Reviews

From Proofreading to Plain Language: A Review of SFU’s Editing Program

by Amy Haagsma

In September 2012, I attended an information session at SFU on the Continuing Studies Writing and Communications program. When the presenters spoke about career options in editing, I realized that I had been an “undercover editor” for quite some time. Although my title did not include the word “editor,” this described a large part of what I did at work. I decided to take a few courses in the Editing Certificate program to learn more about the field and improve my skills.

Whether you’re new to editing or a seasoned pro, the program has something for everyone. SFU offers a variety of editing courses and the only editing certificate program in Western Canada. The courses can help you learn the craft, formalize your qualifications, brush up in certain areas, or expand your service offering. The material also forms a good basis for EAC certification.

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Book Review: Unearthing Canada’s Hidden Past…

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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Event Review: Social Media for Writers

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by Frances Peck

Review of Social Media for Writers, a professional development day hosted by the Professional Writers of Association Vancouver Chapter (PWAC) on March 22, 2014.

Does the term social media make you giddy with anticipation or sick with anxiety? I’ll own up to being in the second camp. The idea of devoting an entire day to that zany online world was, for me, like contemplating a colonic irrigation: people say it’s good for you, but you’ve got to wonder if all the mess and exposure are really worth it.

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Event Review: The Evolving Landscape of Our Libraries

by Nancy Tinari; review of presentation by Christine Middlemass, Manager of Collections & Technical Services at Vancouver Public Library (VPL) on the evolving landscape of our libraries, held at the March 19, 2014 EAC-BC branch meeting

Christine Middlemass, a librarian since 1978, provided a lively, fast-paced and thorough overview of how libraries have changed over the past two decades. Accelerating times have caused many challenges for libraries. Yet if librarians have half the competence and humour of Middlemass, book lovers can be confident that these establishments will remain the cornerstone of communities. As Vancouverites, we can feel smug: the Vancouver Public Library is the third largest in Canada and recently was rated number one in the world, tied with Montréal’s library network.

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Event review: Posture for editors

by Tiffinie Green

Review of Posture for Editors presentation by RMT Luca Pellanda at the EAC-BC branch meeting on February 19, 2014.

I spend hours at my desk. I bet you do too. And when I’m not at my desk, I’m usually still sitting and reading. Generally, my neck and shoulders are tight and sore and really tense, so I was highly motivated to attend the EAC-BC chapter meeting in February as the topic was about posture for editors.

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Book Review: The Subversive Copy Editor

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by Frances Peck

Book review of The Subversive Copy Editor by Carol Fisher Saller (The University of Chicago Press, 2009)

What does it take to get really good at the business of editing? I’d boil it down to four things: turn in great work, treat clients well, meet your deadlines, and maintain your perspective (code for: keep calm and carry on).

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Stepping gracefully

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by Eric Damer

Review of seminar Eight-Step Editing with Jim Taylor (offered by EAC-BC on January 18, 2014)

I was resolved to take an EAC workshop this year and registered for the first likely candidate, Eight-Step Editing. Wow – did this workshop impress me! Not only did I find the content engaging and helpful, but Jim Taylor presented his program with sage advice, solid research support, amusing anecdotes and useful examples from his long experience as an editor.

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Participants recap PubPro unconference

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In preparation for the 2014 PubPro unconference, members summarize last year’s event. Aside from the presenters’ helpful comments, this information may inspire you to attend this year or plan to initiate a discussion session on a topic of your own choice. What’s an unconference? It’s an inexpensive, informal gathering driven by the participants and based on the principles of open space technology. -Eds.

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The Bookshelf: Sneaker Wave

Written by Jeff Beamish, 2013, Oolichan Books; Reviewed by Corinne Smith

They’re called sneaker waves because they appear without warning, running high up onto the beach with sometimes deadly force; they are an apt metaphor for the unpredictable ways in which the lives of the characters in this novel are affected by their choices.

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