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published: true
layout: post
title: API Evangelist Conversation with Lorna Mitchell About OpenAPI Overlays
tags:
  - OpenAPI
  - Overlays
  - OpenAPI Initiative
image: >-
  https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/api-evangelist-conversations/api-evangelist-conversations.jpg
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Lorna Mitchell, OpenAPI Specification Maintainer with the OpenAPI Initiative, and overall API experience expert came by again to educate me (us) on OpenAPI Overlays, helping contrast with the core OpenAPI spec, as well as with Arazzo Workflows, sharing how it will help bring more stakeholders into the API lifecycle and contribute to better API experiences. Lorna is a well spring of knowledge when it comes to OpenAPI, but also other specifications, as well as Spectral and other approaches to governing APIs, and she'll be coming back shortly to help educate us all about the intersection of overlays with extensions and how it all will change API experience.

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I am really optimistic about OpenAPI overlays. Overlays supports my, it takes a village to raise an API theory, and is something that will bring many more stakeholders into the process. I really enjoy learning from Lorna on these subjects, and while I will remain hands-on with the spec, I am purposefully keeping my distance from the OpenAPI Initiative and other specs to try and give space for others to step up, so I tend to miss a lot and appreciate Lorna sharing.

We already have another slot schedule to talk about OpenAPI extensions and experience, along with the intersection of OpenAPI and overlays. When it comes to tooling and experience there is so much work at this intersection and I am thankful that people like Lorna are pushing things forward. Lorna is in between jobs right now and as noted in the podcast I think this is when she does her best work, so please reach out to her with contract or other work, ideally keeping her on the frontline of specs, experience, and governance, cause it is where she rocks, and benefits the wider community.