CODE OF CONDUCT

We ask everyone in our community to treat fellow attendees, authors, vendors, local business employees, event staff, and volunteers with courtesy and respect.

Disagreement is okay. Disrespectful, intimidating, threatening, or disruptive behavior is not.

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STL Bookish Events is committed to creating spaces where people of all backgrounds and identities are welcome.

Harassment or discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.

This includes, but is not limited to:

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• Discriminatory or degrading comments or behavior

• Unwanted sexual attention or advances

• Unwanted physical contact

• Intimidation, threats, stalking, or bullying

• Deliberate misgendering or targeted harassment

• Repeated unwanted interaction after someone has asked to be left alone

• Offensive or targeted comments regarding race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, body type, or other personal characteristics

• Harassing photography or recording

• Retaliation against someone who reports a concern

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If someone asks you to stop a behavior or interaction, stop.

Bookish events can be exciting, particularly when meeting favorite authors, creators, or other members of the community. Please remember that everyone is entitled to personal space and boundaries.

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Do not touch, hug, photograph, record, or otherwise physically interact with another person without their consent.

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Authors, vendors, creators, and special guests are also permitted to establish their own reasonable boundaries regarding photographs, signatures, conversations, gifts, or physical interaction.

Many STL Bookish Events gatherings take place in independently owned bookstores, cafés, breweries, restaurants, shops, and other businesses throughout the St. Louis area.

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Please treat our host businesses, their employees, property, and other patrons with respect.

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Attendees must follow all rules established by the host venue, including policies regarding outside food or beverages, alcohol, capacity, parking, smoking, accessibility, pets, and closing times.

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Supporting the local businesses that welcome our community is an important part of what STL Bookish Events stands for.

Some STL Bookish Events may take place at venues that serve alcohol.

Attendees who choose to drink are expected to do so responsibly. Intoxication does not excuse inappropriate or disruptive behavior.

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STL Bookish Events or venue staff may ask an individual to leave if their behavior creates a safety concern, becomes disruptive, or negatively impacts other guests.

All alcohol-related laws and venue policies must be followed.

Photography and video may occur during STL Bookish Events for promotional, social media, or event documentation purposes.

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Whenever possible, attendees should respect requests from individuals who do not wish to be photographed or recorded.

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Professional photography, commercial filming, interviews, livestreaming, or organized content creation may require prior approval from STL Bookish Events and/or the host venue.

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Photography or recording may never be used to harass, embarrass, intimidate, or deliberately violate another person's expressed boundaries.

Participating authors, vendors, exhibitors, sponsors, and organizations are expected to follow this Code of Conduct in addition to any separate vendor or participant agreement.

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Displays, merchandise, signage, promotional materials, and participant behavior must be appropriate for the event and may not contain material intended to harass, threaten, discriminate against, or deliberately target other participants.

Participants must remain within their assigned spaces and follow event-specific setup, teardown, safety, and venue requirements.

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STL Bookish Events reserves the right to require the removal of displays, materials, or merchandise that violate event policies or venue requirements.

Activities that create an unreasonable risk to attendees, participants, staff, or the venue are prohibited.

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Attendees may not:

• Engage in threatening or violent behavior

• Damage event or venue property

• Deliberately interfere with event operations

• Block entrances, exits, aisles, accessibility routes, or emergency equipment

• Bring prohibited items into a venue

• Ignore reasonable safety instructions from event or venue staff

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Any immediate safety emergency should be reported to venue staff, STL Bookish Events staff, security, or emergency services as appropriate.

STL Bookish Events strives to create events that are welcoming and accessible.

Because our events take place at a variety of independently operated venues, accessibility features may vary by location. We encourage attendees who need specific accommodations to contact us before an event whenever possible so we can provide available information and work with the venue where reasonably possible.

If you experience or witness harassment, unsafe behavior, discrimination, or another violation of this Code of Conduct, please notify an STL Bookish Events staff member or designated event representative. You can also email us at email here.

