we know that a fully remote series is not ideal. But given the circumstances and their likelihood to continue for the foreseeable future, this option provides a solution that keeps us closest to our “normal” presentations.
Our event series for 2020-2021 is presented below. You can download it by following the link below the flyer. It will begin on September 27th at 2 pm with a presentation by Malcolm Sen, Professor of English at UMASS/Amherst, on “Race in Irish Literature & Culture,” a particularly appropriate subject for these times. We hope you will be able to join us.
Until then, best wishes and please keep safe and well!
Yours,
AIA Directors
AIA Program Series 2020-2021
You can download the flyer by choosing this link.
A statement from the Directors of the Amherst Irish Association
You can download the flyer by choosing this link.
