Monthly meetings

EVENT LISTINGS: April 2013

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April 7, 2013: EAC-BC seminar: Grammar Boot Camp

Want to flex your grammar (and punctuation and usage) muscles? This intensive seminar will put you through the paces. Focusing on high-level errors—the ones that make it past editors and proofreaders and into print—this one-day session will help you identify and fix the most puzzling mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and usage. We’ll look at errors from a range of publications, discuss up-to-date approaches to correcting them, and run through a series of challenging editing exercises. Feel free to bring along any difficult examples you’ve encountered on the job.

About the instructor: Frances Peck has been working with words for more than two decades, whether writing them, editing them, or teaching people about them. Author of Peck’s English Pointers (available through the Language Portal of Canada) and a co-author of the popular HyperGrammar website, she teaches editing at Douglas College and Simon Fraser University. She is a partner with West Coast Editorial Associates and a member of the EAC-BC executive.

  • Time: 9h00–16h00
  • Cost: $100 for EAC members who register by March 22, 2013 (after: $120); $160 for non-members who register by March 22, 2013 (after: $180)
  • Location: University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road (Ring Road), Victoria
  • Registration: closes March 29, 2013, at 17h00

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April 13, 2013: EAC-BC seminar: PubPro 2013: An Unconference for Managing Editors and Publication Production Specialists

Publishers often meet to discuss sales, marketing, and digital strategies, but very rarely do the people who actually make the publications happen get to gather and brain share. This EAC-BC seminar will offer managing editors and production specialists the opportunity to meet others in their role and learn from one another.

Whether you’re interested in finding out how others approach freelancer recruitment, training, and scheduling or have a success story to share about streamlining workflow or project management, PubPro will be your forum to air your production-related questions and triumphs. FAQs. PubPro 2013: Behind the scenes with Iva Cheung.

  • Time: 9h30–16h30 (check-in starts at 9h15)
  • Cost (includes lunch): $40 for EAC members who register by March 22, 2013 (after: $55); $50 for non-members who register by March 22, 2013 (after: $65)
  • Location: SFU Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
  • Registration (closes at midnight, April 5, 2013)
  • Event hashtag: #PubPro2013

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April 17, 2013: EAC-BC meeting: The Good, the Bad, and the “That Could Have Gone Better” about Subcontracting

Subcontracting is a great way to farm out work when you’ve got too much due at the same time. For new editors, it’s a chance to get started in the business. How do you venture into subcontracting, and what pleasures and pitfalls might you encounter along the way? Join three editors—Patricia Anderson, Amelia Gilliland, and Eve Rickert—for a lively panel discussion of what works and what doesn’t, no matter which side of the subcontract you’re on. Moderated by Frances Peck, EAC-BC programs co-chair, the panel will end with general Q&A, so bring along those questions you’ve always meant to ask.

About the panellists: Patricia Anderson, Ph.D., is a cultural history and publishing studies scholar, book author, and editor of fiction and nonfiction. Her editing and literary consulting business, Helping You Get Published, has been online for 14 years, during which time she has hired a number of editorial subcontractors. She is writing a guide to successful publication for conventional and self-publishing book authors that will include a chapter on the importance of professional editing.

Amelia Gilliland has been editing fiction and nonfiction books for seven years. She has an editing certificate from SFU’s Writing and Publishing Program, worked in-house at Douglas & McIntyre and Arsenal Pulp Press, and subcontracts for West Coast Editorial Associates. An experienced substantive editor, copy editor, and proofreader, she has focused on editing fiction for the past few years. She frequently works with self-publishing authors.

