Practically Perfect…In Every Way

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Leslie

Hello my friends,

For my INANE week, I planned to be at the conference from Sunday through Wednesday, then take Thursday and Friday off to catch up and recuperate. We had tickets to see Mary Poppins at the Ogunquit Playhouse last night and I have to say, the show lived up to Mary’s song of being practically perfect in every way.

Although I am not one to blow my own horn I have to say, reflecting back on INANE 2014, I think the conference was also practically perfect in every way. Yes, I know–the Atlantic Room was a tight fit (I knew that going in), and there were a few A/V glitches. Graham Scott, please forgive me for your missing lobster at the lobster bake! But in the big scheme of things, the positives far outweighed the negatives and the evaluations I have received so far bear this out. I am very, very proud of what the Planning Committee helped me and INANE to accomplish this week. This was definitely a peak moment that will remain at the forefront of my memory for years to come.

Shawn Kennedy made the comment that the sessions fed both the left and right side of our brains. I hadn’t thought of it that way (I kept using the words “art” and “science”). But one thing that struck me was that when you stimulate your right brain with some beautiful pictures of art or words of poetry, the other side opens right up and lets the information pour in. What a wonderful feeling that is!

In my very first nursing class way back when, Mrs. Lona Moore stood up and said that all of nursing can be described in six principles. The first was “Teaching and Learning” and the sixth was “Infinite Creativity” (I have forgotten numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5). Infinite creativity has informed much of my nursing work over the course of my career and this conference was proof of that. But I have to be honest and say that I often see the creativity afterwards, not beforehand. For example, an evaluation comment said, “Having poet Richard Blanco come to INANE was an INSPIRED choice.” Yes, he was, but when we extended the invitation I was thinking more along the lines of, “He’s a poet, he lives in Maine, and he’s sort of famous right now. Do you think he’d want to speak to us?” My point is that the creativity is often there but sometimes it needs to emerge like a butterfly from a cocoon for everyone to see it.

I also have to say that you, my INANE colleagues, are an amazing group of women and men who also stimulate my brain to receive new ideas and information. I realized that I worked so hard on this conference because it is truly an honor and a privilege to be part of this group. We all deserve the very best, especially for our annual meeting!

With this post, I will be shutting down the INANE 2014 blog and moving to the INANE 2015 site. My thanks to Karen and Jackie for their live blogging posts–I enjoyed reading them and Jackie, I especially loved your pictures! At the new site we will be setting up a regular posting schedule (this past year it was every two weeks) to keep people informed about conference details and deadlines. While I am on the planning committee for INANE 2015 I am going to step back from being “in charge” and work on other initiatives including INANE white papers (which I would like to publish in Nurse Author & Editor) and a possible revision of The Editor’s Handbook with Margaret Freda. If life is true to form, Amazon will release a new Kindle in September and I will spend the month of October scrambling to get the latest edition of Kindle for Dummies written in time for Christmas sales! The fun never ends!

Thank you, everyone, for the trusting me to be the conference chair for 2014. It was an amazing experience and I learned a tremendous amount. I look forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas next summer and many of you at the Academy of Nursing meeting in October. Until then, onward and upward!

All my best,

Leslie

One Morning in Maine…

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Leslie

As I woke up this morning to the sound of seagulls screeching, I realized that I have never stayed at a hotel in downtown Portland. In fact, I am not sure I’ve even stayed at someone’s home here in the city.

I live only 6 miles from downtown but it might be a world apart for the early morning sounds! I don’t hear seagulls–at least, not this many seagulls–at my little house out in the country. Plus the other noises seem much more urban–trucks, cars, planes (well, I do hear planes at my house). I haven’t heard any ambulances or fire trucks, though.

I am sure folks from big cities are laughing as they read this. I bet Portland seems quiet and quaint compared to the raucous noise of New York City or Chicago! Still, I am surprised at how different it is from my usual morning nature’s melody wake-up.

I am enjoying a cup of coffee and then will be heading down to the lobby to set up the registration table. zKipster is working great–we registered 76 people in two hours yesterday! It was great to see so many friends and say hello!

