News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
1. CONFERENCE 2019: Early-bird rates end March 29!
2. WEBINARS: Train online with Editors Canada
3. AWARDS: Thank you to our supporters
4. CLAUDETTE UPTON SCHOLARSHIP: $1,000 award for a promising student editor
5. KAREN VIRAG AWARD: Tell us about the editing hero in your community
6. PRESIDENT’S AWARD: Recognizing Editors Canada’s stellar volunteers
7. VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: Lee Parpart
8. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Join us as we steer into exciting new waters
9. NOMINATIONS: National executive council and committee chairs
10. AGM: Call for motions
11. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Mentorship
12: EXTERNAL CONFERENCES: Indexing Society of Canada
13. MEMBER NEWS: Tell the world about your accomplishment
14. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. CONFERENCE 2019: Early-bird rates end March 29!
Editors Canada Conference 2019 takes place June 7–9, at the Westin Nova Scotian in beautiful downtown Halifax. Be sure to join us for a weekend full of learning, networking and fun as we celebrate our 40th anniversary!
Register early and save
Early-bird pricing ends on Friday, March 29, so don’t miss the chance to save even more on your registration.
Professional development opportunities
We’re finalizing the programming and the schedule will soon be available. In the meantime, be sure to check our amazing sessions and speakers.
And don’t forget to take advantage of even more training opportunities with Editors Nova Scotia’s pre-conference seminars! These four half-day sessions will be held Friday, June 7. They are not included in the conference registration fee, but you can register for them online when you register for the conference.
Conference Buddies
Are you excited about the idea of going to the conference, but feeling a bit hesitant because you won’t know anyone there? Are you keen to meet other editors, but not really sure how to go about it? Our Conference Buddies program is for you! For more information, check out the Conference Buddies page or email conferencebuddies@editors.ca. You can also sign up for the program during your online conference registration.
2. WEBINARS: Train online with Editors Canada
Are you looking for training opportunities online? Check out our 2019 webinar season.
Don’t forget: Editors Canada members and student affiliates save 30% on the registration fee. Also, branches and twigs get a portion of the profit from webinars for each participant who lives in their area.
Upcoming webinars
- March 16: Comics and Graphic Novel Conventions for Editors with Allyson Rudolph
- March 22 and April 5: Antidote 10 : Un webinaire en deux parties with Sandra Gravel
- April 2: What the GST? with Michelle Waitzman
- April 6 and 13: Starting a Freelance Editing or Writing Career with Christine LeBlanc
- April 10: Usage Traps and Myths with Frances Peck
Catch up on demand: Webinar recordings are available
Did you miss an Editors Canada webinar? Many of our webinars have been recorded and are now available for purchase (and some are even free). When you buy a webinar recording, you’ll receive a video file to watch at your leisure on your computer or mobile device. The file is yours to keep, so you can watch it again and again.
Visit our webinar recordings page to see what’s available now. We’re adding new recordings regularly so be sure to check often.
3. AWARDS: Thank you to our supporters
In January, Editors Edmonton members voted to donate $2,500 to support the Karen Virag Award for the next five years. Editors Edmonton joins West Coast Editorial Associates (founding and annual supporters of the Claudette Upton Scholarship) and SFU Lifelong Learning (annual supporter of the Claudette Upton Scholarship) as groups that have committed to long-term support for Editors Canada awards.
Editors Canada is a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization that promotes excellence in editing and provides resources for editors at every stage of their careers. Our sincerest thank you to our annual donors and to the many individual donors who support Editors Canada awards! Donor support helps us to keep our awards running. By doing so, we can continue to raise the profile of the editing profession, shine a light on excellence in editing and support the future generation of editors.
If you would like to support our awards, please visit the Editors Canada website to donate now. No donation is too small. Give whatever fits your budget. Every gift helps, and we are grateful for donations in any amount.
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. The recipient is acknowledged in person at Editors Canada’s national conference.
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 12.
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. Students join Editors Canada for just $54.95 a year.
5. KAREN VIRAG AWARD: Tell us about the editing hero in your community
Who are the heroes of editing? They’re the individuals or organizations that go out of their way to raise the profile of our profession in their communities. Editing heroes are the ones who champion what editors do and how valuable we are.
Editors Canada’s newest award was created in memory of long-time association member Karen Virag, and in recognition of Karen’s many contributions to the profession. The Karen Virag Award recognizes the efforts of an editor or an organization to raise the profile of editing in their community.
Tell us about one of your editing heroes by submitting a nomination for the Karen Virag Award.
Submit your nomination
Nominees may be individuals or organizations, members or non-members. Nominations from members and non-members are welcome! Please help us spread the word about this award.
A nominee’s contribution may take a variety of forms, including one or more of the following:
- writing;
- public speaking;
- teaching;
- participating in broadcast or new media; and
- sponsoring editing-related activities and community building in Canada and abroad.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 5.
More information
For complete nomination instructions and other information about the award, visit the Karen Virag Award 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, 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. VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: Lee Parpart
Lee Parpart was pursuing a PhD in Social and Political Thought from York University but had become disenchanted with academia and was unsure what her future held. As a stay-at-home mom for almost ten years, Lee was concerned that she would no longer be employable.
At a literary event that she had organized, Lee met the co-chair of Editors Toronto, Jennifer Foster. Jennifer saw her potential as an event coordinator for the branch and asked her to interview for the position. Lee accepted and began working on creating opportunities for writers and editors to enjoy in-person events to enrich them both professionally and personally.
