Anita Jenkins, will bring us PPB e-news every other month. Articles, news items, and comments are welcome.

1. Latest Edition
E-news Bulletin of the Editors’ Association of Canada, Prairie Provinces Branch
Welcome
July–August 2011
Here it is! The first issue of the Prairie Provinces Branch (PPB) e-news bulletin, which will
arrive in your mailbox every two months. We aim to provide a quick read that will keep you
informed about events and opportunities as well as the activities of your branch executive.
This issue fills you in on a lot of housekeeping items. We hope to be more scintillating in
future. Thanks to Sharon Skage, copy editor, and Aaron Dalton, designer.
To contribute, make suggestions or comment, contact Anita Jenkins, e-news bulletin
editor, ajenkins@compusmart.ab.ca; 780-474-6656. The deadline for submissions for the
next issue is August 31, 2011.
Member news Quote of the day
Special thanks to NJ Brown, Roberta Laurie “It’s not so much that American public life is
and Sharon Skage for their able service on more idiotic,” Jill Lepore said, referring to both
the PPB board. They are now taking a well- press coverage and the public discussion it
deserved break. Thanks, too, to Peggy O’Neill spawns. “It’s that so much more of American
for filling in as both Internal Publicity and life is public. I think that goes a long way
Job Hotline Coordinator over the past few to explaining what seems to be a ‘decline.’
months. Everything is documented, and little of it is
edited. Editing is one of the great inventions of
Arden Ogg, Winnipeg member and former
civilization.” [Our italics.] — “Learning to
PPB representative on the national executive
Love the (Shallow, Divisive, Unreliable) New
council, is serving on the council again this
Media” by James Fallows, The Atlantic, April
year. Now, however, her job title is regional
2011
director of branches and twigs (west). How
would you like to have that on your resumé? Jill Lepore is a professor of American history
at Harvard University, chair of Harvard’s
Congratulations to Theresa Agnew, who
History and Literature Program and a staff
received the President’s Award for Volunteer
writer at The New Yorker.
Service in May 2011, www.editors.ca/
presidentsaward/index.html, and to Mar­
guerite Watson, who was shortlisted for the
Writers Guild of Alberta 2011 Jon Whyte
Memorial Essay Prize.

2. Latest Edition July–August 2011
PPB Executive Reports
New executive reasons for restructuring include keeping the
Congratulations to PPB Chair Margaret Sadler number of people around the boardroom table at
and to her executive team: a manageable level and reducing the workload for
coordinators, who are always welcome to attend
• Paul Payson: past chair and treasurer executive meetings but are not required to be there.
• Astrid Blodgett: secretary
• Deborah Lawson: external committee As stated on the PPB section of the EAC website,
liaison (connecting with the program, www.editors.ca, “Leadership, programming
external publicity and job hotline and publicity are key roles for all of the [board]
coordinators) members.”
• Lori-Ann Claerhout: internal committee New and continuing coordinators
liaison (connecting with the IT, e-news
Thanks and best wishes to our continuing and
and internal publicity coordinators)
newly appointed coordinators:
• Virginia Durksen: Calgary area
representative • Eva Radford (board contact), Linda Kita-
Bradley and Brenda Jorgensen: program
If you’d like to volunteer for the following vacant (planning and organizing seminars,
executive positions, please contact Margaret meetings and social events)
Sadler, mfsadler@telus.net, or any member of the • Deborah Lawson: external publicity
board: • Aaron Dalton: IT (managing our section
of the PPB website)
• Vice-chair
• Anita Jenkins: e-news editor (with Sharon
• Outreach committee liaison (connecting
Skage, copy editor, and Aaron Dalton,
with the education, membership/volunteer
designer)
and mentorship coordinators)
• Theresa Agnew: internal publicity
• Winnipeg area representative
(sending out email messages to members)
• Rhonda Skinner: education (connecting
At this time, most of the board members live in
with and providing scholarships for
Edmonton and executive meetings are held in
students interested in editing careers)
Edmonton.
• Rachel Small: membership/volunteer
New board structure
Members approved a new executive and committee Eager volunteers are invited to sign up for these
structure at the 2010 PPB annual general meeting. still-vacant coordinator roles: mentorship and job
In addition to the traditional positions of chair, hotline. Again, to discuss these jobs or offer to do
vice-chair, secretary and treasurer, the revised them, contact Margaret Sadler, mfsadler@telus.
executive includes three committee liaison people net, or any member of the board.
and representatives from areas in the region. Some
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3. Latest Edition July–August 2011
Branch News
Editing awards for students PPB brochure
The 2011 winners of the EAC-PPB editing Deborah Lawson and Theresa Agnew, with
awards, all from the MacEwan University help from other members, have produced a
Professional Writing Program, are: brochure describing the Prairie Provinces
Branch and inviting people to join EAC.
• Talicia Dutchin (4th year)
Attendees at the Get Publishing event and the
• Melissa St. Dennis (3rd year)
Manitoba Editors’ Association conference have
• Shawna Blumenschein (2nd year)
already had an opportunity to pick up a copy. If
you have suggestions about where to send copies
Talicia received a $1,000 scholarship and a
or hand them out, contact Deborah Lawson,
one-year EAC qualifying membership, and
deborah@thewordcircus.com.
the other two received one-year EAC student
memberships. The winners are selected
on the basis of academic performance in
editing-related courses and, in the case of the
scholarship recipient, pursuit of an editing
career. Talicia and Shawna joined us for
lunch at the PPB annual meeting the second
Saturday in May.
Education liaison NJ Brown launched this
awards program as a pilot project with the
MacEwan Professional Writing Program. It
will conclude in 2012, before which time we’ll
consider an extension of the program to other
educational institutions.
NJ Brown (2010 Education Liaison) presents fourth-year student
award to Rhonda Skinner (2011 Education Liaison)
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4. Latest Edition July–August 2011
EAC National News
2011 Fairley award nominee from Edmonton
Congratulations to Christine Wiesenthal of Edmonton, who was
nominated for the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence,
www.editors.ca/tomfairley/index.html. The nomination was for
her work in editing The Collected Works of Pat Lowther by Pat
Lowther (posthumous), published by NeWest Press.
The Tom Fairley Award was presented to Lucy Kenward of
Vancouver at the 2011 national conference in Vancouver. Several
PPB members attended, including Laura Cappello Bromling,
Moira Calder, Lori­Ann Claerhout, Judy Dunlop, Anita Jenkins,
Deborah Lawson, Paul Payson, Mary Lou Roy, Margaret Sadler,
Karen Virag and Cerina Wheatland. Also in attendance were
former PPB members Juliet Kershaw (now a member of the BC Christine Wiesenthal
Photo by Paul Cipywnyk
branch) and Julie Cochrane (now a member of the QAC branch). (a BC branch member of EAC)
Staying in touch
Chair Program You can contact any executive or
Margaret Sadler Eva Radford, Brenda Jorgensen, committee member through the
and Linda Kita-Bradley email addresses provided on the
National representative EAC website, www.editors.ca/
Arden Ogg Education liaison branches/prairies/index.html.
Rhonda Skinner They will be delighted to hear
Treasurer from you, as your input and of-
Paul Payson Membership/volunteer fers of assistance make it possi-
coordinator ble for the PPB to thrive.
Secretary Rachel Small
Astrid Blodgett
IT coordinator
Internal committee liaison Aaron Dalton
Lori-Ann Claerhout
External publicity
External committee liaison Deborah Lawson
Deborah Lawson
E-news bulletin editor
Past chair Anita Jenkins
Paul Payson
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