Storyteller’s next chapter is a career in editing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, June 13, 2016—The Editors’ Association of Canada (Editors Canada) has announced that Lindsay Vermeulen of Vancouver, British Columbia, has been awarded the 2015 Claudette Upton Scholarship.
The scholarship was presented at the association’s annual awards banquet in Vancouver on June 11, 2016. This scholarship is a $1,000 cash award intended to support continuing professional development in editing.
About this year’s recipient
Vermeulen was literally living the sweet life. She was a writer revelling in her favourite genre, short fiction, with a degree in English Literature from the University of British Columbia under her belt. She also followed her heart to another passion, spending more than ten years working at Purdys Chocolatier. “Chocolate is one of the driving forces in my life,” she says. “I say that quite seriously.”
Still, something was missing. And when a fellow writer asked Vermeulen to edit his novel in late 2012, that something became clear. “I printed out the whole thing and holed up in a coffee shop with my red pen, sipping overpriced foamy drinks,” she recalls. “I loved every minute of it. I had always enjoyed editing, but somehow I never realized it could be a career.”
Once the novel was published, Vermeulen began researching how to become a professional editor. Now enrolled in the Editing Certificate Program at Simon Fraser University and a student affiliate of Editors Canada, Vermeulen is embarking on the next chapter of her career.
“Lindsay emits the kind of irrepressible spark that (I believe) is kindled when intelligence rubs up against zest for life,” says Frances Peck, one of her instructors at SFU.
“A lot of my stories tend to be vignettes,” says Vermeulen. “I like leaving things with a fair amount of mystery, even if I have my own ideas about what happened next.”
What’s next for Vermeulen is a rewarding career that blends her love of writing and editing. “I left my apartment and my full-time job with benefits to go back to school full time. Then I had to apply for entry-level jobs in a new field. The transition was a stressful one, but things have really been coming together lately,” she says.
“Receiving the Claudette Upton Scholarship feels like a validation of all the work I’ve put into making this change. It feels like an acceptance from the editing community that I can do this—that the work I’m doing and the talents I’m developing are worthwhile.”
This year’s selection committee for the Claudette Upton Scholarship consisted of three respected Canadian editors. Stephanie Fysh is a freelance editor of fiction and nonfiction, chair of the Book and Periodical Council, and a former instructor in and co-coordinator of the Ryerson University Publishing Program. Andrea Hatley is a freelance editor and last year’s recipient of the Claudette Upton Scholarship. Merrie-Ellen Wilcox is a partner in West Coast Editorial Associates and a Certified Professional Editor.
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About Editors Canada
Additional information about the Claudette Upton Scholarship is available on the Editors Canada website.
Editors Canada began in 1979 as the Freelance Editors’ Association of Canada to promote and maintain high standards of editing. In 1994, the word “Freelance” was dropped to reflect the association’s expanding focus to serve both freelance and in-house editors. As Canada’s only national editorial association, it is the hub for 1,500 members and affiliates, both salaried and freelance, who work in the corporate, technical, government, not-for-profit and publishing sectors. The association’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. Editors Canada has six regional branches: British Columbia; Prairie Provinces (currently on hiatus); Saskatchewan; Toronto; Ottawa–Gatineau; and Quebec/Atlantic Canada, as well as smaller branches (called twigs) in Calgary, Alberta; Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph, Ontario; Hamilton/Halton, Ontario; Kingston, Ontario; Nova Scotia; and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Media Contact
Michelle Ou
Communications Manager
Editors Canada
416 975-1379 / 1 866 226-3348
communications@editors.ca