A certified stylistic editor, copy editor, and proofreader with 10 years of experience, Eve Rickert owns Talk Science to Me Communications Inc. Her firm provides à la carte services such as writing, editing, indexing, illustration, design, and Web development, as well as teams to complete projects from start to finish. The firm relies on freelance associates to provide clients with the skills they need at a price they can afford.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for EAC members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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EVENT LISTINGS: March 2013

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March 13, 2013: Canadian Authors Association: Crossing Boundaries—Writing in Different Genres

Save the date—the Canadian Authors Association (CAA) will be hosting a panel discussion about writing in different genres: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Panelists will include Ian Weir (Daniel O’Thunder, 2009), Eileen Cook (The Almost Truth, 2012), and Margaret Anne Hume (Just Mary: The Life of Mary Evelyn Grannan, 2006). The discussion will be moderated by Dennis E. Bolen, recipient of the Writers International Network Canada’s 2013 Distinguished Writer Award.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for CAA members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: Alliance for Arts and Culture, 100-938 Howe Street, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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March 16, 2013: EAC-BC seminar: Ethics for Editors

To edit and publish language is to mediate knowledge and culture—quite the responsibility! In this seminar, you will explore ethical questions for editors, from the gravity-defying act of juggling the needs of writers, advertisers, and readers, to the sensitive diplomatic mission of pointing out a racist or sexist passage, to the daredevil feat of deciding just how creative a piece of creative non-fiction can be. By working through exercises and sharing experiences, you will find new entrances to the questions and new ideas for solutions.

About the instructor: Mary Schendlinger has worked as a writer, editor, and publisher for 42 years. She is senior editor of Geist magazine, a member of the SFU Master of Publishing faculty, and an instructor in the UBC Creative Writing Program.

  • Time: 13h00–16h30
  • Cost: $60 for EAC members who register by March 1, 2013 (after: $70); $90 for non-members who register by March 1, 2013 (after: $100)
  • Location: SFU Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
  • Registration: closes March 8, 2013, at 17h00

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March 20, 2013: EAC-BC meeting: New Plain Language Certificate

Calling all plain language advocates! Come to our March meeting and get the scoop on a new certificate program in the works for plain language practitioners.

Join Katherine McManus, the only Canadian member of the International Consortium for Clear Communication (IC Clear), as she runs through the program’s goals and time lines and discusses what the new certificate will mean for editors. You’ll also hear 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.

About the speaker: Katherine McManus is director of the Writing and Communications Program at Simon Fraser University. She specializes in adult learning and was recruited for the plain language certificate project because of her background in blended and online education.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00 (speaker starts at 19h30)
  • Cost: free for EAC members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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EVENT LISTINGS: February 2013

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February 13, 2013: Canadian Authors Association Open Mic Night

Interested in what Vancouver writers are working on? Check out the popular Canadian Authors Association (CAA) Open Mic Night, where authors will be performing five-minute readings of their published works, ready-to-publish works, and first drafts.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for CAA members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: Alliance for Arts and Culture, 100-938 Howe Street, Vancouver
  • Registration

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February 20, 2013: EAC-BC meeting: Editing Books in Translation

Whether you’re a current (or would-be) editor of translations, or are simply curious about this intriguing niche, you won’t want to miss our February presentation. Join Iva Cheung, winner of Canada’s most coveted editing award for Cow: A Bovine Biography (translated from German), for an insider’s look at the pleasures and pitfalls of editing books in translation.

Iva will cover some 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, including special problems you may encounter. She’ll also offer tips for finding work as an editor of translations.

About the speaker: An independent publishing consultant, Iva Cheung formerly served as editor and editorial coordinator at D&M Publishers, where translations were among her favourite projects. She is a Certified Professional Editor, winner of the 2011 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence, and author of a much-followed blog about editing and publishing.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for EAC members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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February 23, 2013: EAC-BC seminar: Freelance 101 for Editors: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Whether you’re thinking of taking the plunge into full- or part-time freelancing or are already doing it, this seminar is for you. Learn what to consider before setting up shop, how to find and keep good clients, and some of the common pitfalls and not-so-fun (yet necessary!) aspects of freelancing.

About the instructor: Barbara K. Adamski has been a freelance writer and editor for the better part of a decade. Her recent editing projects include a book on videogame law, several novels, and the bestselling ebook Finding Karla.

  • Time: 9h00–16h00
  • Cost: $120 for EAC members who register by February 1, 2013 (after: $140); $180 for non-members who register by February 1, 2013 (after: $200)
  • Location: SFU Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
  • Registration: closes February 15, 2013, at 17h00

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EVENT LISTINGS: January 2013

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January 12, 2013: EAC-BC seminar: Editing Fiction

Behind every great novelist and short story writer there is a great editor. In this seminar, acclaimed author and writing teacher Caroline Adderson will share techniques to help you bring out the greatness in your writers, from dazzling openings to moving endings and the whole story in between, including effective plotting, pacing, and dialogue.

