Hello! Planning is under way for the upcoming VIRTUAL conference AoIR 2021: Independence! Dates: 12 - 16 October Conference registration is free for all active members of AoIR. To register, first make sure that your membership is good through the end of October at https://aoir.org/membership/. Then Register by 1 August to participate: https://members.aoir.org/event-4396398 Read on to see what’s being planned! Before the conference: We are now seeking submissions for Satellite events to be held the week preceding the conference. Accepted Satellite events will become part of the official AoIR 2021 conference schedule. Proposals for Satellite events are due 1 August 2021 and you can find instructions here ( https://members.aoir.org/AoIR2021SatelliteEvents). Beyond the Satellite events, prior to the conference, we will have our regular Doctoral Colloquium (8 October) and Early Career Researcher Workshop (12 October). During the conference: The AoIR 2021 conference will kick off with a LIVE keynote from Dr. André Brock from Georgia Tech on 12 October at 22:00 UTC (https://members.aoir.org/AoIR2021Keynote). During the main conference, to focus conversations during the LIVE moderated discussions, we have selected 3 pre-recorded spotlight panels. These panels were chosen for their clear connection to the conference theme and keynote, and should spark conversations across conference attendees. We are asking everyone to watch a specific spotlight panel video for each of the three main conference days (13-15 October), prior to the LIVE moderated discussions held three times a day (AoIRTime #1 at 5:00 UTC, AoIRTime #2 at 13:00 UTC, AoIRTime #3 at 21:00 UTC). We will also list playlists with related themes for each day. All panels and paper presentations will be hosted in the AoIR YouTube channel and organized into thematically linked playlists. In addition, however, all are invited to join in a LIVE Birds of a Feather (BOF) session in AoIRTown (GatherTown) where you and others who share research interests will have a chance to discuss your research informally. You can attend as many of these as you’d like! Immediately after the spotlight panels and moderated sessions, you’ll have either BOF events or LIVE social events, including Karaoke and the popular AoIR Pub Quiz! Finally, the conference will close with the Annual General Meeting on 16 October at AoIRTime #2 (13:00 UTC). All of this info and more is available on the AoIR 2021 conference website: https://members.aoir.org/AoIR2021 AoIR 2020 was a huge success in large part because internet scholars know how to have fun online. We are hoping you can bring that same enthusiasm to 2021, and we look forward to receiving your registration soon! Adrienne Shaw, on behalf of the AoIR 2021 program committee Lynn Schofield Clark, President, AoIR