FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, June 19, 2014—The Editors’ Association of Canada (EAC) has announced that Peter Midgley of Edmonton, AB, is the winner of the 30th annual Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence. Midgley was awarded the $2,000 prize for his work on The Last Temptation of Bond by Kimmy Beach (The University of Alberta Press). The award was presented at EAC’s annual awards banquet, which took place on June 7, 2014, at the Hotel Eaton Chelsea in Toronto.
Midgley was unable to attend the awards ceremony, but was flattered and humbled by the honour.
“If you read Kimmy Beach’s nomination letter, you might believe that I am some modern-day Rumpelstiltskin who spins straw into gold,” he said in his acceptance speech. “I am an illusionist. The real magician is Kimmy Beach. I am simply the lucky one who gets to peddle her magic as my own.”
“It feels glorious to be a magician for a second. Thank you.”
The Last Temptation of Bond blends the glamorous fantasy of James Bond with the acerbic speculation of Nikos Kazantzakis’s The Last Temptation of Christ in narrative poetry. Midgley received high praise from the judges for his ability to handle such a unique and multi-faceted project so skillfully. As one judge stated, “not just any editor could have taken on this project.”
Midgley faced stiff competition for the 30th annual Tom Fairley Award. The other Canadian editors shortlisted for their editorial excellence were Trevor J. Adams of Prospect, NS, and Paul Payson of Edmonton, AB. Adams, the editor of Halifax Magazine (Metro Guide Publishing), was described by the judges as “a natural leader and mentor.” He was lauded for the energy, passion and leadership he brings to the magazine every day. Payson was commended for his masterful management of The Peace-Athabasca Delta: Portrait of a Dynamic Ecosystem by Kevin P. Timoney (The University of Alberta Press), and was credited for his part in creating “an enjoyable, accessible read.” Adams and Payson each received cash awards of $500 in recognition of their outstanding achievements.
The judges for the 30th annual Tom Fairley Award are respected Canadian editors. Heather Ball is an editor and published author, who has worked in-house and freelance for over 10 years. Andrea Douglas is a freelance editor and indexer. Before taking the leap and starting her own business, she was senior editor at Colborne Communications, and worked at an educational publisher and a feminist press. Greg Ioannou is a teacher and freelance editor and writer. He is a founding member of EAC, and is currently the president and publisher of Iguana Books and CEO of Tryst Books.
– 30 –
About the Editors’ Association of Canada
Additional information about the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence is available on the EAC website.
The Editors’ Association of Canada/Association canadienne des réviseurs began in 1979 as the Freelance Editors’ Association of Canada to promote and maintain high standards of editing. EAC is the voice of editors in Canada, with more than 1,500 members, both salaried and freelance, who work in the corporate, technical, government, not-for-profit and publishing sectors. EAC’s professional development programs and services include professional certification, an annual conference, seminars, guidelines for fair pay and working conditions, and networking with other associations. EAC has six regional branches: British Columbia; Prairie Provinces; Saskatchewan; Toronto; National Capital Region; and Quebec/Atlantic Canada, as well as smaller branches (called twigs) in Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph, Ontario; Hamilton/Halton, Ontario; Kingston, Ontario; Nova Scotia; and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Media Contact
Michelle Ou
Communications Manager
Editors’ Association of Canada
Association canadienne des réviseurs
416 975-1379 / 1 866 226-3348
communications@editors.ca
