EAC: National e-news update, December 17, 2009

News, events, tips and updates for members of the Editors’ Association of Canada

In this issue:

1. CONTEST NEWS: Renate Preuss wins free EAC membership
2. CLAUDETTE UPTON SCHOLARSHIP: Application deadline extended
3. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: Submit your nomination
4. CONFERENCE 2010: Get involved!
5. FRANCOPHONE AFFAIRS: ACR needs you!
6. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
7. WEBSITE: National Job Board postings now available via email only
8. SHOP EAC: Favourite products back by popular demand
9. NATIONAL OFFICE: Holiday closure


1. CONTEST NEWS: Renate Preuss wins free EAC membership

Congratulations to BC branch member Renate Preuss for winning the first of six free membership raffles! Renate, whose name was drawn from 456 members listed in EAC’s Membership List, will receive her next year’s membership free of charge.

“Wow! I don’t believe it,” said Renate. “It couldn’t come at a better time. Are you sure? I’ve never won anything before. All those things people say when they’re flabbergasted. Thank you!”

Want to win a year’s free membership in EAC? There are five more chances to win! Between December 2009 and May 2010, the national office will draw one winner each month from EAC’s Membership List. The winners will receive one year’s free membership in the association.

How do I enter the raffle?

Make sure you’re listed in EAC’s Membership List. That’s it!

Not listed? Visit the Membership List FAQ for step-by-step instructions. The sooner you get listed, the more chances you will have to win!

Remember: There is no cost for members to activate their profiles or to search the Membership List. The Membership List is only accessible to EAC members, not to the public.

Next draw date: January 11, 2010.

Visit the Members’ Area for complete contest details.


2. CLAUDETTE UPTON SCHOLARSHIP: Application deadline extended

Student members of the Editors’ Association of Canada now have a few more weeks to submit an application for EAC’s newest national award, the Claudette Upton Scholarship.

This is a $1,000 scholarship to help support continuing professional development in editing. The winner is encouraged to use the prize to attend EAC’s national conference, purchase EAC publications or attend association workshops. The winner will be acknowledged at EAC’s national conference, Reflections: Editing Content and Culture, in Montreal, on May 29, 2010.

Visit the Claudette Upton Scholarship page for application instructions.

Deadline: The application package must reach the national office by January 29, 2010.


3. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: Submit your nomination

Do you know an editor who’s made an outstanding contribution to a work published in Canada in English or French during the 2009 calendar year? If so, now’s the time to nominate that person for the 2009 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence.

This award, which is accompanied by a $2,000 cash prize, recognizes the editor’s often invisible contribution to written communication. The award will be presented at the banquet of EAC’s 2010 conference in Montreal on May 29.

Deadlines:
1. Friday, January 15, 2010, for the letter of nomination
2. Friday, January 29, 2010, for the supporting documentation and administration fee

Self-nominations are encouraged.

For complete nomination instructions and other information about the award, see www.editors.ca/tomfairley.


4. CONFERENCE 2010: Get involved!

Planning is well under way for EAC’s 2010 national conference! Reflections: Editing Content and Culture takes place at Bibliothèque et Archives nationale du Québec (BAnQ) in the heart of Montreal from May 28 to 30. The Conference Committee has received a variety of interesting proposals and is creating a dynamite schedule of educational sessions and learning and networking events.

Want to become part of the action?

Join the Conference Committee

Join a dynamic team of volunteers that’s working hard to create a conference experience that EAC members will be talking about for years. Visit the conference volunteer opportunities web page for more information.

Check the conference website regularly for the latest on what’s happening as we count down to Reflections: Editing Content and Culture.

We look forward to seeing you in Montreal!


5. FRANCOPHONE AFFAIRS: ACR needs you!

Calling all francophone and bilingual members of EAC!
 
The national executive council recognizes that our francophone and bilingual members have concerns that are unique to them. The Francophone Affairs Committee urgently needs a chair and other volunteers to promote the interests of francophone and bilingual members at the national level and to help improve services for members who work in French. Translation services are not required at this time.
 
EAC is a volunteer-driven organization and cannot function without member involvement! If you are interested in strengthening services for French-speaking EAC members, the national executive council would love to hear from you. Please contact interim committee chair Michelle Boulton

For more information about the Francophone Affairs Committee, please see www.editors.ca/fr/membres/benevolat.


6. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!

Congratulations to Nancy Flight, BC branch member and past president of EAC. Nancy was the editor of Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life by Brian Brett, which recently won The Writers’ Trust Non-Fiction Prize. Congratulations also go to Toronto branch member Barbara Czarnecki who was the copy editor for the award-winning book.

Thumbs up to Prairie Provinces branch member Audrey Whitson for winning first prize in Room magazine’s 2009 Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Non-Fiction Contest. Audrey took the top fiction prize for her story “The Glorious Mysteries,” which will be published in Room’s winter 2010 issue.

Kudos to Prairie Provinces branch member Karen Virag and former member Virginia Durksen. These self-described “blonde grammar mavens” are regular guests on CBC Radio’s Wild Rose Country and Blue Sky call-in shows. The duo, which appears with host Donna McElligott, strives to bring clarity to the rules and opinions that inform the way we speak and judge the speech of others.

Member news is a new, regular website feature designed to tell the world about our members’ outstanding and wide-ranging skills and talents. Do you have an achievement you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you! Send your news to the member news coordinator, Marguerite Watson.


7. WEBSITE: National Job Board postings now available via email only 

The National Job Board, EAC’s source for editing work, no longer sends job postings to the Member news (the “list”).  If you wish to receive notice of National Job Board postings by email, you need to activate your email subscription to the National Job Board forum on Interactive Voice.

To receive job postings by email, follow the steps below to subscribe to the National Job Board.

  1. Log into the National Job Board using your EAC website username and password.* 
  2. At the top of the National Job Board home page, click the “Forum Subscriptions” link.
  3. Check the box next to “National Job Board” under “New subscriptions.”
  4. Click “Subscribe selected.”

*If you can’t remember your username and password, click the “Forgot your password? Click here” link on the Members’ area login page and follow the instructions to have your username and password emailed to you. 

Emails will be sent to the primary address EAC has on file. If you’d like to update your email address, please contact the national office.


8. SHOP EAC: Favourite products back by popular demand

You asked and we heard! EAC’s crowd-pleasing “I’m not obsessed. I’m an editor!” T-shirts are back for a limited time by popular demand.

Busy editing for a deadline and don’t have time to explain that sheaf of papers with the funny marks or why you’re staring at a computer screen with a stack of reference books by your side? Don’t leave them wondering! Your “I’m not obsessed. I’m an editor!” T-shirt speaks for itself!

These shirts are available for sale only until January 31, so hurry over to EAC’s CafePress shop to make your secure online purchase today.


9. NATIONAL OFFICE: Holiday closure

The national office will close at 5:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday, December 18, 2009, and will reopen at 9:00 a.m. (EST) on Monday, January 4, 2010.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season!


The EAC national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.

To top