News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
- CONFERENCE: Registration for the 2024 Editors Canada conference is now open
- TRAINING: New webinars on work/life balance, editing problematic content, and more
- CONNECT: Editors Canada Google Groups
- CLAUDETTE UPTON SCHOLARSHIP: $1,000 award for a promising student editor
- EQUITY FELLOWSHIP: Supporting editors who have traditionally been excluded by the publishing and editing industries
- PRESIDENT’S AWARD: Recognizing Editors Canada’s stellar volunteers
- FEATURED VOLUNTEER: Megan Harris
- BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
- PROFESSIONAL EDITORIAL STANDARDS: Update on the 2024 edition
- MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
- NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. CONFERENCE: Registration for the 2024 Editors Canada conference is now open
Registration is now open for Editors Canada’s 2024 national conference! Editors 24: Present Progressive will take place from June 21 to 23 at the Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. Network with editors, writers, communication professionals and small business owners from a wide range of fields. Sign up now to get a head start on planning your conference experience!
Early-bird savings and additional discounts for Editors Canada members
Editors Canada members always register at discounted rates, but if you register before April 25, 2024, you can take advantage of the early-bird discount to save even more.
Visit the conference website to register now!
2. TRAINING: New webinars on work/life balance, editing problematic content, and more
Our winter/spring webinar series is still going strong! If you’re looking for convenient online professional development, see the full selection on our webinars page. The following sessions are coming up soon:
- March 28: Rédaction stratégique et communication publique (Luc Panneton)
- April 3: Créer et gérer ses projets avec des outils technologiques performants! (Eric Lamirande)
- April 9: Mastering the Tight-Rope Walk: Achieving Work/Life Balance (Suzy Bills)
- April 11: Becoming a Microsoft Word Power User: Customizations, Shortcuts, Wildcards, and Macros (Suzy Bills)
- April 16: An Editor’s Guide to Assessing and Addressing Problematic Content (Crystal Shelley)
- April 25: Good Pageside Manner (James Harbeck)
Plus, check out the SFU Editing Certificate info session on April 24!
Did you know the part-time Editing Certificate program at Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies is aligned with Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards? To explore how this flexible online program can boost your professional editing career, RSVP for the free program info session on April 24.
3. CONNECT: Editors Canada Google Groups
Are you looking for a way to connect with Editors Canada members and student affiliates? Our dedicated Google Groups are exclusive spaces where anyone who belongs to the association can participate in courteous and respectful discussion by email, a web interface, or both.
We’re pleased to offer three Google Groups.
- Editors Canada Forum
- Food Editors
- Forum francophone de Réviseurs Canada
Visit the Editors Canada Google Groups page to learn more about each forum and to join today.
4. CLAUDETTE UPTON SCHOLARSHIP: $1,000 award for a promising student editor
Calling all Editors Canada student affiliates! The application deadline for the Claudette Upton Scholarship is fast approaching.
This is a $1,000 scholarship to help support continuing professional development in editing. The recipient is encouraged to use the scholarship to attend our national conference, purchase Editors Canada publications, or attend association seminars and webinars.
How to apply
Visit the Claudette Upton Scholarship page for this year’s essay topic and other application requirements. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 5.
Spread the word
If you know a student who is not an affiliate of Editors Canada and who would be interested in this opportunity, please pass along this message and encourage them to join us.
5. EQUITY FELLOWSHIP: Supporting editors who have traditionally been excluded by the publishing and editing industries
We are now accepting applications for the 2024 Equity Fellowship.
This annual fellowship is designed to support editors who have traditionally been excluded by the publishing and editing industries, including editors who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour), 2SLGBTQIA+, neurodiverse and disabled.
The Equity Fellowship provides the following to up to three successful applicants each year:
- membership in Editors Canada for one year;
- registration for the annual conference or the congrès des langagiers et langagières (in French only) of Editors Canada;
- three Editors Canada webinars;
- one copy of the book Editing Canadian English (and Editorial Niches);
- one copy of the ebook From Contact to Contract;
- one copy of each of the four Certification Test Preparation Guides; and
- a listing in the Editors Canada Online Directory of Editors for one year.
Each fellowship is valued at $1,250.
The deadline for applications is Friday, April 5. For complete application instructions and other information about the fellowship, visit the Equity Fellowship page.
6. PRESIDENT’S AWARD: Recognizing Editors Canada’s stellar volunteers
Editors Canada does a lot of amazing work. We work on branch and twig activities, a national conference, publications, services, professional certification and so many other important things. And these are conceptualized, organized, coordinated and implemented by volunteers.
The Editors Canada President’s Award for Volunteer Service is one way we thank our volunteers for outstanding service to the association. Such service may include
- volunteering over a long period of time,
- identifying and solving a critical problem,
- meeting a specific need, or
- organizing an activity that advances our goals or inspires others to get involved.
Any member or student affiliate in good standing may be nominated for their contribution. From the nominations received, one outstanding volunteer will receive the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 5. For complete nomination instructions and other information about the award, visit the President’s Award page.
7. FEATURED VOLUNTEER: Megan Harris
While completing her PhD in English during the pandemic, Megan Harris realized that what she most loved about academia was “helping authors’ voices to speak more clearly on the page.” As a union leader at the University of Toronto, Megan spoke with hundreds of students about the demands of their graduate degrees. She and her partner consequently co-founded Clarity Doctors Writing Consultants in 2021, bringing to bear their extensive experience with teaching and informal academic editing to assist graduate students and early career scholars with their writing.