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Reports will be handled as respectfully and discreetly as circumstances allow.

No attendee or participant may retaliate against another person for making a good-faith report or assisting with a concern.

STL Bookish Events reserves the right to take reasonable action when an individual's behavior interferes with event operations, threatens the safety or wellbeing of others, violates this Code of Conduct, violates venue policies, or substantially disrupts another person's ability to enjoy the event.

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Depending on the circumstances, action may include:

• A verbal warning

• A request to stop specific behavior

• Removal from a particular activity

• Removal from the event

• Revocation of an attendee, author, vendor, volunteer, or participant credential

• Denial of participation in future STL Bookish Events

• Contacting venue management, security, or law enforcement when warranted

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Serious conduct may result in immediate removal without a prior warning.

Unless otherwise required by applicable law or specifically stated in an event's refund policy, removal for violation of this Code of Conduct does not entitle the individual to a ticket, vendor fee, or other refund.

STL Bookish Events reserves the right to deny, suspend, or revoke participation when reasonably necessary to protect the safety of participants, maintain event operations, comply with venue requirements, or preserve a welcoming environment for the community.

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These decisions may apply to attendees, authors, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, or other participants.

Individual STL Bookish Events may have additional rules based on the nature of the event or requirements of the host venue.

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Participants are responsible for following both this Code of Conduct and any event-specific or venue-specific policies.

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STL Bookish Events may reasonably update this Code of Conduct as the organization and its events evolve.

Accepted vendors at STL Bookish Events may sell merchandise based on an author’s, publisher’s, or other rights holder’s intellectual property only when they have obtained the appropriate merchandise licensing or written permission to do so.

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All required licenses and permissions must be valid and active on the date of the event.

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STL Bookish Events reserves the right to request proof of licensing or written authorization at any time, including during the application process, prior to the event, or on-site during the event. Vendors are responsible for maintaining documentation for all licensed merchandise they offer for sale.

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Merchandise based on protected intellectual property without authorization is not permitted. This includes products marketed as “inspired by,” “based on,” or otherwise referencing a specific book, series, character, quote, fictional world, author brand, or other protected property when the vendor does not have permission from the applicable rights holder.

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If STL Bookish Events determines that a vendor is offering unlicensed merchandise, the vendor will be required to remove those items from sale immediately.

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Failure or refusal to comply may result in removal from the event without refund or reimbursement and may affect eligibility to participate in future STL Bookish Events.

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Vendors are solely responsible for ensuring that their merchandise complies with applicable copyright, trademark, licensing, and other intellectual property laws. Acceptance as an STL Bookish Events vendor does not constitute approval or verification of a vendor’s intellectual property rights.

While STL Bookish Events may advertise specific authors, vendors, or other featured guests as participating in an event, all guest appearances are subject to change and are not guaranteed.

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Cancellations or scheduling changes may occur for reasons outside the control of STL Bookish Events. If a scheduled guest is no longer able to attend, STL Bookish Events will make reasonable efforts to update event information through our website and social media channels.

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The cancellation or absence of a particular author, vendor, or featured guest does not qualify an attendee for a ticket refund, transfer, or reimbursement unless otherwise stated in the event-specific refund policy.

Most STL Bookish Events are free for readers to attend. Some special events may require a paid ticket, which will be clearly noted on the event page.

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All paid tickets and author/vendor fees are non-refundable unless otherwise stated. Refunds will generally only be issued if STL Bookish Events cancels an event and does not reschedule it.

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Changes to participating authors, vendors, programming, schedules, or venue details do not qualify for a refund.

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If an event is postponed, relocated, or cancelled due to circumstances outside our control, including severe weather, public health emergencies, government restrictions, or venue emergencies, refund or transfer options will be determined based on the circumstances.

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Authors and vendors who cancel, fail to attend, or are removed for violating event policies are not eligible for reimbursement.

Any personal information provided via our ticket sales will not be shared or used for any other purpose beyond our event. This includes any other event-related correspondence pertaining to STL Bookish Events.