National executive council

I began my official editing career in 2020, connecting with clients as I obtained my certification in editing through SFU. Most of my freelance work has been in fiction and academic writing. Beyond this, I am passionate about accessibility in language and in practice. As a fiction writer as well as an editor, I believe in bridging atypical and accessible writing. I believe that, in tandem, writers and editors have the power to see the world differently and communicate it clearly. I am also passionate about community: connecting with writers and editors in an increasingly isolated industry.

I am a former associate editor and typesetter and currently proofreader in financial documents. I have a degree in English Language and Literature and am a native speaker of English (my parents emigrated from Latvia to England and then Canada following the Second World War). My schooling from kindergarten took place in Canada and although I finished my Hon. B.A. many years ago, I am currently working on the Publishing Certificate at Ryerson. I have had freelance copy editing experience in journals for about 10–15 years now. I was recently a technical editor for the Canadian journal TESL Canada from the University of Western Ontario. This involved editing references and their citations. However, I have also copy edited scientific and highly technical journals from the United States as well, including in such fields as humanities, social sciences, philosophy, futures, management, ultrasound, and medical and education. A current project includes copy editing a memoire written by a first-time writer, something I’m not used to but enjoying very much for the complete about-face from my usual activities.

I began my editing career in 2007 and am a certified copy editor and stylistic editor with Editors Canada. I currently work at Athabasca University in Edmonton, where I edit materials for online courses in humanities and social sciences. I’ve also edited fiction and nonfiction book manuscripts, professional development modules for the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta, and website materials for diverse organizations.

I’ve been a freelancer since 1977, and have taught editing all over the place. I was a founding member of (F)EAC and have had all sorts of positions on the executive, including president three times and treasurer six times (yikes!). In real life I own and run a writing and editing company called Colborne Communications, where my office is populated with moose paraphernalia. I’m also the publisher at Iguana Books. More importantly, I captain a team in a weekly trivia league, and frequent local pubs and stamp auctions.