Some people have meetings this morning but don’t forget: the conference officially opens with the Discover Portland Trolley tours which start at 1:30 pm. The weather report is great–it will be a perfect day for a scenic tour of the city and Portland Head Light. If I don’t see you at registration, well…see you on the trolley!

Leslie

Meet my Maine men!

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Jackie Owens

Hello everyone and welcome from me to INANE in Maine! I am Jackie Owens, editor of OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. I will be live blogging during the conference and hope some of you can follow my adventures. I’m fairly new to blogging, and due to a tech glitch, missed yesterday – so tonight’s post is a two-in-one event.

I like to take photos, so hope to add some visuals to my posts as I can. My first pic is to introduce you to my Maine men. My husband is with me. You’ll likely meet him later. But also with me are my lobster, Longfellow, and my moose, Marley. I did a bit of reading up on the state before my arrival (see photo), and decided to name them after a few famous Mainers!

We have already had a few preconference adventures, including a trip to L.L. Bean (don’t worry, I left a few things for those of you headed there on Wednesday). We also enjoyed a lovely ride today on a vintage train from Brunswick to Rockland, complete with a visit to the Maine Lobster Festival! Here’s a photo of my husband’s lunch, a lobster roll, and one of Longfellow and Marley enjoying the Maine coastal scenery with me.

I have been eager to visit Maine for some time, so am thrilled for an INANE conference in Portland! A great time already – how about that wonderful L.L. Bean tote! Clearly Leslie and the conference planning team have left no stones unturned to make it yet another great year! I am ready to rest up for tomorrow’s activities, but before I go, if you haven’t checked out the Guidebook option to track the conference activities, I highly recommend it. One less paper with your sessions scribbled on it stuffed in the back of your name badge holder!

Hoping to see some good friends, and make some new ones!

Jackie

Smile and Say Cheese!

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Leslie

In the midst of planning nine million details, the one thing I never thought of was having a photographer on site. Oh well, too late now but fortunately, there will be enough iPhones and iPads on the scene that we should be able to muster up some photos to document the conference. This is an invitation to everyone to snap a few pics to share with the group via this blog and our Facebook page. People can also share pictures through Twitter: @INANEEditors, #INANE2014. We also need to figure out a time to take our annual editor group photo–an INANE tradition! If you have ideas or like to take pictures, send me a message. Thanks!

Smile and say cheese!

Live Blogging Starts Now!

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Leslie

Good morning!

Earlier this morning I received this message from Pat Yoder-Wise:

It smells so good here! Off on a sightseeing day. Don’t know where we’ll go. Love your state.

It is a perfect day for sightseeing. On a day like today, I am fond of saying, “This is why we put up with February in Maine!”

I am heading downtown in just a little while. I am looking forward to seeing my friends and colleagues as everyone arrives for the conference!

Leslie

Looking Ahead!

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Peggy L Chinn

In just one short week many of us will be making our way up the U.S. east coast to Portland, Maine to attend the 33rd annual INANE conference! It promises to be a fabulous event – thanks to the dedication of Leslie Nicoll, our host, our planning group, and so many others who have contributed to what we are doing now and whose unwavering efforts laid a strong foundation on which to build! Together we all make INANE “happen!”

At the business meeting in Portland, we will create the structure for all that will be unfolding beyond the conference in Portland, Maine, but we want to be sure that everyone has the opportunity now to participate, and become a part of a volunteer team! Here are the groups we are organizing:

Internet Services Workgroup – we would like to add 3 to 4 people to assist with this work which includes updating the website, writing blog posts, and coordinating social media, including our Facebook page and Twitter feed. A new task will be helping with keeping the Directory of Nursing Journals, introduced earlier this month, updated and properly vetted.
INANE 2015 Planning Committee – general all purpose help with planning the conference. We already have several volunteers, including Leslie Nicoll and Peggy Chinn from the 2014 group, Gary Bell who will be hosting the 2016 conference in London, Jillian Inouye who is assisting with local Las Vegas details, and Denise Tyler who will be working with abstract committee. If you want to join this core planning group, let us know!
2015 Abstracts Committee – this group will organize the call for abstracts for posters and breakout sessions, review submissions, make decisions regarding sessions, notify speakers, finalize the program with the session information, and be in touch with the speakers to coordinate their presentations as the time of the conference draws near.
Suzanne Smith Development Fund and Mentoring Editors Awards Committee (Leslie to chair) – this group will organize the process for receiving submissions for the awards, review and select winners, notify winners (and those not selected), get photos, publicize the winners, and so on. The committee will also oversee the Suzanne Smith Development Fund and create a process for ongoing donations to the fund plus disbursement of funds to support the Mentoring Editors Awards.
Margaret Comerford Freda Leadership Award committee – (transition from Shawn Kennedy as 2014 Chair) – this group will organize the process for receiving nominations for the award, review and select the winner, notify the winner (and those not selected), finalize details of the award, and plan for presentation at INANE 2015. The group will also have preliminary conversations of financial support of the award beyond 2016.

If you have other ideas or ways you would like to be involved, please send a message through the Feedback Form. INANE works because of our true spirit of volunteerism and the dedication of all involved with our organization.

See you soon!

Peggy

for the Planning Committee: Leslie Nicoll, Margaret Freda, Shawn Kennedy, Lisa Marshall, Jean Proehl and honoring the memory of our colleague, Suzanne Smith.

Raffle to Benefit Internet Services Workgroup

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Peggy L Chinn

Hello Friends!

We are just over 2 weeks away from the 2014 INANE conference in beautiful Portland, Maine! But never fear, this blog will continue to be active as the date draws closer. During the conference we will have live bloggers sharing the conference “happenings” right on the spot! However, here is one conference “happening” that you will not see on the program … but it definitely is happening … a raffle to benefit the Internet Services Workgroup!

Custom INANE tote with goodies that have been received so far!

Way back in 2011 in San Francisco, we passed a hat to collect money to support the work of the Internet Services Workgroup. People were very generous but it is time to once again raise some money for the Internet Resources for INANE. We could pass the hat but we decided, instead, to make this a bit more interesting for everyone! We have ordered a very special L.L. Bean Collectible Boat and Tote Bag that will be filled will a variety of incredible donations from very generous people and businesses. The tote bag is one-of-a kind–it will be the only one in existence–with green handles and customized INANE 2014 Logo!! Wow! Who wouldn’t want to win this?

Items that will be tucked inside the bag include:

The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber, donated by the Hachette Book Group ($27)
For All of Us, One Today by Richard Blanco, donated by Beacon Press ($15)
The Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses (2^nd ed.), by Cynthia Saver, donated by the author ($45)
Writing for Publication in Nursing (2^nd ed.) by Marilyn Oermann and Judith Hays, donated by Marilyn Oermann ($55)
On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Maine author Stephen King, donated by Jean Proehl ($19)
A Kindle Paperwhite with a pink Paperwhite cover, donated by Leslie Nicoll ($160)
Kindle Paperwhite for Dummies (2^nd ed.), by Leslie Nicoll, donated by the author ($17)
One year complimentary subscription to Advances in Nursing Science, donated by Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins ($130)
Pack of 4 note cards with illustrations by Maine artist Eric Hopkins, donated by the Planning Committee ($24)
$25.00 L.L. Bean Gift Card, donated by Peggy Chinn ($25)
$25.00 Starbucks Gift Card, donated by Margaret Freda ($25)
$25.00 Amazon Gift Card, donated by Lisa Marshall ($25)
One bottle of wine, donated by Shawn Kennedy ($20)
One jar of homemade strawberry jam, donated by Leslie Nicoll (priceless!)
A whimsical lobster bottle of wine, donated by Jean Proehl (priceless!)
A facsimile of the very first edition of AJN from October 1900, donated by Shawn Kennedy (priceless!)

Total value of the bag and contents: $627 + invaluable priceless items! And between now and August 3rd, when raffle tickets go on sale, we may have a few more donations for the bag. Keep your eyes peeled!

