Interview by Marta Orellana; copy edited by Naomi Dobler
Editors BC is thrilled to welcome Shirarose Wilensky to speak at the February 16th Editors BC monthly member meeting.
Shirarose is an award-winning editor, who recently won the 2021 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence for her edit of Francesca Ekwuyasi’s Butter Honey Pig Bread.
Let’s get to know our presenter.
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What: Editors BC monthly meeting
When: Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 7:30–8:30 pm PST
Where: Online through Zoom
Cost: Free for Editors Canada members, $10 for non-members, and $5 for student non-members
Meet Shirarose Wilensky (she/her) and hear about her prize-winning edit of Francesca Ekwuyasi’s Butter Honey Pig Bread, an intergenerational novel about three Nigerian women, with themes of food, family, and forgiveness.
Written by Maggie Clark; copy edited by Meagan Kus
Every year, Editors Canada presents the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence to an editor for their outstanding contribution to a work published in Canada. A highlight for Editors BC this year was learning that Dania Sheldon, a member of Editors BC, was the award’s recipient. Dania won this award for her editorial work on Charles Gretton: Clock and Watchmaking Through the Golden Age by Dennis Radage, Warner Meinen, and Laila Radage.
Maggie Clark, West Coast Editor’s new managing editor, asked Dania about her experiences with editing and publishing.
by Nancy Flight
Editors and writers across the country were saddened to learn of the death of long-time EAC member John Eerkes-Medrano, on June 15, at the age of 64. Born in Groningen, the Netherlands, he spent his early years in Edmonton and later worked in Toronto and then Victoria.
EAC-BC chair Peter Moskos talks about what’s in store for the coming year: West Coast Editor moves online; programs and professional development committees announce their monthly-meeting and Saturday-seminar programs; PR Committee shares its plans for fall 2012; changes to branch executive; Iva Cheung wins Tom Fairley Award.
Back in 2002, when I still lived in Ottawa, I came to Vancouver to lead workshops for Douglas College and EAC-BC. At that time, I first saw an issue of West Coast Editor (WCE). I was so impressed that I asked the wonderful Jean Lawrence, then BC Branch administrator, to put me on the WCE mailing list. Ever since then, I’ve been a faithful reader. By the time I moved to Vancouver, Cheryl Hannah, with the help of Hugh Macdonald, had taken over and elevated WCE to a true magazine. With beautiful layouts, themed issues, terrific articles, great photos, and important BC-centric editing news, WCE had become, without question, the best of all EAC branch organs. As a member of the BC Branch, I couldn’t have been more proud.
If you’re reading this article, then you know that WCE has taken another giant leap forward. With this issue, it has moved online. Once again, the driving force is Cheryl Hannah. She realized that producing WCE as a paper publication formatted in Adobe InDesign was too labour intensive to sustain as a volunteer effort for much longer.
But as a Web publication, it can be produced in fewer hours without losing the qualities that have made it an outstanding print publication. Watch for email notices each month telling you when new content is waiting for you online.
A newly revamped WCE is not the only thing that we have to look forward to this year—we have an exciting program of monthly meetings. Iva Cheung and Frances Peck have joined Micheline Brodeur on the Programs Committee, and this dynamic team has come up with presentation topics that include ebooks, forensic linguistics, subcontracting, and editing books in translation.
The first monthly meeting of our 2012-2013 year starts on Wednesday, September 19, at 19h00, with a Learn From My Fail reception. During the evening, you’ll be encouraged to tweet your most memorable “editing lessons learned”—using hash tag #LFMF. The Twitter feed will be displayed for us all to read as we enjoy wine, cheese, nibbles, and good conversation.
The Professional Development Committee, chaired by Tina Robinson and Eva van Emden, also has an exciting program planned. On September 22, 2012, Ruth Wilson will be leading her popular Advanced Proofreading seminar, and on October 27, 2012, Yvonne Van Ruskenveld will be leading her equally popular Structural + Stylistic = Substantive Editing seminar. Both seminars offer fundamental training that every editor needs.
For the spring-seminar series, Tina and Eva are looking at a range of possible topics, including editing fiction; ethics and copyright; and estimating and proposal writing. Keep an eye on WCE for updates.
Thanks to PR chair Jessica Lowdon, our publicity program is off to a good start. We’ll be at Word on the Street on September 30, 2012, in downtown Vancouver. Stop by our table at Library Square between 10h00 and 17h00 to learn how you can help raise the profile of EAC-BC editors. Jessica is also hard at work planning a Blue Pencil event, where fiction and narrative writers submit their work to EAC-BC editors for critique. Once again, keep an eye on WCE for updates.
We’ve had three more changes to our branch executive this year: Stefania Alexandru has taken over from David Harrison as branch secretary (David is now on the national executive council), Dee Noble has taken over from Carey Ditmars as membership chair, and Eve Rickert has taken over from Barbara Dominik as branch treasurer.
There is one other BC Branch honour that I must mention. Iva Cheung won the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence for her work on Cow: A Bovine Biography (2011). Iva joins a long tradition of BC winners of the prestigious award, and it’s great to know that editorial excellence continues to thrive in our province.
With our dynamic branch executive in charge, we have an exciting year coming up. Make sure that you’re part of it.
West Coast Editor 