“Helping others navigate academia and feel supported while doing so feels like very meaningful work,” Megan says.
Hoping to meet more editors, Megan joined Editors Canada later that year and was soon excited to volunteer for the 2023 Editors Canada conference. “I have a lot of experience assembling, training and managing teams of volunteers, so when I saw that the conference had a volunteer coordinator position, I jumped at the opportunity!” Megan says. She helped develop a volunteer manual and volunteer schedule for this first in-person conference since the pandemic lockdowns.
“We were building a lot of the detailed parts of our positions and of the conference from the ground-up,” she notes, “so we relied heavily on previous coordinators’ recommendations. I can’t say enough good things about each of my fellow volunteers!”
Megan lives in Toronto with her partner and their cat, Hazel. A long-time Vipassana meditator and vegetarian, Megan also sings second soprano in Vesnivka Choir, a Ukrainian women’s choir.
“I find it difficult to balance the demands of several part-time jobs with my desire to volunteer and get to know fellow editors, but I keep trying,” she says. “We feel so fortunate to be part of a community of such kind, incisive and knowledgeable people!”
—S. Robin Larin
The featured volunteer recognizes the contributions of our dedicated people who keep Editors Canada going. Volunteers are the backbone of the association, and we are grateful for the many members and affiliates who answer the call when help is needed.
Want to make a difference in your association? Find out more about volunteering for Editors Canada.
8. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
Academic editing special interest group
The advocacy committee of the academic editing special interest group is planning a column, directed at scholars, to share editing-related guidance for academic writing. We hope to publish this column through a widely read, established publication, but the venue is not yet confirmed.
The purpose of the column will be twofold:
- to share our knowledge with potential clients, addressing the kinds of problems that we regularly encounter in our work; and
- to help potential clients to understand and respect the scope of expertise that academic editors bring.
If you are interested in contributing to this column by writing a short piece (1,200 to 1,500 words), please fill out this Google Form. If possible, please identify the topic about which you’d like to write.
Equity, diversity and inclusion committee
The equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) committee is looking for volunteers to help update the EDI resources on the Editors Canada website and to take on some of the work relevant to EDI issues at Editors Canada. The commitment is usually no more than one to two hours a month. Interested? Please send an email to Amber Riaz.
Showcase yourself! You can be our next volunteer host on Editors Canada’s LinkedIn page
Since September 2023, the Editors Canada LinkedIn page is hosted by a member volunteer every month.
What is the hosting initiative?
The host creates engaging posts about language, editing, freelancing and anything else that can be related to Editors Canada.
What’s in it for the volunteer hosts?
Volunteer hosts will be able to feature themselves on Editor Canada’s LinkedIn page. This is a great opportunity to showcase your skills, promote yourself, and increase your visibility as an editor and a member of Editors Canada. It’s an amazingly rewarding experience to engage with fellow editors.
How long does hosting last?
The volunteer host creates content and posts on the Editors Canada LinkedIn page for a period of one month. You can easily schedule your posts ahead of time.
Are there guidelines for the initiative?
Volunteer hosts receive a Host Guide with basic rules and tips for on-brand, professional content posting, and access to a branded image library.
Need more info or want to sign up?
Email Merel Elsinga to get more details or express your interest in becoming a host.
9. PROFESSIONAL EDITORIAL STANDARDS: Update on the 2024 edition
At its 2023 annual general meeting (AGM), Editors Canada members voted to adopt a revised edition of Professional Editorial Standards. The publications committee expects to launch the new edition, which includes minor edits to the revised edition, on Tuesday, April 16.
An advance version of the revised Professional Editorial Standards is available to all members. Please visit the 2023 AGM page to download the PDF.
Please note: The advance version of the revised Professional Editorial Standards document cannot be copied, distributed, adapted or translated without written consent from Editors Canada.
10. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
Editors Ottawa-Gatineau member AJ Dolman (they/she) is delighted to announce the publication of their first full-length collection of poetry, Crazy / Mad (Gordon Hill Press, April 2024). Dolman is a poet, author, editor and bi/pan+ rights advocate living on unceded, unsurrendered Anishinaabe Algonquin territory.
Editors Québec member Dominique Gaucher is publishing her first novel, Par la peau du cou, with Pierre Turcotte éditeur this spring. The work will be available on Amazon (in e-book and print formats) in May.
Editors Canada Member News is where we share information about members and affiliates who win awards, publish books and make their mark in other important ways.
Do you have an achievement you’d like to share? Are you excited about a new project or opportunity that has come your way? Let us tell the world all about it! Please send your stories to the member news coordinator.
11. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
In lieu of the February national executive council (NEC) meeting, the NEC met with Editors Canada’s strategic planning facilitators, Patricia Huntsman and Jao Dantes. We had a very productive meeting, and it was inspiring to hear directors expressing their passion for the association. Patricia and Jao will be consulting with members over the next several weeks, and I look forward to seeing a new strategic plan develop based on everyone’s input.
Springtime is always a busy time at Editors Canada as preparations are well underway for the conference and AGM in June. The next NEC meeting will be on Sunday, March 24, and a summary of the meeting will be provided in the April e-news.
Maria Frank
President
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.