Four months ago, the Rabbit Room began wondering, dreaming, asking how in the world we were going to adapt to 2020 when it came to our biggest event of the year: Hutchmoot.
How do we take an annual conference—marked by its in-person-ness, its ability to spark friendships over shared meals and long conversations in the hallway—and translate its magic into a primarily online experience? Can friendships still be made during this weekend? How about shared meals? Collaborative art? Communal singing?
We believe the answer to all those questions is yes.
Of course it’s not the same. We can’t re-invent the wheel of sharing physical presence with newfound kindred spirits. But I’m so proud to be part of a team that has re-imagined how to eat together, sing together, and make something beautiful together—even from a distance, even in a world ravaged by a pandemic.
Adversity can bring paralysis. It can also prompt creativity. It has done both for me this year. But it’s so much easier to engage creatively with adversity when we do it together. For the past four months, that’s what the Rabbit Room staff has been doing week after week.
Adversity can bring paralysis. It can also prompt creativity. But it's so much easier to engage creatively with adversity when we do it together. Drew Miller
We cannot wait for all our work and play to spill over into this conference, and especially that unique gladness of watching creativity unfold in new and unexpected ways among guests and participants. It’s truly an over-abundance, the kind of joy that isn’t complete until shared.
To me, that’s what hope looks like: new songs, new recipes, new stories, new relationships sparked in a year determined to snuff them out. And at the end of the day, it’s an act of defiance: pushing back the darkness, declaring that there isn’t a square inch of creation that will not finally be redeemed.
I couldn’t be happier to be spending my weekend this way.
Convene the Hutchmoot.
Registration for Hutchmoot: Homebound will remain open until the end of the day Sunday, October 11th, and 90% of content will remain available for two weeks.