While completing her PhD in English during the pandemic, Megan Harris realized that what she most loved about academia was “helping authors’ voices to speak more clearly on the page.” As a union leader at the University of Toronto, Megan spoke with hundreds of students about the demands of their graduate degrees. She and her partner consequently co-founded Clarity Doctors Writing Consultants in 2021, bringing to bear their extensive experience with teaching and informal academic editing to assist graduate students and early career scholars with their writing.
“Helping others navigate academia and feel supported while doing so feels like very meaningful work,” Megan says.
Hoping to meet more editors, Megan joined Editors Canada later that year and was soon excited to volunteer for the 2023 Editors Canada conference. “I have a lot of experience assembling, training and managing teams of volunteers, so when I saw that the conference had a volunteer coordinator position, I jumped at the opportunity!” Megan says. She helped develop a volunteer manual and volunteer schedule for this first in-person conference since the pandemic lockdowns.
“We were building a lot of the detailed parts of our positions and of the conference from the ground-up,” she notes, “so we relied heavily on previous coordinators’ recommendations. I can’t say enough good things about each of my fellow volunteers!”
Megan lives in Toronto with her partner and their cat, Hazel. A long-time Vipassana meditator and vegetarian, Megan also sings second soprano in Vesnivka Choir, a Ukrainian women’s choir.
“I find it difficult to balance the demands of several part-time jobs with my desire to volunteer and get to know fellow editors, but I keep trying,” she says. “We feel so fortunate to be part of a community of such kind, incisive and knowledgeable people!”
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