Code of Conduct

This code sets out guidelines for everyone participating in events, including classes, Monthly Teas, conferences, workshops, and other RFW-sponsored activities. We ask that everyone using the RFW website or participating in an RFW-sponsored virtual event be considerate, respectful, and collaborative.

Our Commitment and Your Obligation

RFW is committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity and to providing an experience where everyone is treated respectfully. We strive to be harassment-free and inclusive, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, age, body size, physical appearance, abilities, neurodiversity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, or any other factors. We welcome all writers of Regency-set fiction, regardless of stage of publication and publication path of the writers, and we support each author’s freedom to create their historical worlds, including determining the level of historical accuracy, the types and diversities of characters, the level of sexuality, and other factors.

If you have any abilities that require special consideration, such as needing to use a reader for websites due to vision impairment, hearing challenges, or other such needs, please contact RFW to see how the organization may better meet your needs.

Be mindful of your surroundings and your fellow participants. Enjoy yourself, but please be aware of the comfort and boundaries of fellow participants. Remember that online text does not always read with the same connotation that speech provides.

We ask that everyone using the website or participating in an RFW-sponsored virtual event refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech. Hate speech and harassment in any form will not be tolerated. This includes threats, impersonating another person, doxxing, posting advertisements/spam, libel, copyright violations, posting illegal content, malware, or any other conduct that could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting.

Violations may result in warnings or expulsion from an event and/or the organization. The intent is not to stifle expression or lively discussions but to ensure no one is bullied or verbally harmed.

General Guidelines for Online Participation

You are free to ask relevant questions within the RFW forums, including the member-only forums, Academe forums, and Conference forums, as well as during RFW-sponsored events such as Monthly Teas, the Conference, and workshops.

The forums are an excellent place to offer answers to others’ questions. Keep in mind they are a place for discussion, not for mandating how others should craft their fictional worlds. All authors are free to create their own fiction and establish their desired level of historical accuracy, types and diversities of characters and relationships, level of sexuality, and other factors.

While mentioning pertinent exceptions to any writing or research question is perfectly acceptable, please do so appropriately. Do not dispute the expertise of an Academe instructor or Conference/Monthly Tea/Workshop presenter during their presentation. Do not belabor your point or engage in excessive disputes with others. If you disagree with someone, make sure you are doing so respectfully.

While we encourage lively discussion during classes, workshops, and presentations, keep in mind that others may wish to hear from the presenter.

Presenters for the Academe, the Monthly Teas, and the conference live all around the world, and their schedule may therefore be the opposite of yours. RFW strives to vary presentation schedules and provide recordings to be as inclusive as possible.

Any class material, Zoom lecture, workshop handouts, or similar content presented by others either on the RFW website or via an RFW-sanctioned event are protected by copyright. The information is intended for your own personal use and may not be forwarded, reproduced, or otherwise shared without the express written permission of the copyright holder.

We expect polite communications with all RFW volunteers and presenters, including Academe instructors, Monthly Tea presenters, conference workshop presenters/speakers, and others.

If There’s a Problem

If you feel threatened by any member or participant, or feel a member or participant is violating the Code of Conduct, please contact one of the following individuals so we may investigate.

Please keep in mind that RFW is staffed by volunteers. We will do our best to be prompt, but an instant response is not always possible.

RFW reserves the right to modify or remove any comments made on the RFW website, to control/restrict participants’ ability to comment, to remove students from a class or event, and to bar students from participating in future classes and events.

If you are a member and do not feel that you can comply with these rules while using the RFW website, and have registered for an Academe class, the conference, or other event, you have 24 hours after the time of registration to request a refund.