She will also offer advice on the all-important writer-editor relationship.

About the instructor: Caroline Adderson is the author of three novels (A History of Forgetting, Sitting Practice, The Sky Is Falling), two collections of short stories (Bad Imaginings, Pleased to Meet You), as well as six books for young readers.

Her work has received numerous prize nominations, including the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, two Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes, the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist, the Governor General’s Literary Award, and the Rogers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Winner of two Ethel Wilson Fiction Prizes and three CBC Literary Awards, Caroline was also the recipient of the 2006 Marian Engel Award for mid-career achievement.

She lives in Vancouver, where she teaches in the Simon Fraser University Writing and Publishing Program.

  • Time: 9h00–16h00
  • Cost: $120 for EAC members who register by December 21, 2012 (after: $140); $180 for non-members who register by December 21, 2012 (after: $200)
  • Location: SFU Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street, Room 2245 , Vancouver
  • Registration: closes January 4, 2013, at 17h00

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January 16, 2013: EAC-BC meeting: The Making of a Profession: Why Do Editors Need a National Association?

Speaker David Harrison asks what it means and what it takes to be a professional in your field—in fact, any field. Are editors there yet?

David will bring you some fresh, first-hand impressions of what EAC is doing at the national level to support editors and help advance the profession. He’ll talk about topics of member interest that are being addressed nationally and ask what you really want your national representatives to be doing on your behalf.

About the speaker: David Harrison is an experienced business and academic editor. He also worked for 20 years in the accounting profession, where he had to explain and defend professional accountants’ interests to lawyers, legislators, and judges. A long-standing EAC-BC member, David was branch secretary in 2010–2012 and is this year’s secretary of the National Executive Council.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for EAC members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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EVENT LISTINGS: November 2012

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November 2–3, 2012: Kamloops Writers Fair

Do you have a completed manuscript ready to pitch to a literary agent or a partially completed manuscript ready to be put through a Blue Pencil or tested at an open mike? Then check out the Kamloops Writers Fair, which “welcomes writers of all genres, as well as published and emerging writers.”

The keynote speaker will be Anthony Dalton, author and past president of the Canadian Authors Association.

  • Time: 19h00–closing (November 2); 9h00–17h00 (November 3)
  • Cost: $100 (full weekend registration: includes Open Mic Night/wine and cheese reception; keynote speech; 2 workshops; Blue Pencil session; Saturday lunch)
  • Location: The Old Courthouse Cultural Centre, 7 Seymour Street West, Kamloops
  • Tickets
  • More information

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November 7–11, 2012: Circle Craft Christmas Market

Want to get a head start on your holiday shopping? Reserve your tickets for this year’s Circle Craft Christmas Market. Browse the works of 280 Canadian artisans; create your own blown-glass tree ornament; see pottery and wood-turning demonstrations; watch performances by the Royal City Youth Ballet Company and the Anna Wyman School of Dance.

  • Time: 10h00–21h00 (November 7–9); 10h00–19h00 (November 10); 10h00–17h00 (November 11)
  • Cost: $12 at the door ($10 online) for adults; $10 at the door ($8 online) for seniors; $10 at the door ($8 online) for students with valid ID
  • Location: Vancouver Convention Centre West, 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver
  • Tickets
  • More information

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November 15–18, 2012: Christmas at Hycroft

Here’s an opportunity to get a head start on your holiday shopping while experiencing the “sights and sounds of Christmas in a traditional Edwardian mansion.”

Christmas at Hycroft is organized by The University Women’s Club of Vancouver. It is the club’s biggest single-event fundraiser of the year, with funds going to promote education, “rights and opportunities for women through advocacy locally, nationally and internationally, as well as ongoing stewardship of the grounds and buildings.”

