The Writer's Lounge Is the Place to Be Social at the 2026 ASJA Conference

Freelance life has a lot of benefits, but working solo means you have to work harder to keep up with new tricks and trends, and sometimes it can be lonely.

You can get help with both of those issues at the Writer’s Lounge during ASJA’s virtual conference, Freelancers’ Blueprint: Navigating a Shifting Landscape, April 20-24.

The Writer’s Lounge is part of the Airmeet online event platform that ASJA debuted at the 2024 virtual conference. The virtual hangout space offers opportunities to network, talk to other attendees between sessions, and even find a quiet place to work, should you need to. People who came to the 2024 conference found the Writer’s Lounge was helpful – and fun!

If you’re registered for the conference and have received an event access link, you can use it beginning Monday, April 20 at 8 a.m. Eastern time to log into the Airmeet space and check out the Writers’ Lounge.

The conference doesn’t officially start until April 20 at 11 a.m. ET, giving attendees three hours to get acquainted with the Writers’ Lounge tables before it begins. 

The Airmeet online conference will also feature a number of ASJA booths – just like the physical booths you’d walk by at a real-world conference – where you can learn more about ASJA member benefits and perks.

If you haven’t registered, there’s still time to sign up. Registration is open through Friday, April. 17, $309 for ASJA members, $379 for nonmembers. Read more about conference keynote speakers and sessions and sign up here. Find out more about the Airmeet platform here.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Writer’s Lounge, including what it is, how tables work, and what tables and ASJA booths are available.

What is the Writer’s Lounge?

If you attended the 2024 virtual conference, you may have visited the Writers’ Lounge, a virtual hang out space that consists of virtual “tables” (aka chat rooms) where attendees gather informally throughout the week. According to feedback from the 2024 conference, attendees particularly appreciated having the opportunity to “continue the conversation” after conference sessions at a table set up specifically for this purpose – and sometimes the speakers join in as well.

Here’s what Writer’s Lounge tables look like:

This year, the Writer’s Lounge will host tables for ASJA regional groups, and the ASJA member-initiated affinity groups that typically meet via Zoom. There will also be several unassigned tables where attendees can set up their own impromptu meetups. Airmeet’s built-in direct messaging feature makes it easy to reach out to other attendees on the fly and invite them to join you at a table.

How to Use the Writers’ Lounge

Joining a table in the Writers’ Lounge is simple. Once you’re in the ASJA conference space on Airmeet:

• Navigate to the Writers’ Lounge button in the upper left corner of the screen. 
• Decide which of the available tables you are interested in and select the “Join” button below it. 
• Use the video and chat options to interact with others at the table.
• Use the participant icon – the first of the three icons in the bottom right corner – to send an invitation to another conference attendee to join you at the table.
• When you’re ready to leave, click on the “X” in the top right corner of the table.

To use an open table, go to the top of the Writers’ Lounge area and scroll down until you see General Tables 31-40. Click on the “Join” button to grab a seat. Use the participant icon in the bottom right corner to invite other people to join you at the table.

List of Preset Writers’ Lounge Tables

Here’s a list of available Writers’ Lounge tables and ASJA booths. Some tables have hosts to guide the discussions at specific times noted on the schedule. However, you can join any table at any time, whether a host is there or not.

Continue the Conversation. Use these tables to continue discussing keynote speeches and sessions in the three genre tracks. These tables do not have designated hosts.

• Books Continue the Conversation – Use this space to continue discussing sessions in the books track. Follow the instructions above to invite other session goers to join you.
• Content Continue the Conversation – Use this space to continue discussing sessions in the content marketing writing track. Feel free to invite other session goers to join you.
• Journalism Continue the Conversation – Use this space to continue discussing sessions in the journalism track. Feel free to invite other session goers to join you.
• Keynotes Conversation – Use this space to continue discussing keynotes. Feel free to invite other session goers to join you.

Table Topics. Here’s the full list of preplanned table topics.

• ASJA Coffee Chat. The weekly ASJA Coffee Chat will be held here during the conference, on Tuesday, April 21, 10:30-11 ET instead of at the regular time. Host: Gary Wollenhaupt.
• DEAI Committee Tea Time. Meet ASJA DEAI Committee members for tea and talk on Tuesday, April 21, 10-11 ET. Host: Charmaine Seitz.
• Meet New Freelance Friends. Come to this table any time during the week to make new friends and maybe find your next accountability buddy or mastermind group member.
• ASJA Co-Working. Work hard in the mornings so you can enjoy the afternoon sessions! This will not be hosted; simply drop in when you can.
• Parent Writers This non-hosted table is a place parents can gatherto discuss the joys and challenges of freelancing with children underfoot.
• Membership Engagement. The Membership Engagement committee is hosting several events during the conference:
  • New Member Welcome – New ASJA members who joined in the last two years are encouraged to meet each other and members of the Membership Engagement committee at a New Member Welcome. Bring your questions about ASJA! Monday, April 20, 2:35-3 p.m. ET and Tuesday, April 21,1:20-1:45 p.m. ET.
  • Thinking About Joining ASJA? Do you like what you’re hearing at the ASJA conference? Learn about the year-round benefits of ASJA at this brief info session for prospective members. Wednesday, April 22, 2:35-3 p.m. ET.

