Think before you slop
When you assume that AI will think for you in the writing process, workslop awaits.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: Some festive trivia from Santa
Have you ever wondered why we kiss under mistletoe? Hang candy canes on the tree? Or how the poinsettia—a tropical plant—became a symbol of Christmas?
To satisfy those inquisitive editorial minds out there, we asked Santa and his elves to research some holiday trivia on Christmas decorations and ornaments before they get too busy with their double shifts in the North Pole workshop. They’ve come up with a fun piece of trivia for each day of the Twelve Days of Christmas—but you can read them on any day and in any order you wish as a distraction from your own busy-ness of the season!
That in-person feeling
When it comes time for an author to review my edits, having a meeting with them by phone or in person can lead to changes that might not happen when the conversation happens only on the edited page.
Happy International Plain Language Day!
October 13 is International Plain Language Day, established to celebrate the movement for clearer communication.
Beyond the Zoom room: The upside of meeting in person
We live in a time when many a conversation includes the words “before Covid” or “during the pandemic.” Many of us miss some parts of life we took for granted in the “before” period, but at the same time, we’ve…
Written Treasures: Medieval manuscripts and bookmaking
“Every manuscript permits a sort of time travel – bringing us closer to an understanding of how people in the Middle Ages made, read and used their books.”
—Irene O’Daly
Last fall, I had the opportunity to work on a fascinating book about medieval manuscripts, Written Treasures, featuring 50 manuscripts from Leiden University Libraries’ Western Medieval Manuscripts collection. The book was compiled and edited by André Bouwman, a curator for Leiden University Libraries’ Special Collections, and Irene O’Daly, an assistant professor in Leiden University’s Centre for the Arts in Society. Bouwman and O’Daly also wrote the introductory essays and several of the manuscript essays.
Editing in the age of AI: Why human insight still matters
Artificial intelligence (AI) makes me anxious. Not because I’m worried about robot uprisings or deepfakes, but because I’m an editor living through what feels like an existential moment for my profession, arguably for almost all professions. Every day brings new…
Fitting reward for a story of labour equality
Congratulations to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) on winning a Canadian Association of Labour Media award for their book Road to Equality! WCEA helped the union produce the book in 2024 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of rural…
Plain language by design
I’ve always loved maps: their colours, their textures, and the millions of possible journeys they represent. Maps are designed not only to be visually appealing but also, and more importantly, to effectively communicate information.
Spell Canadian!
Canadians are being encouraged to keep our elbows up, stand together for our sovereignty, and buy Canadian. Could we also (please) spell Canadian?