review

Event review: Hitting-the-books wine and cheese

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by Amy Haagsma

Recap of EAC-BC’s branch meeting on September 17, 2014

EAC-BC held its 2014­–2015 season opener on September 17, 2014. Before getting down to business, we drank wine, ate cheese, and reconnected with our peers after a summer away.

To kick off the evening, Roma Ilnyckyj, our new Programs chair, introduced the 2014–2015 executive and announced volunteer opportunities with the branch. We are particularly in need of two volunteers to organize refreshments for our branch meetings (update: Frances Peck and Connie Behl have graciously stepped forward to take on this role). The Communications and Social Media committee is always looking for volunteers as well, which allows us to participate in events like Word Vancouver and Communication Convergence. Writers and editors are also needed for West Coast Editor. Please contact Shelagh Jamieson for the Communications and Social Media committee, and Amy Haagsma regarding West Coast Editor.
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Event Review: Battling Woes & Busting Myths

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 by Amy Haagsma; review of seminar Usage Woes and Myths with Frances Peck (offered by EAC-BC on April 12, 2014)

Although an EAC member for almost a year, I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to attend one of EAC-BC’s professional development seminars. Usage Woes and Myths with Frances Peck caught my attention right away, as I had learned a lot from Frances through her courses at Simon Fraser University. It initially occurred to me that I might not need the seminar, as I thought I had a pretty good grasp of word usage, but as I started reading the description I realized how wrong I was.

“You’ve sorted out imply and infer.” (Check!)

“You know it’s not all right to use alright.” (It’s not?)

“But what about more troublesome usage points, like the difference between may and might?” (Hmm. I may [or is it might?] need to take this seminar after all.)

“Or such commonly misused words as dilemma and fulsome?” (What’s a fulsome?)

“Is it true that you should always change though to although, till to until?” (I definitely need to take this seminar. Sign me up!)

“Is impact now officially a verb?” (Stop the madness!)
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Event review: International editing

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by Amy Haagsma

Review of panel discussion on international editing at the EAC-BC branch meeting on April 16, 2014.

One very appealing aspect of a career in editing is its flexibility. Work can be done from almost anywhere and planned around a variety of schedules. After attending EAC-BC’s April meeting on international editing, I realized that another benefit is how vast your potential client base can be. Even if you have a niche specialty, a global market makes it easier to find clients who need your services.

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Book Review: Unearthing Canada’s Hidden Past…

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by Eric Damer

Review of Unearthing Canada’s Hidden Past: A Short History of Adult Education by Michael Welton (Thompson Publishing, 2013).

Ours is a learning society that goes well beyond schooling for youth. Historian Michael Welton adds that all societies are learning societies and always have been. Adults have always learned new job skills, cultivated leisure interests and even tried to change their society to make it a bit more fair, inclusive and democratic. This last activity—learning for progressive social change—interests Welton the most in this accessible account of adult education in Canada over several hundred years. Unearthing Canada’s Hidden Past: A Short History of Adult Education invites the reader to consider not only how adults have learned to adjust to their world but also how they have learned to change it. Welton has a special plea for adult educators to “keep faith with our emancipatory traditions” (p. 229) to tackle some of the pressing problems of our current age.

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