We want to give the Editors Toronto members and student affiliates another way to get to know the executive and find out what is involved in being on the committee. So, we asked executive committee members to introduce themselves and their roles by answering a few questions.
Meet Lauren Klein. She’s been a member of Editors Toronto for a year and is serving her first year on the executive committee. Aside from writing stories and plays, she enjoys baking and climbing trees.
What kind of editor are you? Tell us a bit about your experience.
I’ve been working as a freelance editor for less than a year. I like considering the big picture, and I particularly enjoy stylistic editing. I get to do some of this through my job coaching students in academic writing. I mostly edit short pieces, but I would like to move on to longer projects in the future. For now, I’m working on my skills and learning as much about the industry as I can.
What is your favourite part of the role you hold on the executive committee (or the exec, as we call it)?
Since the pandemic started, we’ve had to restructure the seminars program. I’ve enjoyed being part of the process of building a new seminars program from scratch. Right now, we’re developing a plain language course, and I’m excited to get it off the ground in the near future. I’ve also really enjoyed researching potential topics and different seminar structures. It’s been a great way to learn a little bit about subjects I hadn’t been exposed to before.
Give us an elevator pitch for your role.
Doing research is important for this role. This year, I’ve focused on finding information on plain language, looking at what kinds of professional development other organizations are doing, and planning the execution—all with help from Catherine and Raya, our two co-chairs. In the future, my role will probably involve more networking with potential clients and instructors.
What’s your favourite part of an exec meeting?
I love brainstorming as a group. It’s great to get input from other exec members and bounce ideas off each other. Since everyone comes from a different professional background, we always have a variety of perspectives.
If you didn’t have your role on the exec, what role would you pick?
Aside from the role I have now, I’m curious about what Alicja, the editor-in-chief of Boldface, does. I’m interested in the steps of the publishing process. I’m also interested in the communications chair role. I think writing the monthly newsletter would be fun.
Editors Toronto holds elections to fill the executive positions every May. If you are interested in the positions and their availability, please contact us at [email protected].
This article was copy edited by Amanda Clarke.
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