Is Grapevine considered to be Conference-approved literature?

Grapevine and La Viña are the international journals of Alcoholics Anonymous. A question often asked about Grapevine is whether or not it is “Conference-approved.” General Service Conference approval is a lengthy review process, and Conference-approved literature represents the widest possible consensus of A.A. experience. The process can take years for longer projects, with several stages of committee evaluation along the way. Ultimately, the General Service Conference as a whole must approve the final product before it can be published with the “Conference-approved” statement. Since Grapevine magazine is published 12 times a year (and La Viña 6 times a year) and the Conference meets only once a year, the magazine would never go to press if it had to go through the Conference review process. However, the Conference has always supported the concept of Grapevine and, in 1986, a Conference Advisory Action specifically addressed the issue of Conference approval for the first time with the following statement: “Since each issue of the Grapevine cannot go through the Conference-approval process, the Conference recognizes the Grapevine as the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous.”