Interview by Marta Orellana; copy edited by Katie Beaton
Laura Poole will be teaching and sharing her wisdom with us during the Editors BC seminar “Freelance 201” on October 16, 2021.
Let’s get to know Laura a bit before her exciting session!
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As we look forward to the 2021–2022 season, we would like to introduce you to your Editors BC executive members for this year.
First, though, we’d like to thank outgoing executive members Barbara Johnston (professional development), Katie Beaton (publications and West Coast Editor managing editor), and Joyce Chung (programs).
We extend a warm welcome to new executive members Claire Majors (professional development), Madeline Walker (programs), Rita Zamluk (programs), Janis Cleugh (co-secretary), and Naomi Cappallo (volunteer coodinator). These new executive members started their term on July 1.
In addition, Marta Orellana has moved from programs to publications and West Coast Editor managing editor.
Written by David Marsh; copy edited by Janet Millar
In June, Editors BC elected its new executive for 2020-2021. We felt now would be a good chance for members to get to know these 11 volunteers a little better.
We’ve asked each of them a set of five quick questions aimed at giving members a glimpse of the person occupying the position, along with some choice professional wisdom.
Here they are:
During our online chapter meeting on June 17, Editors BC held elections to fill positions becoming vacant on the executive.
Before we list the new executive, we’d like to thank outgoing executive members Alexandra Bogdanovic (programs), Maggie Clark (publications and West Coast Editor managing editor), Marianne Grier (past chair), Ellen Michelle (professional development), and Tiffany Sloan (treasurer) for their dedication to serving all Editors BC members.
We are also extending a warm welcome to new executive members Katie Beaton (publications and West Coast Editor managing editor), Tania Cheffins (treasurer), Joyce Chung (programs), Letitia Henville (professional development), and Marta Orellana (programs). These new executive members will take over from their outgoing counterparts on July 1.
In addition, Barbara Johnston is moving from volunteer coordinator to professional development, Jesse Marchand from branch chair to past chair, and Liz Warwick from communications to branch chair. Continue reading
Written by Carl Rosenberg; copy edited by Katie Beaton
On Saturday, February 29, Editors BC will present a full-day seminar by Frances Peck on usage woes and myths. For anyone intent on preventing (not avoiding) word errors and avoiding (not preventing) usage myths, this seminar will be of great help. People attending will get an up-to-date look at some of the most misunderstood and contentious points of English usage, and identify helpful guides and other resources.
Frances Peck is a Certified Professional Editor (Hon.) and writer who has worked with words for nearly 30 years. She has taught at the University of Ottawa, Douglas College, SFU, UBC, and dozens of organizations across Canada. She prepared the Canadian edition of The St. Martin’s Workbook, a university grammar exercise book; co-authored the popular HyperGrammar website; and wrote Peck’s English Pointers, a collection of articles and quizzes available on the Language Portal of Canada. Frances lives in North Vancouver and is a partner with West Coast Editorial Associates.
Carl Rosenberg, a volunteer on Editors BC’s communications and social media committee, spoke to Frances about her work and forthcoming presentation.
Written by Karen Smith; copy edited by Katie Beaton
This past June, I flew from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and joined Editors Canada in celebrating the organization’s 40th anniversary conference. It was both my first Editors Canada conference and my first time in Halifax. As a novice conference attendee, I wanted to learn as much as I could at the training sessions. I also hoped to make some new connections in the publishing world. However, as I prepared to fly east, I wasn’t sure what to expect at the conference and whether it would be worth the time and cost to attend. Ultimately, it was an overwhelmingly positive experience, and I was glad to have been part of it. In return, I hope that sharing my experience may give other editors insight into whether attending the conference will be of value to them.
Written by Nancy Tinari; copy edited by Katie Beaton
Ruth Wilson’s “Advanced Proofreading” seminar provided us with a wealth of information, tips, and exercises derived from Wilson’s decades of experience. The hours flew by as we learned, worked, and occasionally became sidetracked by those minute issues that editors love to debate.
Though the other participants and I had wildly divergent proofreading experiences, I’m confident that all of us found Wilson’s seminar to be valuable. Her material was extensive and broad enough to help near-beginners as well as those more experienced in hard copy markup, online markup, or both.
Written by Nancy Tinari; copy edited by Katie Beaton
The “Three-Degrees-from-Normal” panel event occurred on October 19, 2018, and it featured authors Kevin Chong (The Plague), Claudia Dey (Heartbreaker), Waubgeshig Rice (Moon of the Crusted Snow), and Rabindranath Maharaj (Adjacentland), with Claudia Casper moderating the conversation. In their new books, all of these authors wrote about crisis situations.
These writers also have in common tremendously vivid imaginations; however, the discussions about where the ideas for their books came from made these three-degrees-from-normal scenarios seem eerily plausible. Even though their settings and situations may seem extreme, they are all intimately related to what is happening in the world right now.
We got a taste of each writer’s imaginative world from Casper’s introductions and brief readings by the authors. Casper then asked the panellists to explain how the scenarios and ideas expressed in their novels could be related to current events.
Continue readingWritten by Carl Rosenberg; copy edited by Katie Beaton
So, are you thinking of writing about your childhood memories? Or maybe someone has asked you to edit a childhood memoir? In either case, on Saturday, January 26, 2019, Editors BC will present a seminar just for you. This six-hour seminar on writing and editing childhood memoirs will be presented by Carolyn Redl. She will introduce memoir writing and editing, with a mix of conversational learning, hands-on training, and practising a variety of memoir writing techniques.
Throughout the day, you’ll complete exercises that will make your own childhood experiences come alive. You’ll explore ways to organize events into stories using description and dialogue. You’ll hear editing hints for developing themes, settings, and personalities associated with childhood. By the end of the day, you’ll have written a draft chapter of your memoir! Continue reading
Written by Peter Moskos; copy edited by Katie Beaton
I first met David Harrison when we both sang in a summer choir composed of singers who could not get through June, July, and August without a singing fix. David and I recognized each other as old fellows, so we sat together, joining our rusty baritones for pieces by Mozart, Brahms, and Verdi.
West Coast Editor 