News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
- TRAIN ONLINE: All-new webinars from Editors Canada!
- EDITORS CANADA CONFERENCE: Registration is now open!
- 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
- MEMBER SERVICES: Access The Chicago Manual of Style Online for free via editors.ca
- GET INVOLVED: Why volunteer?
- STUDENT RELATIONS: Upcoming social
- MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
- WEBSITE: Report a bug
- NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. TRAIN ONLINE: All-new webinars from Editors Canada!
Our new lineup of winter/spring webinars has been released! Check out the following upcoming sessions, among others:
- March 21: Plain Language and Editors (Gael Spivak and Greg Ioannou)
- March 26: The Hidden Traps of an Online Platform (Judy Mohr)
- 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)
See the full list on our webinars page.
Plus, new editing courses at Simon Fraser University
Build your skills this spring with flexible online courses from Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies. The next courses begin in March and focus on topics ranging from structural and stylistic editing to document design. Individual courses can also be applied toward earning SFU’s Editing Certificate. Visit SFU Continuing Studies to view the full schedule and to register.
2. EDITORS CANADA CONFERENCE: Registration is now open!
Registration is now open for the 2024 Editors Canada conference, which will be held June 21–23 in Vancouver, BC, at the Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre. Join us for a weekend of cutting-edge training, networking and fun!
The theme for this year’s conference is Present Progressive: Passion, Precision and Purpose.
The pervasive stereotype is that editors are pedantic, pretentious and perhaps even pugnacious pencil pushers. This conference committee plans to protest this presumption by presenting programming that promotes the pleasure, pride and personal connection our work brings, while also plunging into professional development to future-proof our proficiency. Please pack your puns, peers! We’ll prepare the party. (Brought to you by the letter P).
Visit the conference website for more information and to register now!
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. MEMBER SERVICES: Access The Chicago Manual of Style Online for free via editors.ca
One of Editors Canada’s most popular benefits of membership is free access to The Chicago Manual of Style Online (CMOS Online) through editors.ca.
From The University of Chicago Press:
With the wisdom of more than 110 years of editorial practice and a wealth of industry expertise from both Chicago’s staff and an advisory board of publishing professionals, The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, is the go-to authority for editors and writers everywhere. If you work with words—no matter what the delivery medium—this is the one reference you simply must have.
CMOS Online features the 17th and 16th editions of the Manual. It is completely searchable and easy to use.
Visit the members resources section of the website to start using CMOS Online for free now!
Need help logging into the website?
Visit the member portal and click the “Click here if you forgot your password” link.
7. GET INVOLVED: Why volunteer?
As a volunteer-run organization, Editors Canada relies on the active involvement of its members. At any given time, hundreds of volunteers are working to keep our organization running and to support editors across the country. Our members serve on national, branch and twig executives, organize our conferences and webinars, serve on committees and task forces, develop publications, and maintain our certification program. In short, volunteers are essential for Editors Canada to function.
If you currently volunteer or have in the past, thank you. If you have never volunteered, please consider doing so. Volunteering lets you give back to your editing association while developing skills you can use in your career. It’s also an excellent way to network and make new friends. There are opportunities to volunteer at the national and local levels. Many tasks can be done from home, so where you live isn’t a limiting factor. To find the right project for you, contact your local branch or twig, send an email to the chair of the volunteer management committee, or check out VolunteerConnect, our resource for matching volunteers to tasks.
Volunteer opportunities
Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2024
The academic editing special interest group is delighted to announce that Editors Canada will be sponsoring a booth in the exhibition hall at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2024 at McGill University in Montréal, Quebec, June 12–21.
Congress is the largest academic gathering in Canada and brings together dozens of scholarly societies that host their annual conferences at Congress. This represents a substantial opportunity for academic editors to represent our profession and describe the benefits that professional editors bring to our diverse work.
We are in search of volunteers who would be interested in sitting at the booth and representing our organization for one or more four-hour time blocks, as well as volunteers to set up and take down our signage and promotional material. Unfortunately, there is no compensation available for volunteers, including for transportation, childcare, or meals.
If you’ve available to take part, please fill out of volunteer request form (sorry, this is an English-only form). The deadline for submission is Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 11:59 p.m., EDT.
Those volunteers who are selected to represent Editors Canada at Congress will be notified before March 31, 2024. Priority will go to volunteers who are able to sit at the booth for multiple shifts.
Seeking ideas for spring and beyond! Write for The Editors’ Weekly
Do you have insights to share about editing? Whether you’re a student, a brand-new editor or a seasoned professional, your reflections could help others in the industry.
Posts for The Editors’ Weekly should be related to the work of editors, but that can take many forms. Here are some examples of topics that have been covered this year:
- Editing Indigenous Writing: A Nuanced Partnership
- Leading a Team in a Corporate Workplace
- Social Media Content Management for Self-Employed Editors and Writers
- Editing in Times of Chaos and Loss
- Embracing Your Needs as a Neurodivergent Editor
If you’re interested in writing a post for The Editors’ Weekly, please email Laura Bontje to pitch your idea.
8. STUDENT RELATIONS: Upcoming social
Save the date! The student relations committee will be hosting a virtual student social on Sunday, March 24, 2024. Come join us for networking and fun! Please check the Editors Canada Student Affiliates Facebook group for details, or email the committee chair.
9. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
Editors Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph member Laura Bontje will release her debut picture book in March. Published by Amicus Ink and illustrated by Emma Lidia Squillari, Was It a Cat I Saw? is the story of a lost cat, a found friend and a girl who speaks only in palindromes. Editors Calgary members can meet Laura and get a copy of the book at Owl’s Nest Books on Saturday, March 16, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.
In January, Editors Toronto member Shelly Zevlever launched a short online poetry editing course aimed at both editors and writers. The course has received great reviews from fellow editors.
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.
10. WEBSITE: Report a bug
We were excited to launch the new Editors Canada website last month, but we know there’s still work to do. Our team of volunteers and staff is still uploading content from our old site and fixing bugs.
Want to tell us about a problem with the new site? Use our bug report form to report a functionality issue or broken link.
Please note we’re working as quickly as we can to resolve issues, but some requests might be outside of the scope of our website rebuild and may instead be noted for future website upgrades. We appreciate your patience!
11. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
The new year is off to a busy start in many areas around Editors Canada! Here are some of the highlights discussed at the January NEC meeting:
- As you will all have seen by now, the new website was launched on January 29!
- The new Professional Editorial Standards, a collaborative effort by the standards, publications, and marketing and communications committees is scheduled for release soon as well.
- Work on a new strategic plan has commenced, and the hope is to have the plan completed before the annual general meeting at the end of June.
- The new webinar season was announced in January and is now underway.
- Conference planning is progressing well, and we look forward to another fantastic conference in June!
The NEC was joined at the meeting by Karen Crosby of Editors Calgary. Editors Calgary is a very active and engaged twig, and it’s always exciting to hear the ways in which twigs and branches aim to give back to their members.
The NEC will be using the February meeting time to consult with our strategic planning facilitators, and the next NEC meeting will be on Sunday, March 24.
Maria Frank
President
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.