The 2012 Adoption Blogger Interview Project is Here!

It's back! The Adoption Blogger Interview Project, that is. Mark your calendars for November 14.

We had over 100 participants last year, each with their own unique and thoughtful interview post. I loved that in the middle of the noise of National Adoption Month we took the time to listen to each other, share our own stories, and make connections outside of our usual internet haunts.

The Interview Project is for any adoption blogger--not just open adoption bloggers, not just domestic adoption bloggers, definitely not just adoptive parents. If you are a blogger who (1) writes at least occasionally about adoption, (2) is interested in meeting a fellow writer with different views and experiences, and (3) wants to extend a welcome into your own online space, this interview project is for you.

The details, registration form, and button codes are here on this page. Registration closes on Thursday, October 18. You'll be paired with another blogger, read one another's blogs, and do an online interview of each other. On last year's feedback form a lot of people mentioned wanting more time to swap questions, so this year we have about three weeks to get to know our interview partners and prepare our posts for November 14.

Pairing is random, but like last year you'll be able to make special requests when you register and I'll do my best to accommodate them. For example, you might be a first parent blogger who prefers to be paired with another first parent. I hope that the option to limit the randomness helps make this a less risky undertaking for anyone who might be wary of participating.

Please help spread the word, especially among bloggers who aren't in my usual domestic adoption/open adoption circles. To encourage everyone to talk this up, I'm giving away a $20 Amazon gift card to someone who shares the link to this post or the interview project page on social media. To enter, leave a comment on this post with a link to the tweet/blog post/forum post/Facebook mention/Pinterest pin/etc. telling people to the project. Leave as many comments as you'd like, as long as each one links to a different mention. Entries close on October 18 when the registration period ends; I'll choose a comment at random by October 23. (Further necessary but boring giveaway blather here.)

Don't forget to register by October 18. I hope you will all join in!