Since then, Lee’s volunteer experience has led to freelance and full-time editing jobs. She says that “volunteering for Editors Canada was one of the best moves” she has ever made and characterizes her experience as “life-changing.” She made many fruitful connections within the editing and writing communities and now works for a hybrid publishing company in Toronto. She also runs a small freelance poetry editing business.
One of her most memorable volunteering experiences was booking the winner of the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize, novelist, poet and playwright Michael Redhill, and his editor, Martha Kanya-Forstner. This made her realize that she could get top talent for Editors Toronto events.
“Sometimes you just need to ask to be given a great opportunity that you can share with the members of the association,” says Lee. Other opportunities have provided Lee with some valuable insights into the value of bringing all life experiences to editing.
What is Lee’s advice to anyone interested in volunteering? “Figure out what skills you want to develop and use the position to get really good at something that will advance your career in some way or make you a better editor or happier person.”
The volunteer of the month highlights the dedicated people who keep Editors Canada going. Volunteers are the backbone of the association. We are grateful for the many members and affiliates who answer the call when help is needed.
8. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Join us as we steer into exciting new waters
This promises to be a big year for the certification steering committee (CSC). While rolling out the Copy Editing certification exam, we’re also exploring ways to refresh our procedures and become more agile in creating and administering the exams, to ensure the success of the program long into the future.
We’re a dedicated group, but a small one, and we could use your help! Interested in volunteering with the committee? We’d especially love to have you if you have expertise or interest in any of the following areas:
- Exam-setting
- Technology
- Marketing and communications
- Partnerships with other organizations
These are just a few of the areas we’re exploring this year. If any of them grab your fancy, or you’d like more information, get in touch at certification@editors.ca! (You don’t need to be a certified editor to join the CSC. We just ask that you not take any exams while you’re serving on the committee, and you wait through another full administration of any exam after your tenure is up before taking it yourself.)
9. NOMINATIONS: National executive council and committee chairs
Would you like to help shape Editors Canada at the national level, develop new skills and broaden your professional network? The 2019 nominating committee of Editors Canada is looking for engaged, dedicated members to serve on the national executive council (NEC) or chair national committees.
For more information or to submit a nomination, visit the Editors Canada website.
10. AGM: Call for motions
Our 2019 annual general meeting (AGM) will take place on Saturday, June 8, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you would like to make a substantive motion at the AGM, please submit the motion to the national secretary by Thursday, April 18.
The call to meeting will go out to members 21 to 35 days before the AGM.
11. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Mentorship
Mentorship can help you develop your knowledge and skills, build confidence, get feedback and encouragement, and much more. As mentor Anita Jenkins put it, “One-on-one interaction with a wise and supportive mentor is an incredibly important component of the learning curve.”
Our mentorship program is two months long, and can be extended to six months. A committee matches mentors with mentees. The mentee then has a free, two-hour meeting with their mentor to determine if it’s a good fit. A fee of $250 covers the cost of administering the program and a modest honorarium for the mentor.
To apply to be a mentor or a mentee, visit the John Eerkes-Medrano Mentorship page.
“My first mentorship term was a wonderful experience! My mentor was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and inspiring. She tailored our conversations to my needs and was very generous when answering questions and recommending resources. Working with her over these last two months has given me many different perspectives on my editing career. Thank you so much to Editors Canada for making this possible.”
– Sarah Jefferies, PhD“What a great opportunity to learn collegially and to benefit from the experience of a senior editor: we’re lucky to have a program like this. Thanks so much for this opportunity!”
– Claire Wilkshire
12. EXTERNAL CONFERENCES: Indexing Society of Canada
Beyond the Page—New Platforms, New Realities—the 2019 conference of the Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d’indexation—takes place May 24–25, on the University of Ottawa campus. And members of Editors Canada receive the same pricing as ISC/SCI members!
Special sessions include
- solutions toward decolonizing access and classification presented by a panel from the Indigenous Matters Committee of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (they raised this issue in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee report)
- a step into the world of parliamentary information—an underpinning of informed democratic engagement—with the House of Commons indexers on intelligence-based search
- a discussion of ethics presented by a panel of indexers and editors
- techniques that will change the way you work—physically and mentally—to restore energy and reduce stress, in a mini-workshop given by Ruth Paulauskas, founder of BreathWoRx
Sessions on indexing practices include working with scholarly texts and biography and memoirs, structuring indexes, and editing indexes “from the get-go.” Attendees will also learn about indexing locora, a growing and profitable market for indexers.
The conference will be immediately followed by an optional full-day workshop on indexing names.
Early-bird pricing is in effect until April 15. Visit the conference page for more details and links to the registration form.
13. MEMBER NEWS: Tell the world about your accomplishment
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.
14. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
One of the challenges for the NEC, and for the organization overall, is stepping back to look at how we’re doing things.
This concept often gets overlooked because new directors want to get up to speed on how the association works (and this often takes at least six months). Once they know how things work, and why things are set up the way they are, directors don’t often question it because our association is administratively complex. It’s easier to just go along with how things are and to try to make improvements to what we have, instead of thinking of things in a different way.
I know I’ve certainly spent a lot of time in the past few years trying to make what we have more secure and more robust. But some of the directors and other members have been wondering if it’s time to look at how we do certain things, to make our association even more relevant (and to better use some of the things we are known for, such as the Professional Editorial Standards).
Part of the March NEC meeting will be devoted to rethinking the association. Then we’ll share our ideas with you. We’ll be welcoming your comments, ideas and additions. And all of this should feed into next year’s strategic planning discussions. Our strategic plans runs out in 2021, so we should be doing a new one in 2020.
Gael Spivak, president
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.