Close up of the custom logo!

Raffle tickets will be on sale at the registration desk for INANE 2014 beginning on August 3rd. The drawing will be held at breakfast on Wednesday, August 6, 2014. The winner (or a designated proxy) must be present to win. Tickets will be $10 each or 3 for $25. As with any raffle, cash is king, so bring along a few ten and five dollar bills to buy a ticket or three and put your name in the basket. Proceeds go to a great cause that benefits all of us and the winner gets a fabulous prize!

With this, I remain your very excited INANE 2014 blogger! Looking forward to seeing everyone in Portland in just a few weeks!

Peggy Chinn

Along with the very enthusiastic Planning Committee members: Leslie Nicoll (chair), Margaret Comerford Freda, Shawn Kennedy, Lisa Marshall, and Jean Proehl

INANE 2014 is SOLD OUT!

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Leslie

Good morning!

I have just received our 150th registration for INANE 2014 and with that, the conference is officially sold out! Due to the size of the meeting rooms at the Regency Hotel, we have a maximum limit of 150 participants. We just can’t squeeze any more people into the space available.

If you were planning to attend but hadn’t registered, please send me your name and contact information and I will add you to a waiting list, in the event we have any last-minute cancellations.

Three weeks from today we will be convening in Portland for INANE 2014. It is going to be an exciting conference! I look forward to welcoming my colleagues to the great state of Maine.

Best to all,

Leslie
for the Planning Committee: Peggy Chinn, Margaret Freda, Shawn Kennedy, Lisa Marshall, and Jean Proehl

Some Things Change, and Some Things Stay the Same!

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Peggy L Chinn

Hello everyone!

We are now only two and a half months away from the INANE conference in Portland, Maine. All of us on the planning committee are very excited about this conference for many reasons–a major one being that we have accomplished an ambitious goal to have a near-paperless conference! Name tags and signage in the hotel will still be on paper, but that is just about it. We are using a number of interesting innovations and apps to make the conference accessible to everyone but keep the paper to a minimum. For those who are curious:

Wufoo — an online form builder, Wufoo is powering all the forms on the INANE website, including the registration, case submission, and (upcoming), conference evaluations.
Guidebook — a mobile app to put the entire conference in the palm of your hand. Guidebook has a new web app, too! Check it out here. If you need the code to view the app, contact Leslie. It is available to registered attendees only.
WordPress — for our website and blog.
Stripe — for online, secure credit card processing.
zKipter — conference check-in via iPads. Wait until you see it in action!

In a significant way, we returned to an early INANE planning process this year. Suzanne Smith, who was actively involved in planning this conference at the early stages, encouraged us to take the process of planning and implementation back to the roots…doing it all ourselves without institutional or corporate partners for planning and implementation. (Note that we are very grateful to our sponsors for their financial support!). Suzanne assured us we could do this because she and Margaret Freda and others had done it before. We took Suzanne’s words to heart and have created this year’s INANE with just the efforts of our planning committee. In other contexts, of course, hosts may want and need various forms of institutional support, but we have now developed valuable tools (many for little or no cost) so that many elements of hosting a conference can be done efficiently and easily by a small group of volunteers.

Underneath this very progressive paperless move, the conference will still “look and feel” very much like INANE conferences of years past. We know how important tradition is to INANE members! There will be lots of time for interaction and socializing, interesting and timely topics in both the general and the break-out sessions, and of course, our annual business meeting–or “non” business meeting, as some of us like to say.

When you combine the use of technologic tools and the internet in place of paper, and the traditional features involved in INANE conferences, what we have for 2014 is a conference that everyone can benefit from and enjoy, even from afar. As you probably already know, this web site shows all of the events that are scheduled at the conference. If you are not able to attend, watch this space for real-time reports from the field! We plan to have on-stie reporters/bloggers who will share what is happening at the conference as it happens. And regardless of where you are, you can comment, send in your questions, suggestions, and ideas that occur to you as you read the reports. And for those who are so inclined, consider this an invitation to serve as a live blogger who will post updates from the conference. If you are interested in doing this–trust me, it’s easy and fun–send a message via the Feedback Page and Leslie or I will get you set up. Thanks in advance!

