SEA LIT CIRCLE WRITERS FESTIVAL
FESTIVAL GUIDE
This guide is relevant to the Main Program, which takes place on all Saturdays of July 2023:
1 July, 8 July, 15 July, 22 July, and 29 July.
Entering the venue
Only registered guests may enter the virtual festival grounds.
To enter the Gather venue, go to this link. You will be asked to sign in. Please sign in using the email you entered when you purchased your Festival Ticket. Do not choose "Sign in with Google."
After entering your email address, you will receive a 6-digit authentication code in your inbox. Use the code to enter the venue.
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If your browser prompts you that Gather is requesting access to your camera and microphone, please allow access.
You can enter the venue earlier than the scheduled time. Doors open one hour before the first talk.
If you experience any issues signing in, please contact us at sealitcircle@gmail.com and send a screenshot of the error.
If you can’t enter the Main Stage, please read this.
Map
The festival grounds consist of four areas: the Main Stage, the Mini Expo, the Zine Market, and the Coast.
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You can access the Main Stage by going up the Coast or through the Quick-Access Portal.
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Friendly reminder that the Mini Expo is open on 8 July, 15 July, and 22 July, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (GMT+8).
Limited seats at the Main Stage
The Main Stage can accommodate 100 people on a first-come, first-served basis. If you aren’t able to enter the Main Stage, you can watch a live stream of the talk from the Coast.
Interacting with speakers, exhibitors, and fellow festivalgoers
Proximity chat
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You can communicate with people whose avatars are near yours. The nearer your avatar is to another person’s avatar, the clearer and louder you’ll sound to them—very much like in real life.
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Chat section
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If you’d like to speak to your peers when a talk is ongoing, use the chat section to avoid disturbing them and other festivalgoers. You can open the chat section on Gather by clicking the chat icon on the bottom-right portion of your screen.
Remember to be kind! You are free to speak your mind. Our only rule is: No personal attacks on anyone.
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Mute yourself during the talks
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Let’s not disturb and distract fellow festivalgoers when a talk is ongoing. You can always place your reactions and thoughts in the chat section.
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Your camera
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To foster a better sense of camaraderie, we encourage festivalgoers to switch on their cameras if they’re able to.
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Do Not Disturb mode
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If you feel like lurking or just don’t want to be spoken to, you can change your status from Available (represented by a green dot next to your name) to Quiet (represented by a red dot) on Gather. You will still hear people directly beside you, but not those who are two tiles away and beyond.
Please respect the space of people who are in DND mode.
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Buddy system
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You’ll be grouped with people who want to go to the same talks as you. They’ll be your festival buddies! We encourage you to go to the talks together and share your thoughts and learnings with each other for the best festival experience.
If your IRL friends are in a different group, why not introduce them to your festival buddies (and vice versa)? You can meet and connect with more people this way! Merging your groups could be a lot more fun too.
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Extra avatar functions
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Did you know your Gather avatar can dance? Press Z on your keyboard and see it happen! And if you need to pass through anything, press G.
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Replays
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Festivalgoers can watch recordings of the talks until 31 August 2023.