  • Time: 10h00–21h00 (November 15–16); 10h00–18h00 (November 17–18)
  • Cost: $13 for adults ($10 on November 15); $5 for children age 5–11 (children <5 years of age: free); $30 for a Family Package (2 adults and 3 children)
  • Location: 1489 McRae Avenue, Vancouver
  • Tickets
  • More information

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November 18, 2012: EAC-BC seminar: Grammar Essentials for Writers and Editors (a Seminar for the Fainthearted and the Fearless)

Can you explain how a transitive verb differs from an intransitive one or how a phrase differs from a clause? Can you tell a client or your colleagues what is wrong with a sentence that “doesn’t sound right”? Note: this seminar will be held in Kelowna.

In this seminar, instructor Barbara Tomlin will guide you to a better understanding of sentence structure and grammar terminology through exercises, discussions, and group activities. You will learn about common errors that can mar otherwise good writing and leave the seminar feeling better about your grasp of the language that you use by instinct every day.

Whether you feel anxious when you hear the word “grammar” or are eager to address gaps in your knowledge, you will benefit from this review of how English works—and sometimes doesn’t.

Topics will include:

  • How grammar differs from usage and style
  • Parts of speech
  • Sentence problems
  • Subject-verb agreement
  • Misplaced and dangling modifiers
  • Grammar resources

About the instructor: Barbara Tomlin began working in the publishing industry more than 30 years ago, first for educational and trade book publishers, and then for magazine publishers. Since then she has edited, copy edited, and proofread a wide range of material for a variety of clients. She is certified as an editor in life sciences and is a past chair of the Editors’ Association of Canada Certification Steering Committee. She has also been an instructor for SFU’s Writing and Communications Program for more than 20 years and has developed writing and editing workshops for many organizations. She is a founding member of West Coast Editorial Associates.

  • Time: 9h30–16h30
  • Cost: $120 for EAC members who register by October 26, 2012 (after: $140); $180 for non-members who register by October 26, 2012 (after: $200)
  • Location: Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Avenue, Kelowna
  • Registration

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November 21, 2012: EAC-BC meeting: Language Detectives

What do syntax and CSI have in common?

What do syntax and CSI have in common? Find out in this fascinating glimpse into the world of forensic linguistics. Did a series of text messages sent before a fatal car crash constitute legitimate suicide notes? Can we tell if a 911-call transcript has been altered? In a series of letters, where does the author go from creep to stalker? Dr. Lorna Fadden, linguistics professor and consultant in the field of forensic linguistics, will tell us about these and other cases she has worked on. She’ll also discuss what she and her colleagues look for in their work, and how she came to be a language detective.

About the speaker: Dr. Lorna Fadden is an assistant professor of linguistics at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Over the past decade, her research has focused on discourse analysis, mostly of police interviews, and the methods and ethics of dealing with language evidence. She has consulted on numerous cases in Canada and the United States. She’s also SFU’s First Nations languages coordinator and a regular moderator for SFU’s Philosophers’ Café.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for EAC members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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November 24, 2012: Canadian Authors Association workshop: Research—The Key to Writing Historical Fiction

In this workshop, instructors Robert Mackay and Margo Bates will teach you how to develop your ideas, characters, storyline, and story outcome based on research.

This workshop is hosted by the Canadian Authors Association (CAA).

  • Time: 13h00–16h00
  • Cost: $30 for CAA members; $60 for non-members; $35 for students with valid ID
  • Location: Alliance for Arts and Culture, 100-938 Howe Street, Vancouver
  • Registration

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November 24–29, 2012: Jewish Book Festival

Each year, the Jewish Book Festival attracts a large and varied audience to the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver for lectures, workshops, film screenings, book launches, and more. This year, more than 20 established and emerging Jewish and non-Jewish writers will be speaking at the event about subject matter ranging from literature and philosophy to history and current events.

