Monthly meetings

EAC-BC elections

EAC-BC needs volunteers for five of its standing committees—member services, West Coast Editor, programs, social, and communications and social media—as well as a hotline coordinator. Interested? Attend the May 15, 2013, branch elections, or contact the chair of the committee that you’d like to join. See event listing.

Hotline coordinator

EAC-BC is looking for a hotline coordinator (non-executive position; appointed, not elected).

The hotline coordinator broadcasts job opportunities to EAC-BC members. Any member in good standing may hold this position.

  • Time commitment: 1–2 hours per month
  • Questions: contact Claire Preston

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Member Services Committee

The Member Services Committee is looking for 1 chair (executive position) and 2–3 committee members (non-executive positions; appointed, not elected).

The Member Services Committee encourages membership in EAC and strives to improve the membership experience of prospective members, new members, and current members. Committee members welcome people at EAC-BC monthly meetings, answer telephone and email inquiries, assist the Communications and Social Media Committee at Word on the Street and at other public events, and work with the Professional Development Committee on seminars held outside the Lower Mainland. Any member in good standing may join this committee.

  • Time commitment (chair): 4 hours per month
  • Time commitment (committee members): 1–2 hours per month
  • Questions: contact Dee Noble

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West Coast Editor Committee

The West Coast Editor Committee is looking for 5 committee members (non-executive positions; appointed, not elected).

The West Coast Editor Committee is responsible for producing EAC-BC’s online newsletter. Committee members are responsible for the entire editing and production process, from gathering and editing content to setting up production schedules, designing layouts, maintaining the style guide, and uploading content. Any member in good standing may join this committee.

  • Time commitment (co-chairs): 8+ hours per month
  • Time commitment (committee members): varies (committee members may choose to copy edit, proofread, or write articles)
  • Questions: contact Cheryl Hannah

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Programs Committee

The Programs Committee is looking for 1–2 committee members (non-executive positions; appointed, not elected).

The Programs Committee plans and coordinates the programs for EAC-BC’s monthly meetings. Committee members are responsible for ensuring that rooms are booked for the meetings, planning program topics, recruiting guest speakers, composing program blurbs and post-program write-ups for West Coast Editor, obtaining gift certificates for guest speakers, and introducing guest speakers at the meetings. Committee members are also responsible for recording speaker presentations and delivering the recordings to the webmaster for uploading to the EAC-BC web page. Any member in good standing may join this committee.

  • Time commitment: varies (committee members may volunteer on an event-by-event basis)
  • Questions: contact Frances Peck

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Social Committee

The Social Committee is looking for 1 additional committee member (non-executive position; appointed, not elected).

The Social Committee reports to the Programs Committee and is responsible for catering at EAC-BC’s monthly meetings and for maintaining the needed supplies. The committee is also responsible for organizing and hosting a dinner party each December and looking into the logistics of hosting outreach events in Victoria and the Okanagan. Any member in good standing may join this committee.

  • Time commitment: up to 3 hours per month
  • Questions: contact Frances Peck

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Communications and Social Media Committee

The Communications and Social Media Committee is looking for 1 chair (executive position) and 2 committee members (non-executive positions; appointed, not elected).

The Communications and Social Media Committee is responsible for EAC-BC’s communications via traditional and social media as well as organizing events for public and member attendance. Any member in good standing may join this committee.

  • Time commitment (chair): 4–5 hours per month
  • Time commitment (committee members): 2–4 hours per month (there are also many opportunities to volunteer on an event-by-event basis)
  • Questions: contact Jessica Lowdon

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EAC-BC is on teh Interwebz

FROM: Jessica Lowdon, public relations chair

Want to hear about interesting literary and cultural events in BC? Want to keep up with professional-development opportunities from other organizations? Want your daily fix of amusing puns and other wordplay? You should be following @EditorsBC on Twitter, friending EAC-BC on Facebook, and perusing discussions in the EAC group on LinkedIn.

We will be streamlining our communications over the coming months, and the news and interest items from outside organizations that we once emailed to our membership will soon be available exclusively on our social-media sites and here on West Coast Editor.

So if you use Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn but are not taking advantage of EAC-BC offerings, now is the time to start. Branch and national news and events will continue to arrive in your inbox regularly.

—Jessica

P.S. Don’t fret, Gentle Reader—West Coast Editor staffers did not fall asleep while proofreading this page. “Teh Interwebz” is hacker speak (a.k.a. 1337 speak) for “the Internet.”

Event audio: The Good, the Bad, and the “That Could Have Gone Better” about Subcontracting

Couldn’t attend EAC-BC’s April 17, 2013, panel discussion on subcontracting? Listen to the audio recording.

Couldn’t attend EAC-BC’s April 17, 2013, panel discussion on subcontracting? The discussion featured editors Patricia Anderson, Amelia Gilliland, and Eve Rickert, who discussed what works and what doesn’t in the subcontracting relationship, no matter which side of the contract you find yourself on. The discussion was moderated by Frances Peck, EAC-BC programs co-chair.

Listen to audio recording (EAC log-in identity and password required).

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Event audio: New Plain Language Certificate

Couldn’t attend EAC-BC’s March 20, 2013, presentation on plain language certification? Listen to the audio recording.

