I’ve just returned from speaking at the Editors Canada conference in Vancouver from June 21 to 23. It’s been eight or so years since I’ve been in Vancouver, so that was a nice landscape refresh, and so was the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and make some new friends.
Besides sharing my own insights into building a freelance writing/editing business and cold pitching to get new clients, I also volunteered as a coordinator for the association’s speed mentoring program, which paired established editors with newcomers.
I also got to learn from others who shared their knowledge and experience in several sessions. Here are a couple of my favourite sessions:
Advocating for editing
Led by longtime editor Iva Cheung (also a fun editorial cartoonist), this was a different type of session because it invited discussion on how we as editors could connect with government and the public and raise awareness about what editors do and how editing can be a tool of democracy and accessibility. I liked this talk because it was a chance to take a step back from our daily work in this profession and think about the big picture.
Humanizing AI-driven content
From Keri Sculland, content leader at POD marketing, an overview of how she’s integrated AI into her organization’s workflow – for those of us just contemplating the addition, it was useful to hear from someone who is already a few steps ahead.
As an attendee of the conference, I can access recorded sessions, a bonus because I plan to go back and revisit talks I missed, especially on other AI topics, editorial checklists, and becoming an agency. So much going on at a conference that it’s impossible to capture everything!
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