  • Bookstore hours: 19h00–22h00 (November 24); 10h00–21h00 (November 25–29)
  • Cost for each event: varies (admission is charged for most events; some are free)
  • Location: Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, 950 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver
  • Tickets for events
  • Events program

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November 24—December 24, 2012: Vancouver Christmas Market

Looking to experience an authentic German Christmas market while you shop for traditional German Christmas decorations, toys, pottery, food and drink, jewellery, and crafts? Fancy a stroll through “romantic rows of little wooden huts decorated in pine branches and illuminated with strings of little white lights”? This market is for you!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYPjFvJnecs?rel=0&w=640&h=360]© Vancouver Christmas Market

  • Time: 11h00–21h00 (November 24–December 23); 11h00–18h00 (December 24)
  • Cost: $5 for adults (Monday–Friday: 16h00–21h00; Saturday–Sunday: 11h00–21h00); $2 for adults (Monday–Friday: 11h00–16h00); $2 for children age 7–12; no charge for children <7 years of age
  • Location: Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza, 650 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
  • More information

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Event Audio: What Editors Need to Know about E-Books

Couldn’t attend EAC-BC’s October 17, 2012, lecture on e-books? Listen to the audio recording.

Couldn’t attend EAC-BC’s October 17, 2012, lecture on e-books? The lecture, given by Lara Smith, print and digital coordinator at D&M Publishers, was detailed and educational. She reviewed different e-book formats and the kinds of content best suited to each.

She also:

  • Discussed different conversion methods and compared in-house and conversion-service workflows.
  • Reviewed a typical conversion and explained what kind of work is required after export, particularly to accommodate various e-reading devices.
  • Reviewed the inside of an EPUB file and metadata requirements.
  • Discussed digital rights management options.
  • Discussed how deciding to produce an e-book can affect the editing process.

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

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Event review: #LFMF

Couldn’t attend EAC-BC’s #LFMF event? Don’t worry. Programs co-chair Frances Peck has compiled a list of the “editing lessons learned”—editors’ true confessions, if you will—that were shared that evening.

At EAC-BC’s first meeting of the season (on September 19, 2012), about 35 of us gathered at the YWCA in Vancouver to drink wine, nibble cheese, catch up with fellow editors, and confess our failures. Humility was the watchword of the evening as we tweeted editing lessons we’ve learned the hard way (using the hashtag LFMF, learn from my fail) or described our embarrassing moments to the group.

See slide show.

The “winning” #LFMF lesson

The (unofficial) winner, for its black humour and high “uh-oh” factor:

Always turn off autocorrect. My instructor’s last name, Vigna, was autocorrected to vagina without my noticing.

More #LFMF lessons

The various lessons—about the importance of proofreading, the need for careful estimating, the pitfalls of technology, and more—were too valuable to keep to ourselves, so we’re sharing them with WCE readers. A big thank you to those who laid bare their biggest gaffes so that others needn’t repeat them.

“Materiel” isn’t always a misspelling. Learned the hard way from a military client.

Always review the document, or a good sample of it, before estimating. What’s described as an easy edit may really be a nightmare.

Proofread every invoice. I once tweaked my template and got my postal code wrong! Delayed payment, red face.

Say yes to every project and you’ll sacrifice quality. I look back on work from hectic times and know it wasn’t my best. Ouch.

If you’re sending an attachment, attach it BEFORE you write the email and forget to do it.

Before sending a style sheet to the client, don’t forget to give it one last A-to-Z sort.

Proofread your invoice template. There is no such thing as the GSH tax.

Mix estimate with educate for big jobs. Itemize the tasks you’ll do at each stage. Helps client appreciate the value for the $$ estimate.

Make sure all comments to self are deleted from final edit. Author should never see “Boring!” or “Gibberish.”

Always estimate based on word count—never on page count.

I edited a dissertation in LaTeX. When the (now) prof gave me the published copy (in person), I saw I’d edited no footnotes.

Your awesome new time-tracking software doesn’t do much good if you don’t press the “start” button.

Sent out a resumé several times mentioning articles I had published in a “newpaper.” Applying for copy-editing jobs.

When signing off with “Regards” in a memo to an author, keep in mind that the G and T keys are in close proximity.

See slide show.

