Well, Baltimore was HOT! Kind of usual for a General Assembly in the summer. Once again we were rooted in the Exhibit Hall, with lots of opportunity to talk with people browsing through our bookstore. I'm always delighted to hear people talk about taking the Cakes for the Queen of Heaven curriculum and how the group that formed during that experience is still going strong. People often talk about women's groups in our congregations, what they're doing and how they're doing, and what they might need these days.
Our booth was small this year, just one 10x10 foot space right next to ICUUW. I'm grateful to Nyx and Sydney, who did a lot of the set-up. The way they arranged the books and sculptures, jewelry and other goodies made everything lovely and inviting. We were constantly busy, and several people stopped me when I wasn't at the booth to comment on how nice they thought it looked!
There was a new feature this year - exhibitors were invited to give 45-minute presentations at the small exhibit hall "stage" area. First thing on Friday morning, I set up the big retreat map poster and spoke about UU women's groups and retreats around the US and Canada, attended by about 15 people. Lots of people followed up later at the booth and picked up flyers and our UUWR bookmarks that list many of our UU women's organizations.
I also participated in a panel discussion hosted by UU Women's Federation that included representatives from UUWF, UURise, SisterSoUUrce, and ICUUW.
GA 2026 will be virtual, then I hope to see many of you in San Jose in 2027! -- Gretchen
