Pre-conference Workshops

The Quebec / Atlantic Canada Branch of EAC is pleased to present the two morning workshops.

Friday, June 7
9 am – 12 noon

Antidote 8: Quoi de neuf?

Presenter: Louise Saint-André
Room: Vanguard 1
Fee: $100 members; $125 non-members

Workshop content:

Depuis sa toute première version, lancée en 1996, Antidote a su se tailler une place dans le quotidien des langagiers, tant ici qu’ailleurs dans le monde. Le 8 novembre dernier, Druide informatique nous offrait une nouvelle version de son produit phare. Cet atelier vous permettra de découvrir les nouvelles fonctionnalités d’Antidote 8. Recherche par critères, correction des ligatures, uniformisation des apostrophes, traitement en bloc des erreurs : les améliorations sont nombreuses. Venez les découvrir!

Presenter bio:

Réviseure et communicatrice dynamique, Louise Saint-André, M. Éd., anime depuis plus de dix ans des ateliers de formation en contextes universitaire, professionnel et privé.

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9 am – 12 noon

Writing fiction, editing fiction: A dialogue

Presenters: Kate Kennedy and Linda Little
Room: Admiral Room
Fee: $100 members; $125 non-members

Workshop content:

Fiction editor Kate Kennedy and novelist Linda Little will describe the editor–writer relationship, based on their work together on Little’s novel, Grist. Each will present an account of her own experience and knowledge of the process necessary to the production of a piece of writing that is affecting and fulfills the author’s vision. And in conversation, they will together elaborate on the workings of their particular partnership.

Presenter bios:

Kate Kennedy is a book editor based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She worked in-house at Gaspereau Press and Nimbus Publishing before becoming a freelancer in 2011. She has edited several award-winning books, including Lean-To by Tonja Gunvaldsen-Klaassen (2010 Atlantic Poetry Prize) and The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud (2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize).

Linda Little lives and writes in the north shore village of River John, Nova Scotia. Linda has two award-winning novels, Scotch River (Penguin 2006) and Strong Hollow (Goose Lane 2001). Her latest novel, Grist, will be released by Roseway in 2014. Her first picture book, “Work and More Work,” from Groundwood, is also forthcoming in 2014. She has published short stories in many reviews and anthologies, including The Antigonish Review, Descant, Matrix, The Journey Prize Anthology, and The Penguin Book of Short Stories by Canadian Women. In addition to writing, Linda teaches at the Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus and volunteers with River John's annual literary festival, Read by the Sea.

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The Nova Scotia Twig of EAC is pleased to present the two afternoon workshops.

Friday, June 7
1 pm – 4 pm

Plain English: Building results

Presenter: Frances Peck
Room: Admiral Room
Fee: $100 members; $125 non-members

Workshop content:

Too often, authors bury their messages in wordiness, abstractions, jargon, weak organization, and confusing layout. This introduction to plain language shows you how to demolish these barriers to readability and build a document that says what it means. On the agenda: types of readers and their different needs, seven tips for creating plain language, the basics of page design, and ways of evaluating readability.

Presenter bio:

Frances Peck has spent two decades turning difficult language into plain prose. She teaches editing at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College in Vancouver.

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1 pm – 4 pm

Powerful conversations: Using the telephone to get things done

Presenter: Mary Jane Copps
Room: Vanguard 1
Fee: $100 members; $125 non-members

Workshop content:

Discover your unique “phone personality” and learn how to be a more effective communicator on the telephone. This workshop will sharpen your existing skills and teach you new ways to use the phone to build relationships and get things done.

Outcomes: How and when to leave messages; How to work with “gatekeepers”; What to say on the phone and when to say it; How to build relationships with phone calls; Listening skills that reveal the “body language” of a phone call; When to ask questions – and what questions to ask; How and why telephone conversations lack focus; 10 strategies that create results-oriented phone calls; Identify the value of what’s not being said; How to gain clarity and agreement.

Presenter bio:

A former manager, Globe and Mail journalist, editor, salesperson, and fundraiser, Mary Jane Copps has spent the last 25 years analyzing the psychology of a phone call. In addition to her corporate workshops, Mary Jane teaches telephone communication skills through the Nova Scotia Community College.