Our business meeting is one feature that everyone can participate in, even starting right at this moment! Take a minute to review the planned agenda. You can use the comments on the meeting page to share your ideas for discussion. Notice that there is one item on the agenda that is always there…deciding the location of future INANE conferences. If you are inspired to volunteer as a host, let us know. If you have questions about what might be involved before you volunteer, please contact us! We on the 2014 planning group are eager to share our experience and our new-found expertise, and will provide tons of support and ideas. INANE will be in Las Vegas in 2015, and Carolyn Yucha already has a planning committee, the venue, and some preliminary speakers. As is our tradition, Carolyn will be presenting a tantalizing slide show during the closing breakfast on Wednesday August 6th as the official invitation to attend INANE 2015. In 2016 the conference will be in London, and Gary Bell will have a report on the early plans for that conference to share with us in August. It is not too early to start planning for 2017 and 2018 and we will need to decide on locations for those meetings–and maybe even beyond! The earlier you start, the easier it is. Remember, Leslie volunteered Portland as a site at the 2011 meeting in San Francisco.

So regardless of your ability to be “on site” in Maine, let us hear from you! This is a conference for all INANE members!

Peggy

For the Planning Committee: Leslie Nicoll, Margaret Comerford Freda, Shawn Kennedy, Lisa Marshall, Jean Proehl (and even Suzanne, who is still with us in spirit!).

Full House at the Regency

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Leslie

Happy April my friends!

As I have mentioned before, our conference hotel, the Regency, is a small, intimate property with 95 rooms that range from deluxe doubles to swanky suites. When we scheduled INANE we took a gamble to contract all 95 rooms for Monday Aug 4 and Tuesday Aug 5. We’re getting close to filling the place up–a Full House as I call it. As of today, 83 rooms have been booked for those two days. Sunday is also booking up, with 73 rooms reserved.

The idea of filling the entire hotel with INANE colleagues just makes me happy! The thought of taking over the whole joint for our conference makes me feel like it’s giant slumber party or summer camp. Maybe I’ll have to go buy myself some footy pajamas and bunny slippers to really add to the slumber party ambiance. LOL.

If you haven’t made your room reservation yet, it is getting to the point where you should not procrastinate any longer. Staff at the Regency will work with us to secure overflow bookings at adjacent hotels in the (likely) event that our groups fills the Regency to capacity. The nearby hotels are nice but trust me, it will be more fun to be at INANE Conference Central. The best way to reserve a room is by phone: call 1-800-727-3436 or 1-207-774-4200. Tell them you are attending INANE. If you have any problems at all, send me a message using this link and I will work with my contacts to have the issue quickly resolved.

Another reminder: our regular registration rate is in effect for just 29 more days. On May 1st, registration will increase by $100. If you are planning to attend INANE don’t wait any longer to register–do it now while it is on your mind. It only takes a minute or two. Click here to be taken to our secure registration site.

The next deadline that is quickly approaching: April 15 which is the last day to submit nominations for the Margaret Comerford Leadership Award. The online application can be found here. While it will probably take more than 2 minutes to complete, the award committee strove to make the application straightforward and concise. Thanks again to the members of this year’s committee: Shawn Kennedy, Chair and members: Grif Alspach, Joy Don Baker, Kathy Baker, Sean Clarke, Vicki Conn, Margaret Freda, Jan Fulton, Jackie Owens.

Last, we have had a surge of donations to the Suzanne Smith Development Fund in the past few weeks. Encouraged by Suzanne’s family, many of her friends and colleagues have donated to the fund. Yesterday, I received a group of donations from the Manatee County Ladies Golf Association! With funds received, we will be able to continue the Mentoring Editors Awards program going forward for several years to come. It makes me happy to be able to keep Suzanne’s memory alive in INANE with this program. All donors are listed at the bottom of every page on this website. We are still gratefully accepting donations–click here to be taken to our secure donation site and thank you in advance for your generosity.