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EVENT LISTINGS: September 2012

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

September 19, 2012: EAC-BC meeting: #LFMF

When signing off with “Regards” in a memo to an author, keep in mind that the “G” and “T” keys are in close proximity. #LFMF

Join us for a casual wine and cheese evening on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, where you’ll chat and mingle with your fellow editors and meet this year’s executive. The theme of this meeting—the first of EAC-BC’s 2012–2013 season—is Learn From My Fail (yes—we know it’s bad grammar). Live-tweet your editing lessons learned—your most memorable, not-to-be-repeated moments—to @EditorsBC using hash tag #LFMF, and we’ll display the Twitter feed for all to see. The evening is an opportunity for all editors—whether in-house or freelance, whether seasoned veteran or just starting out—to drink, nosh, and learn from each other.

Not on Twitter? Email us your “lessons learned” before September 18, 2012, and we’ll tweet them on your behalf.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: FREE for EAC members; $10 FREE for non-members; $5 FREE for students
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: Not required

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September 22–23, 2012: Vancouver Book Fair 2012

Don’t forget! The Vancouver Book Fair of antiquarian and modern books—sponsored by The Alcuin Society—is fast approaching. It will feature more than 20 of BC’s Top Booksellers. To determine how susceptible you may be if you sashay into the book-fair fray, take this Test: Are you a hopeless bookworm?

  • Time: 10h00–17h00
  • Cost: $5 (good for both days)
  • Location: Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, Rooms C150–C180, Vancouver
  • Registration: Not required

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September 22, 2012: EAC-BC seminar: Advanced Proofreading

This seminar will be helpful to those of you wishing to upgrade your proofreading skills, prepare for job advancement, or study for EAC’s Proofreading Certification test this fall. You should have some proofreading experience and be familiar with conventional mark-up. Course material will be supplied, but bring a current dictionary, pencils and pens, and a ruler or other measure that you use on the job.

This exercise-based seminar focuses on beyond-the-basics proofreading skills. It offers you the opportunity to examine excerpts from complex documents and learn how to fine-tune your proofreading eye to catch every error. Using documents ranging from maps to menus, catalogue pages to journal pages, instructor Ruth Wilson will challenge you to use your judgment to weigh the pros and cons of making changes, querying authors, or making no changes at all.

Time will be spent discussing the process a proofreader must follow when part of a larger production team. Examples of process checklists from various publishers and organizations will be provided.

About the instructor: Ruth Wilson has more than 25 years’ experience editing and proofreading trade books, professional journals, association publications, and corporate materials. She worked for many years with Vancouver book publisher Self-Counsel Press, but in 1997 she decided to spread her wings as an independent consultant. She is now a partner in West Coast Editorial Associates. Ruth is also a respected instructor in the Writing and Communications Program and Summer Publishing Workshops at Simon Fraser University, where she teaches proofreading, editing, and Plain Language skills. She has also served on several national committees of EAC. In 2011, she was honoured as a recipient of EAC’s President’s Award for Volunteer Service.

  • Time: 9h00–16h00
  • Cost: $140 for EAC members; $200 for non-members
  • Location: SFU Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
  • Registration

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September 24, 2012: National Punctuation Day

Take a moment on September 24, 2012, to celebrate National Punctuation Day. Salute all things punctuation related and—if you happen to have an exclamation-point-shaped or question-mark-shaped loaf pan lying around—cook the Official Meatloaf.

This US holiday was founded in 2004 by a former newspaperman to remind American school children and business people that the “semicolon is not a surgical procedure” and that poor punctuation can cost businesses millions of dollars.

  • Location: online

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September 28–30, 2012: Word on the Street

It’s time again for Word on the Street, Canada’s annual book and magazine festival. While at the festival, drop by the EAC-BC booth. Even better, contact PR chair Jessica Lowdon to volunteer to staff the booth for an hour or two.

  • Time: 10h00–17h00
  • Cost: free
  • Location: Library Square and CBC Plaza, Vancouver

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EAC-BC chair: what’s in store for 2012-2013

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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.

West Coast Editor moves online

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.

EAC-BC monthly meetings: exciting program

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.

EAC-BC Saturday seminars: returning favourites and new topics

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.

Public Relations: Word on the Street and Blue Pencil

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.

Changes to branch executive

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.

Iva Cheung wins Tom Fairley Award

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.

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