Mission Statement
The PopFic Collective is a writers' community that strives to help each member pursue their writing and publishing goals. We provide opportunities for writers to connect, share their knowledge, and strengthen the varied skills necessary to succeed as a modern creative.
Code of Conduct
This Code of Conduct serves our mission and ensures a supportive, kind, and helpful environment.
If you wish to suggest an improvement to this code or to request accommodations or exceptions regarding an aspect of this code, or in the case of any general communication, please reach out to popficcollective@gmail.com.
Section 1: Attendee Conduct at Events and Meetings:
Each attendee and/or PopFic Collective member will make reasonable efforts to be respectful toward other members and attendees, and will avoid language, topics, descriptions, and details that are inappropriate to any PopFic Collective event they attend.
Should an event attendee state their desire to avoid a topic that they find psychologically harmful, their wishes will be treated seriously.
In the event that such a request is made, it will be up to the event host to decide whether the event supports free discussion of said topic under the assumption that attendees will not speak to cause harm; whether the discussion should be curtailed; or, if the request is made in apparent reference to the behavior of another attendee or other attendee(s), whether the tone, language, or in-event presence of that individual or individual(s) should be curtailed.
Regardless of the host’s decision, all attendees are to support and respect the right of each attendee to state their boundaries.
Any PopFic Collective event host has the right to stop any event they host for The PopFic Collective at any time should they feel unsafe, or should they feel that an attendee or attendees is/are acting in an inappropriate manner toward others.
Should the host choose to end an event due to such a disturbance, they will follow up with an email to PopFic leadership to outline what happened and request a follow-up meeting at their preference.
Section 2: Meeting Attendance
Monthly Happy Hour Check-ins:
Anyone in the PFC is welcome to drop in to these or not, as they like. They’re just to chat about our lives and writing, to relax, and to have fun.
Communications and Attendance of Planning Meetings:
Planning meetings are set up to move PopFic Collective projects forward, to solve any problems encountered in planning, and to monitor and coordinate event planning and project progress. As such, PopFic Collective volunteers will regularly attend and participate in planning meetings related to the event(s) or areas of the PFC they support. Each volunteer will update the meeting group on progress in the planning, coordination, and management under their purview.
The schedule for these meetings will be outlined as planning commences for each project, though leadership may update the schedule of meetings at a later date.
Planned Absences and/or Illness:
If a volunteer cannot attend a planning meeting, they will inform the meeting lead of their upcoming absence and their project progress. In the case of more than three absences on the part of the volunteer, the meeting lead and/or PFC leadership may reach out to discuss attendance and work progress and to see if alternate means of communication should be considered.
Unplanned Absences and Ceased Communication:
If a volunteer, without notice and alternate arrangements, misses two planning meetings consecutively, five planning meetings in total, or if they remain out of contact for over 48 hours after missing a meeting, they may be removed from their volunteer position at the discretion of PFC leadership.
Alternative Means of Communication:
If a person wishes to volunteer and is unable to attend meetings regularly, they are encouraged to contact PFC leadership to discuss alternative means of maintaining team contact. If such an agreement is reached between the volunteer and leadership, this would then release the volunteer from the responsibility of regular meeting attendance.
Section 3: Workshop Guidelines
Please see the linked document for the PopFic Collective Workshop Guidelines.
Section 4: Applying for Membership and Applying to be a Volunteer
Who Can Be a Member:
For our first year (Sept. 2024-Aug. 2025), we tested our set-up by admitting writers connected to Emerson College, the founder’s alma matter. Our plan was, and continues to be, to phase toward a model that’s open to the public. From Sept. 2025 to Jan. 2026, we’ll accept writers with links to Emerson College, or writers referred by someone who is or has been involved with the PFC. Exceptions may also be made to admit members who were not referred by a first-year PopFic Collective members.
How to Become a Member and/or a Volunteer:
In order to apply for membership, please fill out our Membership Application Form. If you are interested in volunteering, please note this on the related fields in the form. After this, we’ll be in touch with further information. If you experience any delay in response, please reach out to popficcollective@gmail.com.
Leaving a Volunteer Position:
If a volunteer wishes to step away from their work with The PopFic Collective, we support them and their decision.
Should a volunteer be responsible for planning or assisting with an event, we request they notify leadership by their event’s drop date. If the drop date passes, and a member is unable to reasonably continue their volunteer efforts, they should and must do what is right to support their own mental, emotional, and/or physical wellness. We do request that a volunteer inform us of such a decision as soon as they are reasonably able to.
If a volunteer would like to reduce their hours or change their volunteer responsibilities, we encourage them to reach out so that we can discuss options.
Section 5: A Final Note
This Code of Conduct is meant to give members and leadership something to refer to in case we need to solve a problem, but these guidelines are never meant to replace common sense and kindness. As a result, we have three overarching rules:
Act with common sense and kindness when engaged with The PopFic Collective.
If you notice any PFC member behaving in a way that causes, or is likely to cause, harm to themselves or others when engaged in activities under the purview of The PopFic Collective, please reach out to organizational leadership.
The PopFic Collective leadership (founder and President Sarah Burton, with the counsel of members of the Board) retains the right to remove any individuals from The PopFic Collective membership and/or any volunteer position with The PopFic Collective if it could be considered that they acted against rule one.