Couldn’t attend EAC-BC’s March 20, 2013, presentation on plain language certification? The presentation was given by Katherine McManus, director of the Writing and Communications Program at Simon Fraser University and the only Canadian member of the International Consortium for Clear Communication (IC Clear).

Katherine discussed the program’s goals and time lines as well as what the new certificate will mean for editors. She also talked about the latest on this year’s PLAIN (Plain Language Association International) conference, coming to Vancouver October 10–13, 2103, where IC Clear hopes to launch its first pilot course.

Listen to audio recording (EAC log-in identity and password required).

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Event audio: Editing Books in Translation

Couldn’t attend EAC-BC’s February 20, 2013, presentation, Editing Books in Translation? Listen to the audio recording.

Couldn’t attend EAC-BC’s February 20, 2013, presentation, Editing Books in Translation? The presentation, given by Iva Cheung, winner of the 2011 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence, covered big-picture issues—such as copyright and the all-important editor–translator relationship—as well as the nuts and bolts of working with a translated manuscript. Iva also gave audience members an insider’s look into the pleasures and pitfalls of editing books in translation and tips for finding work in the field.

Listen to audio recording (EAC log-in identity and password required).

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Event audio: Language Detectives

It’s official. EAC-BC’s November 21, 2012, lecture on forensic discourse analysis was a hit.

It’s official. EAC-BC’s November 21, 2012, lecture on forensic discourse analysis was a hit. The speaker, Dr. Lorna Fadden, had us at “discourse analysis.”

Dr. Fadden structured her lecture around several of her cases, including a stalking case (which involved analyzing letters and emails) and a sexual-abuse case (which involved analyzing witness statements). She also presented details about a case that she had recently worked on as a witness for the prosecution, which required her to testify whether a series of text messages constituted “a suicide note or a credible threat.”

Listen to audio recording (EAC log-in identity and password required).

Next stop: Burnaby and Vancouver Island

Rumour has it that Dr. Fadden will be delivering this lecture on Vancouver Island sometime in the next few months. Watch WCE’s event listings for details. She will also be moderating a Philosophers’ Café event entitled “Is Language Changing for the Better or Worse?” in Burnaby on December 5, 2012. Learn more.

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EVENT LISTINGS: May 2013

Do you have an event planned (or know of one) that you’d like to appear in these listings? Send us the details.

May 11, 2013: Editing Workshop … For Writers Too

This workshop will also be held June 8, 2013, on Salt Spring Island; July 13, 2013, in Nanaimo; and August 17, 2013, on Salt Spring Island.

This summer, editor Cheryl Cohen will be offering four sessions of her hands-on editing workshop, which she describes as an “intensive, fun encounter.” Topics will include: substantive editing; copy editing; proofreading; the editor–writer relationship; and tips on how to become a professional editor. Each participant will receive an 18-page handout.

About the instructor: Cheryl Cohen is an experienced freelance editor who has worked on many high-profile books, including Miriam Toews’ widely read novel A Complicated Kindness, which won the 2004 Governor General’s Award for English Fiction. Cheryl spoke about the state of the publishing industry—and how writers should adapt—at the Professional Editors Association of Vancouver Island (PEAVI) May 13, 2013, meeting.

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May 13, 2013: PEAVI meeting: How Bright is the Future of Editing?

Editor Cheryl Cohen will be talking about the state of the publishing industry—and how writers should adapt—at the Professional Editors Association of Vancouver Island (PEAVI) May 13, 2013, meeting. Says Cheryl: “The traditional book publishing industry is in chaos; newspapers are in chaos; an increasing number of authors are wading into self-publishing. The world as editors knew it is changing fast, which means this might be the perfect time for editors to reinvent themselves too.”

About the speaker: Cheryl Cohen is an experienced freelance editor who has worked on many high-profile books, including Miriam Toews’ widely read novel A Complicated Kindness, which won the 2004 Governor General’s Award for English Fiction. She is also a singer/songwriter and former senior editor for The Globe and Mail.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Location: Church of Truth, 111 Superior Street, Victoria
  • Registration: at the door

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May 15, 2013: EAC-BC elections, book exchange, and networking event

Note: because there will be a wine and cheese social at the May meeting, there will be no Editors’ Pub Night beforehand; these popular pre-meeting gatherings at Elephant & Castle will resume in the fall.

The theme for EAC-BC’s May 15, 2013, meeting is “Elect. Exchange. Enjoy.” Elect: May is election month in BC, doubly so for editors. This meeting will be your chance to vote for the 2013–2014 branch executive. If you’ve thought about getting involved, consider standing for an executive position yourself or joining one of the many branch committees. Elections cheat sheet. Exchange: more shades of grey than you know what to do with? Bring along any books you’re finished with and swap them for new (to you) titles at the book-exchange table. It’s a great chance to stock up on summer reading. Enjoy: this is our last meeting until September 2013, so indulge in wine and cheese, toast a successful season, and catch up with fellow editors.

Bonus: enter the draw at the meeting for free admission to one of EAC-BC’s professional development seminars.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00 (elections start at 19h30)
  • Cost: free for EAC members, non-members, and students
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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