Regional Tables. If regional tables are hosted, the days and times that hosts will be present are listed below. Otherwise, the tables have no designated hosts, and attendees are encouraged to use them to gather at any time. Not seeing your region? Join the Digital Nomads table. Or follow the directions above for inviting people to join you at an open table to talk about freelancing in your area. 

• Chicago Region  
• Connecticut Region   
• Digital Nomads                              
• Florida Region 
• New England Region                                  
• Northern California Region   
• NYC Tri-State Region 
• Pacific Northwest Region.
• Philadelphia Region. Host times: Thursday, April 23, 11:00 a.m.-12 p.m. ET. Hosts: Christina Hernandez Sherwood and Kimberly Yavorski.
• Southern California Region                  
• Southeast Region         
• Texas Region    
• Upper Midwest Region 
• Washington DC Region. Host time: Wednesday, April 22, 10:30-11 a.m. Host: Debbie Blumberg.

List of ASJA Committee and Information Booths

The virtual conference also features ASJA booths. Click on the Booth button at the top left of the conference reception area main screen to enter the booth space. From there, pick a booth to learn more about ASJA membership, events, and member benefits. At these booths, you can access relevant materials, watch videos, or virtually chat and ask questions. 

• Airmeet Resources. Need help or just want tips to get the most out of the platform? Stop by to get more information and helpful tips on using Airmeet
• ASJA Membership. Want to learn more about ASJA membership? Find info on how to join ASJA and the many benefits of membership.
• ASJA Awards. This booth will provide information about the ASJA article awards (journalism and content marketing) and the ASJA book awards, answering questions about entering the awards, criteria and plans for announcing winners of the 2026 awards.
• DEAI at ASJA. ASJA is committed to being a diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive organization. Learn more about what the DEAI committee is doing to build connections with broader audiences, spark creativity for challenging stereotypes, and encourage empathy among different communities of readers.
• ASJA Publications. ASJA’s publications committee manages the ASJA Weekly newsletter, ASJA Confidential news channel, and ASJA’s presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social channels. Visit to learn how to sign up for the newsletter (it’s free for members and nonmembers) and write for ASJA Confidential. Members can also learn how to download a copy of ASJA’s free e-book, Building an Independent Writing Business.
• Writers Emergency Assistance Fund (WEAF). Since 1982, ASJA has awarded small grants to professional nonfiction freelance writers who, because of illness, disability, natural disaster, or extraordinary professional crisis, are temporarily unable to work. Visit to learn how to apply for a WEAF grant, more about the selection criteria, and tips for helping your application stand out.
• First Amendment. As a founding member of the Banned Books Week Coalition in 1982, ASJA has a long history of supporting First Amendment rights. In 2025, the ASJA board wrote our new homepage statement: “ASJA stands in unwavering support of the First Amendment and firmly against interference, governmental or otherwise, with the media’s right to report impartially and transparently. ASJA also supports the right to freelance, so writers can create and earn independently without interference.” Visit to learn about the First Amendment committee’s recent projects and sign up to join the committee.
• Coaching Corner. Six seasoned ASJA coaches will offer free coaching on Thursday, April 23, and Friday, April 24, from 12 to 1 p.m. ET, immediately preceding Client Connections meetings. Anyone attending the conference or participating in Client Connections meetings can pop in for quick, focused one-on-one coaching on pitching, marketing, workflow, ensuring diversity in your writing, or big-picture career questions. You can learn more about this new offering here.
• ASJA Student Membership. After much planning and discussion, ASJA expects to roll out a student membership level later this year. Visit to get more information and sign up to learn more about this exciting new program.

The Writers’ Lounge tables and booths will be open from Monday, April 20, 8 a.m. ET to Friday, April 24, 5 p.m. ET.

If you’re feeling social but unsure about joining a table, find me between sessions, either at the Philadelphia area table or floating around looking for people to talk to. See you there!

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Kimberly Yavorski is a co-chair of the 2026 ASJA virtual conference. She continues to resist niching down because she wants to learn, and write, about everything. Common topics she writes about include parenting, education, finance, careers, technology, history, science, social issues and travel, with bylines in The Hill, Next Avenue, Vox, Fodor’s, and many others. She loves being outdoors and often manages to sneak in a hike of some kind on family vacations, almost always with camera in tow.