2013 was the perfect time for Glenna Jenkins to join Editors Canada. As a proud Nova Scotian, she volunteered that year at the Halifax conference, filling swag bags and organizing the indexers’ evening dinner. When the annual conference returned to Halifax in 2019, Glenna upped her volunteer game by providing website content, organizing a dinner and a walking tour, and presenting a session on academic editing. The biggest reward in volunteering, she says, is seeing positive collaborative outcomes. Currently she’s on the new finding work for members task force intended to help freelancers find meaningful, well-paid work. “Stay tuned!” she says.
Glenna’s passion for editing emerged long before her first conference. She “became an editor by happenstance” when a friend turned her blog into a book and asked Glenna to edit it 10 years ago.
“That’s how I got hooked,” she says.
To develop her editing skills, she took courses from Ryerson University’s Chang School of Continuing Education and from UC Berkeley. Now she specializes in academic editing, mainly for non-native English speakers. The work can be challenging. “It oftentimes means working with text that is so convoluted I have to try to figure out what the author is trying to say, take a stab at it and query in the comments pane,” she says. But Glenna brings her attention to detail to the job—a skill honed during her years as an economist.
When not wearing her editor’s hat, Glenna enjoys writing young adult fiction, running and cycling long distance (“because I can do this sitting down”). But volunteering for Editors Canada remains an ongoing part of her life because her fellow volunteers are “a joy to work with.”
“Editors are smart, courteous, civilized and a lot of fun,” she says.
The featured volunteer recognizes the contributions of our dedicated people who keep Editors Canada going. Volunteers are the backbone of the association, and we are grateful for the many members and affiliates who answer the call when help is needed.
Want to make a difference in your association? Find out more about volunteering for Editors Canada.
~S. Robin Larin